A Thought to Ponder

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

A THOUGHT TO PONDER

Josh 22:6-12

6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. 7(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them, 8 saying, "Return to your homes with your great wealth — with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing — and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies." 9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses. 10 When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

NIV

We will learn more about this imposing altar they built by the Jordan, but for now let us consider what they were going home with and what they were to do with it. As they fought with the rest of the tribes driving out those who had lived in the promised land, they gathered much plunder. They had great wealth with large herds along with silver, gold, bronze and iron and a great quality of clothing. When they arrived home they were to divide all that plunder with they brothers, or all your kinsman, people of their tribe. All this wealth was not just for them, but for everyone who remained in the land their tribes inherited as commanded by the LORD through Moses. It was just the fighting men that went to help the rest of the tribes take possession of their land. Nevertheless, we wonder if we have attained any plunder from our enemies, but then that would imply we are part of the fighting men of the kingdom of God and that we have enemies. We know that we have been called out of this world, that we are no longer friends with the world, meaning we do not participate in the same ungodly pursuits. We could enumerate many of them, but we know what they are, and because we have decided to follow Jesus, we no longer follow after the wicked ways of the world. However, if we are at war, not driving them out of the land, but driving them, and their ways out of our hearts and minds, we should have some plunder. However, it is not the same type of great wealth the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh had, although we might have a large quality of clothing, and in some sense, gold and silver. But our greatest wealth is being a citizen in the kingdom of God. However, we wonder how much of any of our earthy plunder do we share with our brothers. We wonder if we are required to as those fighting men were supposed to share their plunder. It seems we all acquire whatever we can from this world and just keep it, consider it a blessing from God. Of course, we do bring our tenth into the house of the Lord for its maintenance and for sharing with our brothers who work in the ministry, either pastoring, or being missionaries in various ways throughout the world. So in that sense we are sharing our plunder we gathered from our enemy. However, on the other hand, although the world is our enemy, or the ways of the world, we are told to love our enemies. This would mean the people who still live in wicked ways. It would also mean in some sense they are our brothers as they too are created by God. The plunder we have received by God is our salvation, of course, it is a gift given, not taken, and if we have this plunder, this great wealth of salvation, should we not share it with our brothers, or fellow people of the earth. Just a though that we need to ponder on, considering how we would go about doing this. Still, on one side, our tithes do go to sharing the gospel with the unsaved somewhere in the world. Yet, on the other side, have we ever shared our wealth, salvation, personally with someone who needs it? Just a though to ponder.