Word of Encouragement (07/11/2023)

So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. (Josh. 22:6)

Here, we have Joshua blessing the Transjordan tribes—Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh—as he sent them away to their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Even though we don’t actually have the words of Joshua’s benediction, we can learn something about God’s blessings.

What was the occasion of this blessing? “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, 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” (vv. 2-4). Joshua commended the two-and-a-half tribes for fulfilling the promise they made when Moses allowed them to stay on in the Transjordan region rather than enter the promised land proper (the Cisjordan region) with the other tribes.

We can see why Joshua so readily blessed them. When people do something right or good even to their own hurt, the desire to bless them naturally springs up in our hearts. Joshua understood that it was not easy for the two-and-a-half tribes to fulfill their promise. We don’t know how long it had taken them to keep their word. All that time, they had to stay away from their loved ones while the other tribes moved together as families. But they were true to their word and fought side by side with their countrymen against the Canaanites. Finally, the campaign was over (though with limited successes), and they could go back to their homes and families. Joshua’s gratitude would not allow him to send them away without a blessing.

Would God look upon your life and feel the way Joshua felt about the the two-and-a-half tribes? But such a question does not directly apply to us, does it? We know that our lives can never be good enough to merit God’s benediction. But thankfully, once we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are never alone: we are in Christ. If we are in Christ, we are clothed in His perfect righteousness. When God the Father looks upon His beloved and obedient Son, who kept His commitment and obeyed Him to the point of death, even death on a cross, He cannot help but delight in Him: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). God cannot help but bless Him: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name...” (Phil. 2:9).

Because we are united with Jesus Christ, we, too, are blessed in Him. Let us not forget this wonderful truth and strive to live as God’s blessed people!

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