Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

July 9
Monday


FLAWED
IMPRESSIONS

READ:
Joshua 22:10-34
___________________________

It is a witness
between us that
the LORD is God,
__Joshua 22:34
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Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice is the story of an upper-middle-class Englishwoman named Lizzy Bennet who is pursued by Mr. Darcy, a brooding and complex man of great wealth. Lizzy's first impression of Mr. Darcy was that he was arrogant, introverted, and self-serving. So when he declares his love for her, she rejects him. Later, when she learns of his many secret acts of kindness for others, Lizzy admits that she had been wrong about Mr. Darcy and agrees to marry him.

Joshua 22 records another instance of flawed first impressions. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had built an altar near the Jordan. When the other tribes learned about this, they were enraged (vv.9-12) because God had commanded that He alone be worshiped and that sacrifices be performed only in the tabernacle (Ex. 20:3; Lev. 17:8-9). They saw the building of this altar as an act of apostasy. Fortunately, Phinehas the priest led a delegation to find out why they had built the altar (Josh. 22:13-33). They were told that it was a memorial of unity for all the tribes under the one God of Israel (v.34).

Often our first impressions can be wrong. Open communication, however, can correct misunderstandings that are created by our own pride and prejudice. __Dennis Fisher
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~~~~~~~~~~~~Don't judge too quickly what you see;~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Treat lightly first impression;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Misunderstandings multiply~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Without communication. __Sper~~~~~~~~~~~~
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First impressions often lead to wrong conclusions.

**************Today's Bible Reading __Johua 22:10-34*************

10 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... 12 And...
the children of Israel
gathered together at Shiloh
to go to war against them.
13 Then the children of Israel
sent Phinehas... 14 and with
him ten rulers... 15 And
they spoke with them,
saying, 16 "Thus says the
whole congregation of the
LORD: 'What treachery is
this that you have committed
against the God of Israel, to
turn away this day from
following the LORD, in that
you have built for yourselves
an altar?.. 28 And it shall
be, if you rebel today against
the LORD, that tomorrow He
will be angry with the whole
congregation of Israel...''

21 Then [they] answered
and said...: 22 "The LORD
God of gods...He knows
...__if it is in rebellion...
against the LORD, do not
save us this day...

24 "But in fact we have
done it for fear, for a reason,
saying, 'In time to come
your descendants may speak
to our descendants, saying,
"What have you to do with
the LORD God of Israel?...'

26 "Therefore we said, 'Let
us now prepare to build
ourselves an altar, not for
burnt offering nor for
sacrifice, 27 but that it may
be a witness between you
and us and our generations
afeter us, that we may
perform the service of the
LORD before Him...'

29 "Far be it from us that
we should rebel against the
LORD..."

30 Now... Phinehas [said]
... 31 "This day we
perceive that the LORD is
among us, because you have
not committed this treachery
against the LORD..."

34 The children of Reuben
and the children of Gad
called the altar, Witness,
"For it is a witness between
us that the LORD is God."