Tuesday: Haunted by the Past
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 9th of December 2025
Read Joshua 22:13-15 again, but now in the light of Numbers 25:1-18. Why do the Israelites choose Phinehas as the head of the delegation to the two-and-a-half tribes?
Before giving full credit to the rumors of what might be perceived as a declaration of independence, the nine-and-a-half tribes, labeled twice as “the sons of Israel,” send a delegation to clarify the intent and meaning of the altar. The delegation consisted of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the high priest, who would succeed Eleazar after his death (Joshua 24:33). Phinehas already has gained some visibility as the priest who put an end to the debauchery of Israel at Baal Peor (Numbers 25:1-18).
Image © Jeff Preston at Goodsalt.com
“Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel” (Numbers 25:7-8, NKJV).
Phinehas surely had some influence. The other emissaries were representatives of the nine-and-a-half tribes west of the Jordan, each being the head of a tribal family (literally, “head of his father’s house”), within the clans of Israel.
The delegation opens the indictment of sacrilege and rebellion with the official prophetic formula “thus says.” The distinction here is that it is not the Lord speaking but the “whole congregation of the Lord” (Joshua 22:16, NKJV). They launch the accusation that Israel committed trespass, treachery, and rebellion. The term “trespass” is the same Hebrew word that was used to describe Achan’s sin (Joshua 7:1) and appears several times in the first five books of Moses (for example, Leviticus 5:15; Leviticus 6:2; Numbers 5:6,12). The examples of Achan and Baal Peor serve as precedents: one for treachery and the other for rebellion. They also express the fear of the nine-and-a-half tribes that the act of building an unauthorized altar will lead to apostasy, idolatry, and immorality, which will incur the wrath of the Lord upon the entire nation of Israel.
|
We all have negative experiences from the past that will shape the way we deal with similar incidents in the future. How can God’s grace help to ensure that the tragedies of our past do not determine the way we treat our neighbors in the present? |
Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese general, wrote the book on war strategy, and even today it should be required reading for war generals.
His number one premise was:
Fighting is costly for both material and human resources and the best strategy is to avoid it.
Francis Collins, a well-known geneticist and also a practicing Christian tells a story of his encounter with Cristopher Hitchens, a very vocal and somewhat vitriolic atheist. They were at a meeting where Collins asked a question about how he interpreted the significance of good and evil if there was no God of foundation of faith on which to rest the concept of morality. Hitchens was devastating in his reply and essentially called him an idot for asking such a question.
Collins found Hitchens in the garden after the meeting and found that while he was belligerent in public his private persona was much warmer. They disagreed on the existance of God, but Collins found the encounter as described in Provers 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron , so one person sharpens another”
They became friends and Collins, because of his connection with the genetic sciencse was able to provide help to Hitchens with the treatment of his cancer. Ultimately, Hitchens died but they were able to continue their conversation right to the end of his life. Collins was invited to speak at Hitchens memorial service.
We can become belligerent in our opposition to those who do not believe the same as us, but we must always remember that when we do, the conversation stops. And with that, the opportunity for influence through us ceases. It is far better to become friends and to spend more time listening than telling.
If we shame people, belittle them, or silence them, the opportunity for meaningful influence disappears.
True influence does not come from winning arguments, overpowering others or humiliating those who disagree with us.
True influence comes from respect, gentleness, relationship, and listening.
our character grows when we interact respectfully even with those who challenge us.
Opposition can sharpen us if we approach it with humility rather than hostility.
Thank you Maurice. I am reminded of a quote from pen of inspiration “The measure of the greatest man is how he/she handle emotions in difficulty situations” This has help me whenever I am tempted to re-act. Similar to Yesterday’s comment where you quoted General Sun Tzu “To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill”
This reminded me of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Though he was the creator, he was annihilated buy his own creation without saying a word. He went to the grave and won the victory over death.
May we learn from our Lord Jesus Christ as the embodiment of the journey that we must do here on earth.
Like the children of Israel, we started off as God’s enemies, as we weren’t good people but a people who had been ruined by sin. This notion of our potential to sin will always haunt us since, given an opportunity, we can only sin (Romans 5:10). Our proximity to God was zero since our rebellion against Him drifted us further and further away (Isaiah 53:6). Our flesh ruled us, and all we could do was sin (Galatians 5:19–21). It makes sense, therefore, that all the children of Israel did turned out to be selfish and sinful including constructing a place of worship. This makes it clear that all we do is sin because we are sinners, and that is our natural state. But God has changed this narrative, and we are clean now, not because we cleaned ourselves up and got better, but because God has done it for us. Thus, we should not be haunted by our past!
God giving His Son whom He loved and loves eternally — was not because He needed company, or because He was lonely, or because He had a void in His life. He gave His Son because His nature is to give (Acts 17:24–25). God does not need a single thing to make Him more perfect. He simply chose to express love and give us the free gift of salvation to deal once and for all with our sinful state a state that would have continued to haunt us forever if not addressed. That way, we no longer need to be haunted by our past (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Each day is a new opportunity. Often, we may “create” the present based on bad past experiences. Jesus wants to give us a new experience with Him today. Let us be open to that.
The reaction of the Children of Israel, according to Joshua 22:11-12, can be summarised by the adage that goes, “once beaten twice shy”. The other tribes were haunted by their past experiences. We can be held captive by our past experiences. Our past experiences can, at times, make us act irrationally. Their past negative experiences – the memories of Peor, Korah’s rebellion, the golden calf, and Achan’s sin shaped their instincts, pushing them toward a fear-driven, reactionary conclusion. How can we possibly avoid being victims of our negative experiences?
1. The Bible says that “To answer before listening, that is folly and shame.”(Proverbs 18:13, NIV). The Children of Israel rushed to a conclusion without examining the facts of the matter. As much as possible, we should avoid being driven by anger. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19, NIV).
2. The past fear and trauma can give a wrong perspective, and the Bible gives us good advice: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18–19, NIV) As much as possible, we should not allow the negative past to dominate our present.
3. We should allow God to heal the past as scripture says. “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.”(Psalm 147:3, NIV). By the grace of God, we should not allow the past to control us.
4. At all times, we should seek God’s guidance before we take any action. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart… in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” God’s wisdom will always give us the power to deal with fear and impulsive reactions.
5. God has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), which produces better outcomes than war. We should refuse to be imprisoned by fear.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”. (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).
The two and a half tribes may have had good intentions, but their actions looked like rebellion. By building an altar that resembled the one at Shiloh—without explanation—they unintentionally gave the impression that they were setting up a rival place of worship. Even though their motives were pure, the appearance of wrongdoing almost triggered a civil war.
This story illustrates that believers should not only avoid actual wrongdoing but also be mindful of how their actions may be perceived. Transparency, consultation, and sensitivity to how others might interpret our choices help prevent confusion, protect unity, and avoid unnecessary conflict.
Additionally, Israel’s (9 1/2 tribes) reaction to the altar on the Jordan shows how past wounds can shape present fears. The memories of past rebellions apparently made them quick to assume the worst when they heard about the altar, even before seeking clarification. Their instincts were shaped by past tragedies.
But God’s grace invites us to respond differently. His grace reminds us to pause before judging, to seek understanding instead of assuming motives, and to let compassion guide our interactions. Grace helps us listen first, ask questions, and give others the benefit of the doubt. It frees us from repeating cycles of suspicion and reaction.
In this story, grace could have softened the initial response, just as grace still calls us today to allow God—not our past—to shape the way we treat our neighbors.
As an Adventist, it is my solemn duty to extend God’s love to every human being, regardless of their faith. However, if I act contrary to rational behavior as a result of selfishness and God becomes aware of the deed, I will appeal to God to forgive the adverse behavior and repent afterwards. In order to prove to God that I have indeed repented, I will share the experience with people and educate them on how an improved version of the contrary behavior might help to promote God’s love in society. Perhaps the need for one to have the decency to advocate God’s grace after repenting from an adverse behavior might encourage others to adopt good conduct.
The book of Acts tells how Paul used to persecute Christians, but when God revived him as a new person, many countries benefited from his ministry. In the book of Jonah, the prophet flees from God’s duty, but after he experienced a miracle from God, he went to the city of Nineveh to preach the word of God. Because God’s grace would be beneficial to my neighbors and how God might be angry if I neglect good behavior, I will ensure that my neighbors do not experience a tragedy like the past.