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Glad to Hear of Peace

Words of Faith Final

Glad to Hear of Peace

Words of Faith 10-8-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Joshua 22

         [30]  When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community--the heads of the clans of the Israelites--heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. [31]  And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD's hand."

        [32]  Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. [33]  They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

         [34]  And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.

 

          War was averted. The Eastern tribes had built an altar to honor their commitment to the Western tribes, but there had been a HUGE misunderstanding. The Western tribes had quickly taken offense and were preparing for war, but the Lord led the West's leaders to send a delegation… to listen.

          In terms of God's progress in Canaan, a civil war at this point would have been devastating. With enemies all around, this would have been a kind of mutually assured destruction! 

          Phineas declared, "Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD's hand."

          They talked no more about going to war.  Wow. This was an amazing outcome. The Eastern tribes even gave the altar along the Jordan's shore a name:  A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.  What had been a point of division stood as a reminder and monument to unity.

           Sometimes we need that. We live in an age where there are forces that constantly seek to divide. We find ourselves divided about faith, economics, history of injustice, politics, and even health protocols. Some prod our world toward war, and even when there has been listening and understanding, there are a few who want nothing less.

           We do well to continue listening and seeking understanding. But we also do well to find our uniting points. The altar at Geliloth near the Jordan was made into a unifying reminder of Israel's strength in the Lord. Imagine that—the very thing that had almost provoked war was now a symbol uniting the tribes.

            There are very few symbols that function in this way. Within the faith, we would point to the Word of God and the cross of Jesus as our unifying point of connection. These are reminders of all that the Lord God has done for us, and need to set aside petty differences. 

            A nation will unite around certain symbols.  Israel found an ongoing reminder of the presence of the Lord in Tabernacle, which would later be made permanent through the Temple. The declaration was that the Lord is our Banner.  

            A nation will often hold up such symbols because of the power to unite. It may be the Constitution and the Flag or other national symbols. Of course, these are readily attacked by enemies because they have such power to unite people to resist tyranny and inspire freedom.

            In these days, we need the wisdom of the Phineas Delegation. We need to listen. We need to understand. We need to find our points of unity as we seek freedom blessed and ordained by the Lord.

 

           Father God, teach me how to listen, really listen. It is so easy to parrot the view of others. Teach me to seek You deeply in Your Word and to know Your heart. Teach me how to set You and Your ways above the opinions of men and the distractions of the world. In Jesus’ Name. 

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2005, 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.