Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 22:10-12 – And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar. Now the children of Israel heard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.” And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. (NKJV)

We have become a culture of reaction. We tend to react to the ideas, attitudes and choices of others quite rapidly, often before we really understand the full situation. Rather than acting on our on principles, we allow the behaviors of others to dictate our priorities. Now, whether that is true in your life is for you to decide, but what happens when we react to things we misunderstand? That’s what’s occurring in this story from the book of Joshua. The eastern tribes have constructed an altar and their actions stir a remarkable reaction from their western brothers. They stand at the edge of the Jordan ready to go to war, likely much to the surprise of the eastern folks. When we make assumptions of intent, we often miss the mark. Most of us judge the actions of others through the lens of their impact on us or through the lens of fear—we are afraid of what someone might be really saying or doing. So we decide we know the “why” and react to our perception. Sadly, by the time we realize we didn’t understand correctly, a response has already been put in place and actions based on the misunderstanding are already underway. What a great reminder to stop, to listen and to avoid being quick to believe the worst about others. Makes you wonder how much anxiety could be eliminated if we simply listen before sounding alarms.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.