May the Fourth be with you! Couldn’t let this opportunity go by without wishing you a Happy Star Wars Day! And it actually ties in with a Bible passage I read this morning that I’m sure I’ve read before but didn’t catch the relevance for me today.
The Bible chapter, Joshua 22, explains how Joshua was dividing up and assigning the land for each tribe of Israel. After the tribes settled in their allotted area, three tribes built an altar on the edge of their property. Joshua and the other tribes assumed they had turned from God and were worshipping other gods. Assumed is the important word here. The other tribes were preparing for war against these three tribes off of an assumption. However, when they had a conversation, when they spoke face to face, when they took the time to understand their actions, all ideas of war were called off. The tribes built an altar as a witness and remembrance to future generations that they worship God and no one else.
It seems absurd to prepare for war from an assumption but how often do I prepare and go to war in my mind on an assumption. Sad face…more often than I want to admit. My rising blood pressure could almost always be avoided with a conversation. Conversations take time though and my mind can create all kinds of scenarios in a matter of seconds. Thank goodness for people like Joshua to serve as my example. Take the time. Have the conversation. Seek to understand.
The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the Lord. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day. Joshua 22:22 NLT