“Misunderstandings”
It is always important to get ALL of
the facts to a story in order form a sound assessment of every situation. Proverbs 4:7 says, “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your possessions, acquire understanding.”
The definition of the word judge
means to form an opinion about someone or something after CAREFUL thought. Even when we believe we understand what is occurring
in a given situation, we need to take the time to fact find, instead of subscribing to hearsay. In Joshua 22, the children of Reuben, the
children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh decided to build an altar to
God on behalf of their descendants. The
children of Israel heard someone say that the children of Reuben, the children
of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh had built an altar and they ASSUMED that
the altar was built to worship a false god.
In response to this act, the entire congregation gathered themselves to
go to war with the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe
of Manasseh. However, before the
fighting began, the Israelites sent a delegation to the other tribes to get their side of the story. After the delegation sat
down to talk to the other tribes, they discovered that the altar was really an
altar that was built to honor the Lord, on behalf of their descendants.
This was pleasing news to the Israelites and they all returned to their
homes.
If the rest of the Israelite tribes had not taken the time to
investigate the matter, they would have destroyed their brothers over HEARSAY. Every story must ALWAYS be confirmed with the
source.
Proverbs 4:7
The beginning
of wisdom is: Acquire
wisdom;
And with all your possessions, acquire understanding.
