God Knows

Hi, friends, and thanks for joining us for today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. It was written by Jennifer Benson Schult, and she titled it God Knows. A couple who stopped to admire a large abstract painting noticed open paint cans and brushes underneath it. Assuming it was a work in progress that anyone could help create, they stroked in some color and left. The artist, though, had purposefully left the supplies there as part of the finished work's display.

After reviewing video footage of the incident, the gallery acknowledged the misunderstanding and didn't press charges. The Israelites, who lived east of the Jordan, created a misunderstanding when they built a massive altar next to the river. The Western tribes viewed this as rebellion against God.

Everyone knew the tabernacle was the only God-approved place for worship. Tensions mounted until the Eastern tribes explained that they only meant to make a replica of God's altar. They wanted their descendants to see it and recognize their spiritual and ancestral connection with the rest of Israel. They exclaimed, in Joshua 22, The Mighty One, God the Lord, He knows.

Thankfully, the others listened. They saw what was going on, praised God, and returned home. Because God searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought, everyone's motives are clear to Him. If we ask Him to help us sort out confusing situations, He may give us the chance to explain ourselves or the grace we need to forgive offenses. We can turn to Him when we are striving for unity with others. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Joshua chapter 22, verses 21 through 27. Then Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel, The Mighty One, God the Lord, The Mighty One, God the Lord, He knows.

And let Israel know. If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord Himself call us to account. No, we did it for fear that someday your descendants might say to ours, What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?

The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the Lord, so your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord. That is why we said, Let us get ready and build an altar, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices. On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow that we will worship the Lord at His sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings.

Then, in the future, your descendants will not be able to say to ours, You have no share in the Lord. Let's pray. Father, let our greatest desire be to honor You.

Help us to be attentive listeners and humble speakers when disagreements and misunderstandings occur. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Alisha Reisinger, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.