Promises and misunderstandings……

Joshua Chapter 21 is all about the Levites. They are given cities to live in and pastureland for their animals, evenly taken from the lands and cities allotted to each of the tribes of Israel. God provides fairly and faithfully for the Levites who are doing his work in the tabernacle.

So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.  Joshua 21:43-35

That’s incredible, isn’t it? Not one of God’s good promises failed.

What a faithful God we serve! How great is His faithfulness! Time for a sing I think! –‘Great is thy faithfulness’

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

He will never let you down.

He will never change.

He will always be compassionate.

He will provide.

He will give strength and hope.

No question.

There will be no one else in your life who will keep all their promises. Because they are human.

But God is God.

He will continue to do all this, just as He has always done.

And so the battles are over for the Israelites for now. They have their land. They can rest. It is time for the Eastern tribes to return home. These two and a half tribes had asked to settle on the other side of the Jordan. The condition was that their fighting men would cross the Jordan with the rest of the tribes and fight with them.

This they have done. They have obeyed everything God has commanded. Now they can go home.

And not empty-handed either –

with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing.  Joshua 22:8

And this is what they are expected to do –

But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.  Joshua 22:5

This is what all of God’s followers throughout history have been expected to do.

Obey. Trust. Serve.

This is what is expected of us today.

It didn’t take long for it to all fall apart. They hadn’t even made it home.

For some reason, before they crossed the Jordan, they decided to build a huge altar.

Which upset the tribe in possession of that land.

The priest was sent to sort it out.

It’s interpreted as an act of rebellion against God. This could bring destruction on the whole Israelite community.

This was not their intention at all. So why did they do it?

They did it out of fear.

Fear that the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan would disown them in the future, that they would somehow stop them from worshipping their Lord.

So they built the altar as a witness between them.

The priest is convinced. And pleased. And pretty relieved. And returns home.

All is well.

It just goes to show how easily things can fall apart though.

When we act/react/over-react out of fear, we set off a chain of reaction that can lead to some pretty grim places.

When there is confusion and misunderstanding, we can be quick to act without listening.

Listening is what saves the day here. Trying to understand the other side’s point of view.

If someone doesn’t see it your way, then you can gain an extra perspective on the situation by trying to see it through their eyes.

Tried that the other day with my husband. Didn’t work so well in the heat of the moment. Then later, he came out unexpectedly with an anecdote from the past that explained it all and will make me more understanding on that particular issue in the future.

Let’s hope so……