In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse fifteen of Joshua we learn how Phinehas and the princes, “speak” where we read,
And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad,
and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,
The verse reads, “And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad,” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and they came unto the children of Reuben” which means “and they, Phinehas and the ten princes, were brought in, near and close to the offspring and progeny belonging to Reuben whose name means ‘behold a son’ and was the eldest son of Jacob by Leah and the progenitor of the tribe that descended from Reuben”, “and to the children of Gad” or “and unto the offspring and progeny belonging to Gad whose name means ‘troop’ and was seventh son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, and full brother of Asher and the progenitor of the tribe that descended from Gad”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Phinehas” and the ten princes approached the offspring of “Reuben and Gad”.
The verse continues, “and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, …” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and to the half tribe of Manasseh” which means “and to one-half of the clan or people group belonging to Manasseh whose name means ‘causing to forget’ and was the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh”, “unto the land of Gilead” or “to the territory, region and district belonging to Gilead whose name means ‘rocky region’ and was a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called 'Mount Gilead' or the 'land of Gilead' or just 'Gilead'. Divided into north and south Gilead”, “and they spoke with them, saying” which means “and they, Phinehas and the ten princes, uttered, declared and proclaimed to them, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the one-half tribe of Manasseh”, uttering, declaring and proclaiming the words in our next verse. Joshua or the writer shared how “Phinehas and the ten princes” also approached the “half-tribe of Manasseh” at “Gilead” and declared the words in our next verse.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how Eleazar’s son “Phinehas” and the “ten princes” arrived where the “tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh” were located in “Gilead”, and they began to speak with them, as we shall learn, about the “altar” they erected before they took possession of their inheritance. It is interesting that “Phinehas and the ten princes” so quickly judged the motives and reason for building the altar, but God knew the reason and allowed them to continue in their investigation. God knows us as well, and because we have sin in our lives, and that sin not only separates us from a personal relationship with Him, but also leads to death, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us live in a manner that is pleasing to Him. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Revelation 4:11)
Next time we learn how Phinehas and the priests ask, “What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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