The Historical Books Joshua
Chapter 22
¹ Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ² and said to them, "You have observed all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed me in all that I have commanded you; ³ you have not forsaken your kindred these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD your God.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 1 to 3)
Oh God my Father how happy I would be if I heard such a declaration from Your lips. How happy I would be to hear directly from You, that You have given me a place in heaven. Even though I know that You died to claim my place in my heavenly home, hearing such a declaration from You would make the world of a difference to me Amen.
⁴ And now the LORD your God has given rest to your kindred, as he promised them; therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵ Take good care to observe the commandment and instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father, now that You have given me my freedom from the 16 years of bondage that I was living I also give my word to live according to Your ways. As a human I cannot promise to never fail in doing so as You well know, however with Your help I can do so. Amen.
⁶ So Joshua blessed them and sent them away and they went to their tents.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 6)
Oh God, my Father You always send us back with a positive note. You bless us and that blessing is always valid and true Amen.
⁷ Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan; but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their fellow Israelites in the land west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents and blessed them, ⁸ he said to them, "Go back to your tents with much wealth, and with very much livestock, with silver gold, bronze, and iron, and with a great quantity of clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your kindred."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God, my Father, as humans we have a tendency to make preference or positive discrimination where certain people or groups end up advantaged over others and this can be the cause of much stress. I pray that You heal those who feel that they have experienced such a negative attitude Amen.
⁹ So the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the Israelites at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had taken possession by command of the LORD through Moses.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 9)
Oh, brothers and sisters, there are times in our lives when we have to say goodbye to both family and friends either on a voluntary basis or against our will. I pray that during such moments our choices are based according to the will of God and not only according to our wills Amen.
¹⁰ When they came to the region near the Jordan that lies in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of great size.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 10)
Oh God, many times our intentions are good however our timing is not that good. Building an altar to You was very positive, however, building it in the neighbourhood of others which would stimulate others to be angry is not good at all. I pray oh God my Father that we reflect before making decisions so that they are based on prayer and not simply according to our will. Amen.
¹¹ The Israelites heard that the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region near the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the Israelites.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 11)
Oh God, my Father, we are so disobedient and this attitude tends to get us into trouble with others and even with You. I pray that You give us a stronger sense of discipline and self-control Amen. Thanks, Jesus.
¹² And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh, to make war against them.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 12)
Oh God my Father how nice it would be if we resorted to dialogue when we have clashed with others instead of taking negative action such as warfare. I pray that we invest time in prayer before making such negative decisions Amen.
¹³ Then the Israelites sent the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead,¹⁴ and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God, my Father this was a sort of Vatican council where all the heads of the tribes met. I pray that there is more contact in the Roman Catholic Church between the elders so that pending issues can be resolved for the good of all Amen.
¹⁵ They came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, ¹⁶ Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, 'What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away today from following the LORD, by building yourselves an altar today in rebellion against the LORD?¹⁷ Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which a plague came upon the congregation of the LORD, ¹⁸ that you must turn away today from following the LORD! If you rebel against the LORD today, he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 15 to 18)
Oh brothers and sisters in the LORD JESUS CHRIST take responsibility of your sins and let us repent from them, for the consequences of our sin have a negative impact both on ourselves and even on the life of others. Amen.
¹⁹ But now if your land is unclean, cross over into the LORD's land where the LORD's tabernacle now stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us; only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by building yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 19)
Oh God my Father how great You are, even if we are unclean by our sins, You offer us the opportunity of reconciling with You and start again Amen. Blessed be Your Holy Name!
²⁰ Did not Achan son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity!"
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 20)
Oh, brothers and sisters, our sins do not have an impact on ourselves alone but even on those forming part of the circles that we are a part of. Sin is like a virus, it contaminates both the user and those who come in contact with the user Amen. Therefore let us keep our antivirus updated and remain firm in the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion Amen.
²¹ Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, ²² The LORD, God of gods! The LORD God of gods! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith toward 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 offerings of well-being on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 21 to 23)
Oh God may Your will be done. You are our judge and arbitrator in our daily issues. Amen. May You continue to oversee us Amen.
²⁴ No! 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?
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 24)
Oh God, my Father, fear is the basic reason for our doing many sinful actions. Our basic insecurity makes us take measures that at times brings us into trouble with ourselves and even with others. I pray that we learn to place all our trust in You so that we need not experience this negative emotion. Amen.
²⁵ For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you Reubenites and Gadites; you have no portion in the LORD."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 25)
Oh God, my Father I thank You for having opened wide the gates of heaven by means of Your death and resurrection thus allowing anybody the opportunity of being united with You Amen.
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 the generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LOrd in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and offerings of well-being; so that your children may never say to our children in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 26 to 27)
Oh God, my Father fear and insecurity are the bases of many of our decisions. I pray that I will be free to make decisions since they are the fruit of prayer and not of fear Amen.
²⁸ And we thought, If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we could say, 'Look at this copy of the altar of the LORD, which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 28)
Oh God, my Father many times we use You to cover our errors by focussing on the spiritual side of our lives to simply try and justify our reasons while in truth our intentions may be far from spiritual. I pray that we stop from using You in such a negative way Amen.
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!"
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 29)
Oh God, my Father our intentions may never be that of replacing You with time for our careers or relationships projects or ambitions, however, we still at times manage to do so. I pray oh God that we always give You the first place in our lives Amen.
³⁰ When the priest Phinehas and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the Reubenites and the Gadites and the Manassites spoke, they were satisfied.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 30)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit during synods and Vatican councils where important decisions need to be taken. I pray that You continue to lead us Amen.
³¹ The priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the Manassites, "Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD; now you have saved the Israelites from the hand of the LORD".
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 31)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for permitting certain events to take place in my life and in the lives of other people, because by such events You speak to us, even though at the time we may not understand the message however after some time You reveal the outcome to us Amen.
³² Then the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar and the chiefs returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the Israelites, and brought back word to them. ³³ The report pleased the Israelites; and the Israelites blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them, to destroy the land where the Reubenites and the Gadites were settled. ³⁴ The Reubenites and the Gadites called the altar Witness, "For," said they, "it is a witness between us that the LORD is God."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 31 to 34)
Oh God, my Father You are my witness in front of others. I do not need any form of defence or testimony. You help me to be humble and admit my errors and give an apology without hesitation Amen
I would like to end this twenty-second chapter of the Historical Books of Joshua with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father I pray that we bring all our disputes and issues to You and in Your presence, we settle all our differences in the presence of people assigned by You in order to find a solution to the problem Amen. Let us not be too hasty to settle our concerns before the Court of Magistrates when we can come to You our Supreme Judge Amen. I pray for many others such as myself who ended up in Court that You bless all outcomes and decisions. I personally accept all as being according to Your plan for me Amen and I thank You for it. Amen
⁴ And now the LORD your God has given rest to your kindred, as he promised them; therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵ Take good care to observe the commandment and instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father, now that You have given me my freedom from the 16 years of bondage that I was living I also give my word to live according to Your ways. As a human I cannot promise to never fail in doing so as You well know, however with Your help I can do so. Amen.
⁶ So Joshua blessed them and sent them away and they went to their tents.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 6)
Oh God, my Father You always send us back with a positive note. You bless us and that blessing is always valid and true Amen.
⁷ Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan; but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their fellow Israelites in the land west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents and blessed them, ⁸ he said to them, "Go back to your tents with much wealth, and with very much livestock, with silver gold, bronze, and iron, and with a great quantity of clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your kindred."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God, my Father, as humans we have a tendency to make preference or positive discrimination where certain people or groups end up advantaged over others and this can be the cause of much stress. I pray that You heal those who feel that they have experienced such a negative attitude Amen.
⁹ So the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the Israelites at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had taken possession by command of the LORD through Moses.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 9)
Oh, brothers and sisters, there are times in our lives when we have to say goodbye to both family and friends either on a voluntary basis or against our will. I pray that during such moments our choices are based according to the will of God and not only according to our wills Amen.
¹⁰ When they came to the region near the Jordan that lies in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of great size.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 10)
Oh God, many times our intentions are good however our timing is not that good. Building an altar to You was very positive, however, building it in the neighbourhood of others which would stimulate others to be angry is not good at all. I pray oh God my Father that we reflect before making decisions so that they are based on prayer and not simply according to our will. Amen.
¹¹ The Israelites heard that the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region near the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the Israelites.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 11)
Oh God, my Father, we are so disobedient and this attitude tends to get us into trouble with others and even with You. I pray that You give us a stronger sense of discipline and self-control Amen. Thanks, Jesus.
¹² And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh, to make war against them.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 12)
Oh God my Father how nice it would be if we resorted to dialogue when we have clashed with others instead of taking negative action such as warfare. I pray that we invest time in prayer before making such negative decisions Amen.
¹³ Then the Israelites sent the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead,¹⁴ and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God, my Father this was a sort of Vatican council where all the heads of the tribes met. I pray that there is more contact in the Roman Catholic Church between the elders so that pending issues can be resolved for the good of all Amen.
¹⁵ They came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, ¹⁶ Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, 'What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away today from following the LORD, by building yourselves an altar today in rebellion against the LORD?¹⁷ Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which a plague came upon the congregation of the LORD, ¹⁸ that you must turn away today from following the LORD! If you rebel against the LORD today, he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 15 to 18)
Oh brothers and sisters in the LORD JESUS CHRIST take responsibility of your sins and let us repent from them, for the consequences of our sin have a negative impact both on ourselves and even on the life of others. Amen.
¹⁹ But now if your land is unclean, cross over into the LORD's land where the LORD's tabernacle now stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us; only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by building yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 19)
Oh God my Father how great You are, even if we are unclean by our sins, You offer us the opportunity of reconciling with You and start again Amen. Blessed be Your Holy Name!
²⁰ Did not Achan son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity!"
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 20)
Oh, brothers and sisters, our sins do not have an impact on ourselves alone but even on those forming part of the circles that we are a part of. Sin is like a virus, it contaminates both the user and those who come in contact with the user Amen. Therefore let us keep our antivirus updated and remain firm in the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion Amen.
²¹ Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, ²² The LORD, God of gods! The LORD God of gods! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith toward 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 offerings of well-being on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 21 to 23)
Oh God may Your will be done. You are our judge and arbitrator in our daily issues. Amen. May You continue to oversee us Amen.
²⁴ No! 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?
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 24)
Oh God, my Father, fear is the basic reason for our doing many sinful actions. Our basic insecurity makes us take measures that at times brings us into trouble with ourselves and even with others. I pray that we learn to place all our trust in You so that we need not experience this negative emotion. Amen.
²⁵ For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you Reubenites and Gadites; you have no portion in the LORD."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 25)
Oh God, my Father I thank You for having opened wide the gates of heaven by means of Your death and resurrection thus allowing anybody the opportunity of being united with You Amen.
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 the generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LOrd in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and offerings of well-being; so that your children may never say to our children in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verses 26 to 27)
Oh God, my Father fear and insecurity are the bases of many of our decisions. I pray that I will be free to make decisions since they are the fruit of prayer and not of fear Amen.
²⁸ And we thought, If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we could say, 'Look at this copy of the altar of the LORD, which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 28)
Oh God, my Father many times we use You to cover our errors by focussing on the spiritual side of our lives to simply try and justify our reasons while in truth our intentions may be far from spiritual. I pray that we stop from using You in such a negative way Amen.
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!"
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 29)
Oh God, my Father our intentions may never be that of replacing You with time for our careers or relationships projects or ambitions, however, we still at times manage to do so. I pray oh God that we always give You the first place in our lives Amen.
³⁰ When the priest Phinehas and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the Reubenites and the Gadites and the Manassites spoke, they were satisfied.
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 30)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit during synods and Vatican councils where important decisions need to be taken. I pray that You continue to lead us Amen.
³¹ The priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the Manassites, "Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD; now you have saved the Israelites from the hand of the LORD".
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 31)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for permitting certain events to take place in my life and in the lives of other people, because by such events You speak to us, even though at the time we may not understand the message however after some time You reveal the outcome to us Amen.
³² Then the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar and the chiefs returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the Israelites, and brought back word to them. ³³ The report pleased the Israelites; and the Israelites blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them, to destroy the land where the Reubenites and the Gadites were settled. ³⁴ The Reubenites and the Gadites called the altar Witness, "For," said they, "it is a witness between us that the LORD is God."
(The Historical Books Joshua Chapter 22 verse 31 to 34)
Oh God, my Father You are my witness in front of others. I do not need any form of defence or testimony. You help me to be humble and admit my errors and give an apology without hesitation Amen
I would like to end this twenty-second chapter of the Historical Books of Joshua with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father I pray that we bring all our disputes and issues to You and in Your presence, we settle all our differences in the presence of people assigned by You in order to find a solution to the problem Amen. Let us not be too hasty to settle our concerns before the Court of Magistrates when we can come to You our Supreme Judge Amen. I pray for many others such as myself who ended up in Court that You bless all outcomes and decisions. I personally accept all as being according to Your plan for me Amen and I thank You for it. Amen
