MISUNDERSTOOD
Misunderstood
Joshua 22:1-34
Ever been misunderstood?
Yeah, me too!
People take what I say wrong.
I don't mean any harm, but it seems like people get offended by me quite easily.
I'm trying to learn how to speak with a different tone in my voice. Watch the words I use.
These guys in this chapter were not being rebellious! They weren't building an alter to sacrifice burnt offerings! That would have been rebellious, because God clearly told them they could only do that on one alter!
"Say to them: 'Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord must be cut off from the people of Israel. (Leviticus 17:8, 9 NIV)
There was one location where people came to offer their burnt offerings.-and grain offerings!
And they were to be killed if they were worshipping other gods!
If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in that troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods you have not known), then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.
And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. (Deuteronomy 13:12-15 NIV)
So they were going after the children of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh...they were going to destroy their own family for violating God's commands!
But hey, they were just trying to make a alter to show they were part of Israel! The tribes east of the Jordan were afraid that geographical distance would isolate them and in time cause the Israelites west of the Jordan to reject them!
So the alter they built was to prevent the unity they now had from being lost!
They were absolutely firm in their denial of building an alter to sacrifice on!
This cleared things up! What a relief! And these people could've been destroyed if they wouldn't have talked things out! Thank God they did things the right way instead of just going in and taking them off the map!
Phinehas the priest, all the heads of the congregation, and the heads of the military divisions of Israel who were also with him heard what the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had to say. They were satisfied. Priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Now we're convinced that God is present with us since you haven't been disloyal to God in this matter. You saved the People of Israel from God's discipline." (Joshua 22:30, 31 MSG)
I need to be careful as to what I say and how I sound,
What do you need to be careful about that people often misunderstand you?
Do we seem like goody two shoes that are better than others?
Do we come across as a bunch of meanies!?
Do we speak spiritual words so we sound spiritual to prove that we ARE spiritual, but just sound stupid?
Do we seem uncaring?
Do we appear to be self righteous?
Arrogant?
Prideful?
We may try to look like Christ but come across like the devil,
People look for reasons sometimes to misunderstand Christians on purpose!
They like to twist our words!
So lets watch it....and not give anyone room to misunderstand us.
Created 4 months ago
