Trusting in God Alone

Reading Chapter 22 of the Book of Joshua, I believe you might find it a bit perplexing. What is it about? Actually, it's not just you; I feel the same way. Brothers and sisters, you must understand that leading a Bible study is no easy task. Sometimes, you genuinely don't understand it, reading it once, twice... Such a feeling is not pleasant at all.

If such a feeling is not pleasant, do you still trust in God? I believe that my God is still a God of revelation. In fact, over the past few years, such things have often happened. For example, when we used to have gatherings at two o'clock, everyone would arrive by one o'clock for pre-meeting prayer, a habit we still keep today.

But on the morning before the pre-meeting prayer, by ten-thirty, not a single word of the sermon was written. If that sounds like an exaggeration, let me tell you, the manuscript only had a title that didn't even feel like a title, it was very arduous.

Now the question arises, do you still trust Him? I still thank my God, and even today, I often experience such things. Of course, giving a sermon or leading a Bible study won't kill anyone; even if you ramble on nonsensically, it won't kill anyone, because our God is still in control. So in the past, when I often experienced such things, I genuinely felt that trusting in God wholeheartedly is truly wonderful. I know that even if I lead everyone to study the Bible incorrectly, do you think God is still in control? God is still in control.

So, don't trust in me; trust in God. Actually, when I read Joshua Chapter 22, I truly didn't know what it was about, and I believe you feel the same way. But it doesn't matter; God is the eternally faithful God. I think the title of this chapter should be: Do you truly trust in God wholeheartedly?

Trusting in God Wholeheartedly Transforms Our Conduct

What story does this chapter tell? After Joshua and the Israelites had finished fighting, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh obtained land east of the Jordan River in Canaan. After obtaining this land, they divided it among themselves. Who did they divide it among? The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Did the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have ulterior motives after obtaining this land? It's hard to say for sure whether they thought, Now that we have our land, do we still need to help our brothers fight west of the Jordan? They didn't say anything; if they wanted to, they would have said it themselves. Who said it later? Joshua asked them, and they stood up as if willingly, but whether it was willing or not is unclear; it wasn't mentioned.

The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed the Jordan River with the other Israelite tribes, crossing as if on dry ground and experiencing God's power. Then they began to conquer and plunder west of the Jordan. When Joshua was old, and the fighting was mostly done, Joshua called these two and a half tribes together:

Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them, “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 brethren these many days, down to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; therefore now, return to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. (Joshua 22:1-4)

In fact, for those who fought in the war, living in two places for a long time was not a small sacrifice. But Joshua had much to say to them, and in the end, he said one thing: be very careful to keep the commandment and the law 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, to cling to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

“But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. Now to the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. Indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, and said to them: “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”(Joshua 22:5-8)

This is very interesting. This should actually be said the other way around; these Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh should have told Joshua: the things we bring back, we will share with our brothers. But it was still Joshua who told them because Joshua had some thoughts about these two and a half tribes, fearing that they would hoard their wealth and eat alone.

Joshua was concerned about two things: first, whether they loved the Lord their God, walked in all his ways, kept his commandments, clung to him, and served him with all their heart and with all their soul; second, whether they would share the wealth they brought back with their brothers. Do we truly trust in God? This is very interesting. If we truly trust in God wholeheartedly, our conduct will be completely transformed. After wholeheartedly trusting in God, our view of wealth and our adherence to God's commandments will change.

We spend a lot of time studying God's word, serving others, and helping our brothers and sisters. The question is, if we spend so much time fighting spiritual battles, will we share the blessings we receive with our brothers and sisters? This depends on one thing: whether we trust in our God.

Sharing Wealth and Blessings with the Brethren

Brothers and sisters, let's analyze this carefully. Joshua's two suggestions are not many. First, after a person trusts in God, serving our God is not a difficult task, nor is it a chore. Second, wealth can be shared with the brethren; if we trust in our God, we will not be poor.

That is to say, we can easily fall into these two holes. First, when we worship our God and love our God, if we wholeheartedly trust in him and serve him with all our heart and soul, we will not feel that this is a chore. Second, we will share the wealth and blessings we receive with the brethren; this is a basic principle.

In the days of David, David led his troops to war, but halfway there, some of them said they were tired and could not run anymore. David said, Okay, those who can't run, stay behind; those who can run, continue to follow me. As a result, when the victorious soldiers returned with the spoils, David said, Those who went to war and those who did not go to war will share equally!

Some of those who fought with David did not understand. What was this about? They risked their lives to fight, and then those who stayed behind enjoyed the fruits of their labor, and they had to share equally with them. This was too unreasonable. But this is what our God requires! Later, why did David become pleasing to God? Because David deeply understood God's heart.

Today, we equally distribute the spoils between those who serve and those who do not serve; this is the work of our God. Why? Because that is called trusting in Him! So, after Joshua finished instructing them, what was he actually saying? He was saying: You must wholeheartedly trust in God, do not trust in your wealth, do you understand? Do not trust in your efforts.

Because if we serve God with all our heart and soul, it will definitely take up our time; if we keep the statutes, ordinances, and commandments that God has commanded, it will definitely sacrifice some of our interests! But if you wholeheartedly trust in Him, you will feel that this is all as it should be!

So, brothers and sisters, when you read this carefully again, you will find that it was not easy for these Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to go back. Why?

Because they came across the Jordan River as if on dry ground, but how did they go back? The Bible does not say; they had to get boats and all sorts of things, and it was not easy to return to the east side of the Jordan, carrying so much wealth. As a result, they found that it was not easy for people to cross the Jordan River. Would this separation by the river separate God from us?

People's thoughts are very interesting. People always think that others' thoughts are the same as ours. Joshua said: share the wealth you have brought with your brothers. Did they have any reluctance in their hearts? Yes! We have worked hard in battle for so many years, and now we have to share with our brothers; this is really a bit difficult! Now they also think that the brothers on the west side of the Jordan have the altar of the Lord God and the tabernacle of the Lord God, and they have to cross the Jordan River every year to worship God during the festivals. They feel that this is a bit difficult.

They would think that their descendants and the descendants of the others are separated by a river. Would the others be willing to share their God with them? If their descendants say: God is our God, not your God! What can be done then? At this time, the thoughts of these people from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh are very strange. Why do they think like this? They only think that others will cause their later descendants to not trust in God. What kind of talk is this?

Today, among our brothers and sisters, there are also thoughts of this kind: I fell because you made me fall. But when I look through the Bible, I find that people fall because they fall themselves. If you want to fall, can you not fall? If someone says something, you fall. Don't you know that if you trust in God, God will keep you from falling?

So, after reading it many times, I realized that these people began to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil after crossing the Jordan River because crossing the Jordan River is a very difficult thing. But if we still trust in God, even if there is a river separating us, even if there is a great river separating us, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire separating us, can it stop us from trusting in God? Today, ask yourself, if a river separates us, will it prevent us from trusting in God? I think we need to think about it!

This is the first point. The second point is, will anyone prevent us from trusting in God? Whether we trust in God or not has nothing to do with the other person. I ask you, although these Israelites are separated by a river, if they trust in God alone, who can resist them? If we trust in God, God will not put us to shame, will he?

This is very interesting. People easily attribute problems to others. Why is my sacrifice not accepted? Because there is Abel. Why is my service not good? Because there is a group of people there who are really annoying. They serve God so vigorously. Why do our descendants turn away from God? Because the descendants of the people across the river will hinder our descendants... This sounds very strange.

When the Israelites west of the Jordan saw that they had built an altar, they thought this was a big problem and sent Phinehas and the leaders of each tribe to see what they had done. If they had committed a crime, they would attack them. How did these two tribes respond?

The mighty God, the Lord Jehovah, the mighty God, the Lord Jehovah, He knows; and Israel shall know. If it was in rebellion, or if in transgression against the Lord (do not save us this day!), that we have built us an altar to turn away from following the Lord, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meal offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, may the Lord Himself require it! But no, we have done it rather for fear that afterward your children might speak to our children, saying, ‘What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in the Lord.’ So your children would make our children cease fearing the Lord. Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, You have no part in the Lord.’ Therefore we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, ‘Look, here is the replica of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, though it is not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.’ Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn from following the Lord this day, by building an altar for burnt offering, for meal offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the Lord our God which is before His tabernacle. (Joshua 22:22-29)

So Phinehas the priest thought it was a good thing, then the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, saying, It is a witness between us that the Lord is God. What do you think of that? Actually, later I pondered it and found it very interesting. They said, For fear that afterward your children might speak to our children, saying, ‘What have you to do with the Lord?’

For fear? Can't God manage this? Actually, when the Israelites arrived in that year, the first battle west of the Jordan River was the city of Jericho. Among those saved from Jericho was a family named Rahab! Rahab's entire family in Jericho became a very beautiful story among the Israelites, that among those destined for destruction, if someone truly trusted in God, God would save them through a very wonderful method! He specially sent two spies into Jericho to do one thing: tell Rahab to tie a red rope on the window or door of her house, and her family would be spared. Actually, that's all they did, and then they returned.

As a result, Rahab's entire family was saved because they trusted in God, even though they were among those destined for destruction. So today, let's ask ourselves, do we wholeheartedly trust in God? If we wholeheartedly trust in God, would we say, For fear of what might happen in the future? I tell you, this person especially likes to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Brothers and sisters, we must know for sure that once you have the idea of fear, you will do a lot of useless things. In fact, the altar of witness they built was never mentioned again, and Jesus didn't bother to mention it. Actually, Jesus often crossed the Jordan River back and forth, but He never mentioned any altar of witness! Is this thing really useful? Actually, it is useless.

If a person often does useless things, what will happen to him? Can this altar prove that the Lord is God? I don't think it can! The altar they built is very high and very large, but no matter how high or how large it is, it is just an altar. The altar is not important; God is the most important. Does man need to use an altar to prove that the Lord is God? Actually, no. He is God, and He doesn't need us to prove that He is God!

In fact, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh did one thing after crossing the Jordan River: they began to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! People like to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They don't know that as long as they wholeheartedly trust in God, no one can make them fall! Did these Israelites not know the story of Joseph? How could they not know the story of Joseph? Joseph was sold into Egypt, but he did not fall, nor did he ruin Joseph's great future!

What future could there be in being sold into Egypt and becoming a slave? In human eyes, that is complete ruin! But God can make Joseph the prime minister of Egypt and the savior of his family under such circumstances! Isn't this why there is the later story of the Israelites leaving Egypt?

Be Careful of Alternative Knowledge of Good and Evil

We must be very careful of alternative ways of distinguishing good and evil, because today the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is everywhere! If you want to eat it, it is readily available. There are too many fruits from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Phinehas was a priest loved by God, so why did even Phinehas and others think it was a good thing? Because on the surface it does look like a good thing, but behind it is actually the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!

Today, brothers and sisters, do we wholeheartedly trust in God? If you wholeheartedly trust in God, do you need to build an altar to tell your children and grandchildren later that you see the altar and it proves God's presence? No need! It sounds deadly. Who did they learn from? I don’t know.

Even today, in Christian circles, there are various ways to prove that the Lord is God, but this is not necessary! If we often need to prove that the Lord is God, then you are in trouble. Actually, our God will be with us, using His mighty arm and His omnipotence, not only to hold up the universe, but also to hold up you and me! Let people know that He is God! We don't need to speak for Him, nor do we need to defend Him, and we don't need to prove that He is God!

The previous passage talked about the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Next, let's talk about the tribes west of the Jordan River. Why did those tribes west of the Jordan River want to attack them? Because our God said in the Pentateuch, especially in Deuteronomy, that you must worship Him in the place He chooses! Because there is God's presence there, because there is God's tabernacle.

Why does God use a unique place for people to worship Him? It is that God wants us to go to the place established by God to worship and dedicate. You cannot worship in places not established by God. This is a clear requirement from God.

What happened next?

Now when the children of Israel heard that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at the frontier of Canaan, by the Jordan, at the region belonging to the children of Israel, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go up against them to war. Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, and with him ten rulers, one from each chief house throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was a head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel. (Joshua 22:11-14)

Why was there such a reaction? They said:

Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, seeing you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. (Joshua 22:17-18)

In other words, they thought: If you do this, Jehovah God will be angry with the entire congregation of Israel, and we will also be implicated. What did they say next?

Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity. (Joshua 22:20)

If we read these words carefully, can you read a bit of selfishness? In fact, these people should have said: You have sinned against God. Why do you want to sin against God? It's enough to say that. But what did they say? You have offended God and implicated us. This is actually very deadly.

Their motive was that they were implicated. Of course, it was also offending God. In fact, whoever sins must bear responsibility. So why did Achan's sin cause the Israelites to fall into sin? Of course, God will hold them accountable through layers of authority. It is normal to send them to this place to see, because that is Joshua's responsibility. What is this responsibility? It is to manage the congregation of Israel.

Do we serve people today with the mentality of building people up? Or do we come up and say: Look, you have sinned and implicated us. In the process of serving, we must align and cleanse our inner motives.

As a result, Phinehas and others went there to talk, because there is a mentality of knowing good and evil deep down in people's bones, and this mentality is deeply rooted and difficult to rectify in the end. Our brothers and sisters must gradually reject all forms of distinguishing good and evil and truly trust in God wholeheartedly.

Are we people who wholeheartedly trust in God? Do we truly trust Him? It is easy to talk about trusting in God, but we can easily fall into distinguishing good and evil. Therefore, no matter what, we must be particularly careful today and always trust in God alone. The Jordan River cannot prevent us from trusting in God alone. Nothing and no one can prevent us from trusting in God alone. Even if we are in the cities and people destined for destruction, if we trust in God alone, God will greatly deliver us.

Put your hand on your chest and let us tell God: God, I trust in You alone, and I love You wholeheartedly. No difficulty can prevent us from worshiping God, no thing, no river, no chasm can prevent us from coming to the place to worship Him, which is the church.

So brothers and sisters begin to know, love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, keep His commandments, rely solely on Him, and serve Him with all your heart and soul. These words have a very profound meaning. Do we wholeheartedly trust Him? Do we serve Him with all our heart and soul? Do we love our God? If we have this, nothing can separate us from God. Because our God is looking for such people. If He finds them, He will sell all that He has and redeem them into His kingdom.

I believe that our brothers and sisters are still people who wholeheartedly trust in God, no matter how much time has passed, no matter what situation they encounter, no matter what boss or customer they face, we still wholeheartedly trust in God. No matter how difficult our situation and condition are today, we have a victorious heart inside to overcome all the difficulties we face.

The Jordan River could not stop the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and no one stopped them from trusting God well. Let us never utter such words, never blame this or that. We must take on the destiny of this generation, be a blessing to our family, and be a blessing to this generation!

We are to be the Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph of this generation. Even if no one looks up to us, no one thinks we deserve such an office, we still trust in our God, love Him wholeheartedly, and trust in Him alone. This is why we came into this world. We live for this, and we die for this.

May God bless everyone!