Do We Really Fear The Lord?

Do We Really Fear The Lord?

Joshua 22:21-29

21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD,

23 That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;

24 And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?

25 For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.

26 Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

27 But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.

28 Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.

29 God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.

I have entitled this today: “Do We Really Fear The Lord?”

How many know today that God really does know what is in our hearts?

God knows everything there is to know about each and everyone of us.

Joshua 22:10 says:

10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

Such an Altar was sternly forbidden by God because it opened up the door to idolatry.

There was to be only one place for the Altar, the place where God appointed, which is now Shiloh.

Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the answer.

Anything else proposed, even that which looks right, but is not actually the Cross, must be rejected out of hand, because God has rejected all such things.

He accepts the Cross of Christ and nothing else.

Joshua 22:22

22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD,

God knew and God knows if Israel was in rebellion or transgression against the Lord.

God knows whether we are in rebellion or transgression against Him.

The Altar that had been built was going to turn the people from following the Lord.

Joshua 22:24

24 And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel? }

This was an Altar that was built out of fleshy wants and because there was a rebellion against God and His camp.

In time to come, it says that your children might speak unto our children saying, what have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?

Look closely at Joshua 22:25

25 For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.

De 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

We need to train up the generation to come to understand what fearing the Lord really means and what it can bring.