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What if a seemingly rebellious act by fellow believers was actually a heartfelt attempt to preserve unity? How would you respond if you saw something that looked like betrayal but turned out to be evidence of genuine faith? Discover how an ancient misunderstanding nearly sparked war among God's own people, but wise questions and grace changed everything in a powerful lesson for handling conflicts today.
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/not-so-obvious
#mlcc #church #churchonline
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/not-so-obvious
#mlcc #church #churchonline
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LearningTranscript
00:00Pastor was walking down the street one day and saw a little boy off to his right.
00:04And little boy was jumping up and he was trying to touch the doorbell to ring the doorbell.
00:10And so he's trying to touch the doorbell and he's jumping up and he can't quite reach the doorbell.
00:14So the pastor, being a kind-hearted man, decided that he would go and help the young boy push the
00:19doorbell,
00:19thinking he's going to go play with his friends.
00:21It appears that he wants to get in to go and play with his friends.
00:24He's thinking, why doesn't he knock?
00:25I don't know, maybe he's going to surprise his friend with a doorbell ring.
00:27So the pastor walks up and pushes the doorbell for the little boy who can't quite reach it and says,
00:33now what, little man?
00:35And little boy looked right at the pastor and said, run like crazy.
00:41It wasn't quite exactly what he thought when he pushed the doorbell.
00:45Things aren't always as they appear.
00:49And to illustrate that again, I want to show you a couple of pictures up here on the screen
00:53that things aren't always as they appear.
00:57In the next one, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.
01:00As the man prepares to jump into the water, as it appears,
01:06or as he's about ready to be rescued by Batman and Robin, as it appears.
01:13But what you may not know from where you're sitting at and not being able to look up close,
01:18these are chalk drawings on flat surfaces.
01:24By looking at this angle, you would say, that really is water that he's about ready to jump
01:29into.
01:29Or over here, he's sitting on a ledge about to be rescued by Batman and Robin.
01:35That's what it appears.
01:38And in the next one, I want to show you exactly another picture of how something appears,
01:42but when in reality, looking from a different perspective, how it really is.
01:48Man standing on top of the world.
01:50When you get to a different perspective, you can see that isn't exactly what it appeared
01:55to be.
01:56But in reality, from a different perspective, you can see that it wasn't exactly a three
02:01dimensional drawing at all.
02:02It is a flat surface chalked out over a great distance.
02:07Things aren't always as they appear.
02:11And when we come to the text today in Joshua chapter 22, there is a great illustration of
02:16this right here.
02:17That things aren't always as they appear.
02:20And when something appears to be a certain way and you make a decision based upon that,
02:25you can see the problems kind of...
02:27Have you ever been here before?
02:30Have you ever been deceived by appearances?
02:33Don't raise your hand.
02:34Don't shake your head.
02:34Yeah, yeah.
02:35Have you ever been deceived by appearances before?
02:41You look at something and it appears to be something.
02:44And so you make a decision based on what you see without having all the information.
02:47And then you find out after you found out what the true facts are, you look rather foolish,
02:53don't you?
02:54You ever been there before?
02:56You ever have to swallow something down, choke it back, something that you said because we
03:03made a decision based on what something appeared to be, when in reality it wasn't that at all?
03:10We call it jumping to conclusions.
03:13We're pretty good at jumping as human beings.
03:18That's what happens in the text today.
03:20But what I'm so thankful for in this text today in Joshua chapter 22 is this.
03:24They handled the situation correctly.
03:28So by what we can learn from then, we can see in situations in our life when we are tempted
03:33to make a decision based solely on appearances and circumstantial evidence, we can see exactly
03:38how we're supposed to handle that.
03:39So we don't get in ourselves in trouble and have to then say, I'm sorry for what I said.
03:45I really acted quite foolish.
03:48So we can avoid that this text is given to us today.
03:51It's great.
03:51When we come to chapter 22, the fighting is done.
03:54We already saw that.
03:56The land has been divided to all the inheritance.
03:58They've gotten all the plots of land that God had given to them.
04:01The Levites are dispersed out in chapter 21.
04:03They're given cities to live in.
04:05They have no inheritance.
04:06The Lord is their inheritance.
04:08They're spread out through all of the land as a representation that God is all over the
04:11land of Israel.
04:13And you remember when we started this whole journey at the beginning of Joshua, we had
04:18these two and a half tribes that lived on the east side of the Jordan River.
04:21That's where their inheritance was.
04:23And Moses says, that's good and that's fine.
04:25But one thing you need to know, this is directed by God.
04:28You two and a half tribes, you need to help your brothers out and cross over the Jordan
04:33River with them, fight the battles with them.
04:35When all the battles are finished, then you can go back to your homeland.
04:38You can go back to your inheritance.
04:40So the two and a half tribes said, right on, we'll do that.
04:43That's what we're going to do.
04:44We're off.
04:44We're going.
04:45They did.
04:45They did exactly what they're saying.
04:47We know at least seven years have taken place up to this point.
04:50And they fought battles right along with the other 10 Western tribes.
04:54Now the battles are basically done.
04:56There are still some people groups that need to be conquered, but basically the battles are
05:00over on a grand scale in the land.
05:02There's some small regional skirmishes, but that's nothing important.
05:07So the two and a half tribes have now completed exactly what they said they would do.
05:11We'll help you get the inheritance.
05:12We'll fight alongside with you.
05:14But now it's time for us to go back home.
05:17That's where we find ourselves right here in chapter 22.
05:20It's time for them to return back home.
05:22After fulfilling their obligations to the other 10 tribes, they're going to return to the land
05:26that God had given to them on the east side of the Jordan.
05:30So they depart going back home to the east side of the Jordan, back to their land, back
05:34to their family, back to their cattle to start their lives.
05:37And then this instance takes place right here in Joshua chapter 22.
05:42In verses, we're going to pick up in verse number 10.
05:45At the beginning of the chapter 22, the Eastern tribes are leaving to go back home.
05:48Now in verse number 10, we see the situation that happens right here.
05:51There is an appearance of rebellion that takes place here.
05:55An appearance of rebellion in verses 10 through 12.
05:57Let me read them to you.
06:00And when they came to the region of the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the people of
06:04Reuben and the people of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, the two and a half tribes, built
06:08there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.
06:12So this is a large altar that's visible from all directions.
06:16And the people of Israel heard it said, behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad
06:22and half the tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan
06:26and the region about the Jordan on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.
06:30So it appears to be on the western side of the Jordan River.
06:34And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel
06:38gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.
06:42So I don't know how they found out that they had built this altar.
06:45We're not told in the text.
06:46It just says they heard of it, whether maybe someone from the 10 tribes saw it and went
06:50back and reported, or some foreigner traveling through saw this altar and reported it.
06:54However they heard of it, they heard of it secondhand probably.
06:59And so now they hear that this altar has been erected and they say, wait a second, this
07:02is not right.
07:02And they get together and they say, it's time to go to war.
07:04We've got to fight against our brothers.
07:08See, to build a second sacrificial altar was absolutely forbidden in the law of Moses.
07:13There was one altar that was given, a common altar for all of the nation.
07:18And to set up an altar somewhere else and to offer sacrifices on that altar was saying that
07:22we have broken with the rest of the nation.
07:24We are our own little group.
07:26A disunity would happen from that.
07:28So one common altar was given for the whole nation to show their unity and their oneness.
07:33And now they're thinking, hey, they've built another sacrificial altar.
07:37This isn't right.
07:39This is directly forbidden by God.
07:41They're so angry about it.
07:43Not only that, we'll read of exactly what they're concerned about, but they're so angry they're
07:46going to go to war about it.
07:49Shouldn't build another altar.
07:50What are you guys doing?
07:52What's happening here?
07:54The altar at this time resided in the tabernacle that was pitched at Shiloh at this point, this
07:59common altar.
08:01It signified the unity of the nation.
08:03That was the problem in the Old Testament of the nation of Israel.
08:05They started building altars all over the place.
08:08People thought individually, I can worship God however I want to.
08:11And God says, no, there's one common altar where we all come together, showing the unity
08:15of the nation.
08:18These 10 Western tribes were concerned.
08:20They were actually alarmed at the possibility.
08:22Now there's a schism in the land.
08:23There's a division in the land.
08:25The nation's divided.
08:26What's going on?
08:27This isn't good.
08:28So they prepare for war, verse number 12.
08:33Now I like what they do here though.
08:36They don't rush right in with swords drawn and start killing people.
08:40Let me show you what they do.
08:41Verses 13 through 29.
08:43It's a little lengthy passage of scripture.
08:44I understand.
08:45We'll read through it and then we'll talk about it.
08:47I want you to see the reaction now of the 10 Western tribes.
08:50They're prepared for war, but they don't pull out their swords and start fighting right
08:54away.
08:54They do something here and it's a great lesson for us.
08:5713 through 29.
09:00Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and half
09:04the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, and
09:09with him 10 chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them, the
09:14head of a family among the clans of Israel.
09:16And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh
09:21in the land of Gilead.
09:22And they said to them, thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, what is this breach
09:26of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from
09:31following the Lord by building yourselves and alter this day in rebellion against the
09:36Lord?
09:36Have we not had enough of the sin of Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves
09:42and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of Israel that you too must turn
09:47away this day from following the Lord?
09:50And if you too rebel against the Lord today, then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole
09:55congregation of Israel.
09:56But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the Lord's land where
10:02the Lord's tabernacle stands and take for yourselves a possession among us.
10:07Only do not rebel against the Lord or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an
10:12altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.
10:15Did not Achan, the son of Zerah, break from faith in the matter of the devoted things and
10:20wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel?
10:23And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.
10:26Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh said in answer
10:30to the heads of the family of Israel, the mighty one, God, the Lord, the mighty one, God,
10:35the Lord, he knows.
10:36And let Israel itself know, if it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do
10:42not spare us today for building an altar to turn away from following the Lord.
10:47Or if we did so to burn offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the
10:51Lord himself take vengeance.
10:53No, but we did it from fear that in time to come, your children might say to our children,
10:59what have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?
11:01For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and
11:06people of Gad.
11:07You have no portion in the Lord, so your children might make our children cease to worship the
11:11Lord.
11:12Therefore, we said, let us now build an altar, not for burn offerings, nor for sacrifice,
11:17but to be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we do
11:23perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burn offerings and sacrifice and peace
11:27offerings.
11:27So your children will not say to our children in time to come, you have no portion in the
11:32Lord.
11:33And we thought, if this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we
11:38should say, behold, the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burn offerings,
11:44nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.
11:48Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away this day from following
11:52the Lord by building an altar for burn offering, grain offering or sacrifice other than the altar
11:57of the Lord, our God that stands before his tabernacle.
12:00So they have this appearance that we saw right up front.
12:03They appeared to be, have a breach of faith.
12:06They appeared to be in rebellion against God.
12:07They appeared to be causing disunity in the nation.
12:10But no, they say, wait a second.
12:11It's a misunderstanding.
12:13It's simply a misunderstanding.
12:15And I really love what they do right here.
12:17Instead of drawing the swords and start killing, what do they do?
12:20They send messengers to ask questions.
12:23They say, hey, listen, is this really what you intended?
12:25We really want to know.
12:27We don't want to just kill you right out.
12:28You're our brothers.
12:29Can you please tell us what's going on in your heart?
12:32What's happening in your mind?
12:35Seems to be a misunderstanding.
12:36Please help us to understand what's going on here.
12:39So they conduct this investigation.
12:41They send a guy named Phinehas who was very zealous for the Lord.
12:44You can read about that in Numbers 25 where he, the sexual immorality and the idolatry of
12:49the people, he's there fighting for God's cause.
12:53Because the Israelites had not yet gotten rid of that problem of idolatry.
12:57They still wrestled with it for a long time after that.
12:59But the fear that they had was that the second unauthorized altar reminded them back to the
13:06sin that Achan did.
13:07Remember when he took his hand of the devoted thing?
13:09And after he took the devoted thing, he hid it in his tent.
13:11And then what happened?
13:12They went to the next battle and 36 people get killed in the battle.
13:16So we learned that lesson that one individual sin affects the whole nation.
13:19So they're thinking back to this.
13:21If you guys set up an altar that's in rebellion against God, what's going to happen to us?
13:24Remember, we're one nation.
13:26What's going to happen to us?
13:28So they're concerned about this, the unity being divided.
13:33They were very serious.
13:34So serious, we see that they use three names of God in one phrase.
13:38They say the mighty one, God, the Lord, El, Elohim, Yahweh.
13:43And then they repeat it twice for the emphasis.
13:45They are serious about this.
13:47They're saying, wait a second, there's a complete misunderstanding.
13:49That's not at all what was in our hearts.
13:51That's not what we wanted.
13:52Please don't say that we have a broken faith.
13:55Don't say that we have rebelled against God.
13:58Don't say that we want a disunified nation.
14:00We want unity in the nation.
14:01That's not what our heart's intent was.
14:03So they invoked the name, three names of God, twice.
14:07Basically, what they're saying is, listen, there's going to come a time where the people
14:11who are on the eastern side of the Jordan are looked at by the people on the western
14:15side of the Jordan as not belonging to God.
14:17And we wanted this witness put right here to remind everyone, this is one nation.
14:22Yes, there's a division by the Jordan River, but we are one nation divided by this land thing
14:28or this waterway of Jordan.
14:30We are still one.
14:31So they put it there simply as a witness to show their children as a legacy that the
14:36nation wasn't divided even by the Jordan River.
14:39They were still one.
14:41This witness altar, it was like the common altar.
14:44It looked just like it, but they said, we're not going to offer sacrifices on it.
14:47It's simply a copy.
14:49It was to remind the nation on the eastern side of the nation on the western side.
14:52This is one nation.
14:53We're not divided.
14:55We have one common altar.
14:56And this one that's a copy is simply a witness to that common altar that we have,
15:01the oneness that we have.
15:03Now, the great thing that they teach us here, the ten western tribes, is this.
15:07Before you declare war on your brother, find out what's really going on.
15:13Did you catch that?
15:16Before you look into someone's life and you see something happen and you make an assumption
15:21based on appearances, find out what's really going on before you go to war with that person.
15:27Whether it's in your family, your work, or in the church.
15:32They teach us a great lesson.
15:33They said, hey, we really want to know what's happening here.
15:35We want to give you the benefit of the doubt.
15:38We want to trust you.
15:39We want grace and love to abound.
15:41We don't want to kill you.
15:44Another great thing they teach us in this text is this.
15:47We cannot judge a person's motive by appearances.
15:52We've done that before.
15:53It's a bent that's in us to do that.
15:56And we see something, we make a rash judgment upon it, and the judgment is made, a decision
16:00is made, and then we say to ourselves, don't confuse me with the facts my mind has already
16:05made up.
16:07Did you catch that?
16:09Because we saw something, we made a decision based on what we saw, but it wasn't at all
16:14true because we never took the time to go and ask the person, hey, what's really happening
16:17here?
16:19We can't judge a person's motive simply by appearances.
16:23In 1884, there was a tragic death of a young man and his parents wanted to make a memorial
16:28for him.
16:29So they went to Charles Elliott, who was then the president of Harvard University.
16:34They came into his office and Charles Elliott said to him, yeah, what can I do for you?
16:38And they sat down and they were just in plain clothes, just plain average people like you
16:41and I, and they said, we just lost our son and we thought, you know, we really wanted
16:45to have a memorial for him here on campus somewhere.
16:48So the president, Mr. Elliott said, sure, you want to set up a scholarship or something
16:52like that?
16:52And the mother says, no, we're thinking more along the lines of a building, dedicating
16:57a building to our son.
16:59So almost in a condescending, patronizing tone, Elliott said, yeah, that's way too expensive.
17:05You couldn't afford something like that.
17:06So the plainclothes people, my parents got up and walked out and about a year later, Charles
17:13Elliott was reading in the newspaper and he read this, this plain pair who he assumed had
17:21no money to do anything, had just set up and established a $26 million memorial fund named
17:29Leland Stanford Junior University.
17:33We know it as Stanford University today.
17:37Because he made an assumption based on appearances, their university lost out.
17:43We do the same thing.
17:45We do the exact same thing.
17:47We see something, we jump to conclusions about it, we make a decision about it, and then we
17:52have to eat crow afterwards because we find out that wasn't all true.
17:55My friend Keith has been a missionary in Germany for about 25 years.
17:59About 10 years ago, he and one of his elders really felt led by the Lord that they were
18:04going to go into bars and evangelize people.
18:07They thought to themselves, in bars people are lonely, they're looking to someone to talk
18:12to.
18:13I mean, they're going in there to drink their sorrows away.
18:14Let's go in there and share the Lord with them.
18:17So, their intention was to go in and witness to people inside the bar.
18:21They're not going in to slam back drinks.
18:23They're not going in to do all the things that are immoral and to happen inside of a
18:26bar.
18:26That's not what they're going about.
18:27They want to witness to the people in the bar.
18:29So, they go into the bar and witness.
18:33Now, what would you and I think of a missionary and one of the elders of a church that you
18:38see
18:38walking into a bar, what would we think?
18:44That's the bent in us.
18:46We jump to conclusions without all of the facts.
18:50We look to something that appears to be a certain way and without digging deeper into it or going
18:55to talk to the person and say, hey, what's going on here?
18:57We make an assumption.
19:01See, it's important that we get all the facts.
19:04And remember, there's always two sides to every dispute.
19:08We have to make sure we know all the information as much as possible before we jump to any
19:12kind of conclusion.
19:13I love the 10 Western tribes.
19:16They gave them the benefit of the doubt.
19:18They had grace and love.
19:19They said, please explain to us what's going on.
19:22We want to know.
19:25I like Jesus.
19:26He gives us a great illustration in Matthew about what we're supposed to do when this
19:29sort of thing happens, when a dispute between two parties are going on.
19:32What are we supposed to do?
19:33He says, simply go to the person.
19:35Go and talk to them.
19:37Make sure that it is exactly what you think it is.
19:40Get all of the information.
19:42Go talk to them.
19:46So, after going to them and finding out that was not their intention, the misunderstanding
19:50is now put aside.
19:52We see here in the last few verses that the unity of the nation is preserved.
19:56Verses 30 through 34.
19:59When Phinehas the priest and the chief of the congregation and the heads of the families
20:03of Israel who were with him heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of
20:07Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes.
20:11And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben, to the people
20:15of Gad and the people of Manasseh, today we know that the people of Manasseh, today we
20:20know that the Lord is in our midst because you have not committed this breach of faith against
20:24the Lord.
20:25Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.
20:28Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the chiefs returned from the people of
20:32Reuben and the people of Gad and the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan to the people
20:37of Israel and brought back word to them.
20:39And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel.
20:41Say, hurrah!
20:43I added that in this, not really in the text.
20:45They were excited.
20:46And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy
20:51the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled.
20:54The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar witness.
20:57For they said, it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.
21:02So the unity is now preserved.
21:04Why?
21:04Because they took an opportunity to go and directly talk to them and find out what was
21:09your intent?
21:10What did you really mean?
21:11It appears that there's rebellion here.
21:13It appears it's a breach of faith.
21:15It appears you're trying to call it disunity.
21:17But tell us what's happening.
21:18And they said, no, far be it from us.
21:20We love the Lord.
21:21We want one united nation.
21:22No, that's not our intent.
21:24It was simply a witness, a legacy to our children.
21:27So now the unity of the nation is preserved.
21:30I like Phinehas.
21:31He has a great attitude here.
21:33I put the hurrah in there.
21:35I mean, you probably could have heard that from him.
21:36Here was a guy that says, great.
21:38I don't have to fight my brothers.
21:41Brotherly love now wins out.
21:43And I'm sure Phinehas was going, yes.
21:45I remember Psalm 133.
21:47He's thinking, yes.
21:48I'm thinking of the songs of ascent as they're going up to the temple to worship.
21:52And we read this.
21:53Oh, how pleasant and good it is when brothers dwell in unity.
21:59Or we think about the Hebrews 13, one of the New Testament, let brotherly love continue.
22:03Phinehas is going, yes, I love my brothers.
22:06I don't want to kill them.
22:07I'm so glad it worked out like this.
22:10Or Romans 12, 10, love one another with brotherly affection.
22:13Outdo one another in showing honor.
22:15Phinehas is going, yeah, right.
22:17This is great.
22:19You see, when we go to our brother to discuss the apparent misunderstanding or the apparent dispute, often, I'm going
22:27to emphasize that, often this will clear up any misunderstanding.
22:31Not always, but often it does.
22:34If we simply take the time and go and ask them, hey, what did you really mean here?
22:38What was your intent?
22:40Often that will clear up all misunderstandings.
22:42Often.
22:43That can lead then to reconciliation, the spirit of gentleness, two parties then being reconciled back together, just like the
22:50nation.
22:51Now, what happens, though, when you get to an issue that's what we call Christian liberty?
22:57And you have an opinion and someone else has an opinion, something that's not forbidden in the Scripture or commanded
23:02in the Scripture.
23:03Let me give you an example.
23:04The length of hair on men.
23:06Should I wear my hair to the top of my ear, to the middle of my ear, to below my
23:11ear?
23:11Now, we know Paul tells us that men should not have hair like women.
23:15We understand that.
23:16But we're talking about, should I wear it up here?
23:18Or should I shave all my hair off and have a glatze in German, or a bald head?
23:25I don't think the Bible talks about that, does it?
23:27You may have a strong opinion about men with bald heads.
23:30These men are certainly this way.
23:33That's your opinion.
23:35So what do we do when we get to the area of Christian liberty where it could go either way?
23:38I mean, either one of them is right.
23:39Either one of them is correct.
23:41Well, when it comes to the area of Christian liberty and it's not causing a brother to lose faith.
23:45In other words, I don't think you're going to lose faith if I shave all my hair off.
23:48I hope you don't, at least.
23:50If I was to go bald, I hope that would not destroy your faith.
23:53Paul talks about that.
23:54If you're going to cause a stumbling block, put aside your liberty.
23:56Don't let someone lose faith.
23:58But when it's an area of Christian liberty and it's not causing a brother to lose faith,
24:02you may have to agree to disagree.
24:05Two opinions, both valid.
24:08You agree to disagree.
24:10That's where this verse that we learned today comes in.
24:14One person esteems one day better than another.
24:18You say, I like March 2nd.
24:20March 2nd is my day.
24:22On March 2nd, I always go out for lunch on March 2nd.
24:25March 2nd is my special day.
24:27And I say, I hate March 2nd.
24:30We're both right.
24:32You esteem one day better than another.
24:34And I say, all days are alike.
24:37Each should be fully convinced in his own mind.
24:41When it comes to the area of Christian liberty, we have to give grace and we have difference of opinion.
24:45That's okay.
24:46Unity still is there, even though we have differences of opinion.
24:50Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind.
24:53Now, what happens if you're part of the two and a half tribes, the ones who were accused of doing
24:58wrong,
24:59the ones who were misunderstood?
25:01How, you saw how they reacted.
25:03What if you're on that end?
25:05What if you're the one that's misunderstood?
25:06What if you're the one that's being accused of something that's wrong,
25:09when really it's not at all?
25:10It's just a misunderstanding.
25:11How are we supposed to react to something like that?
25:13I love what they did.
25:14Do you notice they didn't say, how dare you claim that we would build a second altar?
25:19How dare you claim we want to divide the nation?
25:22How dare you say that about us?
25:24That's not what they did, did they?
25:25They said, no way.
25:27We wouldn't do that.
25:28Far be it from us that we would make a second altar to sacrifice on.
25:32God, kill us if that was our intent.
25:33That was not our intent.
25:34We didn't want to do that.
25:35In other words, they took Solomon's advice.
25:38A soft answer turns away wrath.
25:43But a harsh word, he says, stirs up anger.
25:47So if you're on that side that's being accused of something that you have not done,
25:52you're being misunderstood.
25:53Remember, a soft answer turns away wrath.
25:57It's exactly what the two and a half tribes did.
25:59They had that humility about them saying, no, that wasn't my intent.
26:03Please don't even think that of me.
26:05Soft answer will turn away wrath.
26:07We have a situation where we find ourselves at times jumping to conclusions.
26:13We've all done it.
26:14We've all done it.
26:15Every one of us.
26:17Based on information we did not have.
26:21And we've been guilty of judging another one's motives based simply on appearances.
26:26What a great lesson for us right here today.
26:29What a great lesson.
26:31Great lesson is, listen, just go talk to the person and find out if that's really what they intended.
26:36Appearances can be deceiving.
26:39And once you find out that's not really what they intended, then rejoice and the unity has been kept.
26:43And if you're the one that's been accused of something, hey, with humility, say, that's not my intent.
26:49Not in defensiveness, lashing back out, but in humility.
26:52Soft answer.
26:55Soft answer turns away wrath.
26:56Soft answer turns away wrath.
26:58Soft answer turns away wrath.
26:59But a harsh word will stir up anger.
27:01Here we go.
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