Assume the Best

GETTING STARTED

There are times when we are faced with a decision: Will we take someone at his word, or will we distrust and rush to convict because he didn’t do something exactly as he should have, or as we would have done? Should we strive to preserve a relationship, or instead hold a person’s feet to the fire? 

The nation of Israel faced this dilemma. Today, we’ll read about how the leaders handled a delicate situation.

  • When were you in a situation where you, or someone you know, did something that appeared sinful and needed to be addressed? How was the situation handled?

READ THE WORD: JOSHUA 22:21-34 (ESV)

21 Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, 22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the Lord. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself take vengeance. 24 No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord. 26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27 but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’ 28 And we thought, ‘If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, “Behold, the copy of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.”’29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away this day from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle!”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the Lord. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled. 34 The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DIGGING DEEPER

  1. What was the situation being dealt with in this story?
  2. What was the motivation given by the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (the eastern tribes) for their decision to build the altar?
  3. What was the response from the priest and chiefs of the congregation? Is grace or condemnation at work here?
  4. How would you have responded to the explanation for building the altar?
  5. Think about situations in your life right now. Is there someone you need to assume the best of? Is there a relationship in which trust needs to be re-established, or wounds healed?

RESPOND TO GOD

The “letter of the law” is easy to navigate. “Yes,” means yes. “No,” means no. There are other times, however, when grace calls us to believe the best in someone despite their actions. If we believe God is in control, then we can be free to extend grace to others, knowing he will bring to repentance those who are in the wrong. These 2 ½ tribes had done something with possible implications for the entire nation of Israel. In spite of that, the leaders decided to assume the best of them and take them at their word.

  • Pray that God would give you his eyes to see through difficult situations, and that he would help you to love people as he loves you. Ask God to help you act in ways that build rather than divide community.