And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.
The account of the two and a half tribes who settled on the other side of Jordan is one that is, in my understanding, a lesson in the problem with compromise.
They settled on the other side.
It is true that the Lord had given them victory over the people there. But it was not in the Promised Land. Moses was judged for his own disobedience specifically by dying just short of what God had promised Israel. The two and a half tribes asked for a life just short of it.
They fought for the Promised Land
That seems admirable. And it was essential. But it also illustrates the truth that the Christian who settles for less than absolute sanctification has the same struggles as those who strive for, though never reach in this life, spiritual perfection. It seems like they might as well have gone for what God promised.
They returned from the battle before it was finished
It is true that there was some rest, and that Joshua was likely at the end of his fighting days. But Israel never did drive out all the enemy. Might they have if those two and a half tribes had stayed to fight for their own lots in the Promised Land?
They seem to have known there was something wrong with their choice
Because the first thing they did when they got home was to create something to testify to Israel that they too were Israel. They were justifiably concerned that their brethren in the Promised Land would forget those outside of it.
They immediately made an action that affected their brethren without consulting them
There was near bloodshed between the two and a half tribes outside the Promised Land and those inside specifically because those outside chose not to communicate with those inside.
Lessons learned:
- Compromise creates challenges
- Communication avoids conflict
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824
For this and, more than 5300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.
My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
No comments:
Post a Comment