From Livestream
by Guest Speaker, Brother Wilhelm on May 27, 2018
And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again. And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God (Joshua 22:30–34, KJV).
Another Step Forward From Where We’ve Come
In our spiritual walk with God, we can’t be tricked into thinking we’ve ever “arrived.” There is always another step in front of us, another level God wants to move us. As we read the Word, pray, and attend church, it’s easy to think we’ll get to a place when we shouldn’t face any more trials, tribulations, heartache, and pain. The journey in God seems endless and impossible. But, we must remember to look back. We need to remember from where we came.
An Altar Named Ed
In Scripture, the children of the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh built an altar to God, but a rumor had spread throughout the people they had built an altar to an idol. The other tribes approached, ready to fight, but it was soon learned there had been a misunderstanding. The altar was indeed built for the LORD God of gods (Joshua 22:22). Everyone returned home, relieved that a war didn’t take place that day. An altar named Ed was built to be a witness between the all that the Lord was God (Joshua 22:34).
The word Ed means a witness or a testimony. The people erected an altar to God as a testimony because God had saved them that day. All had come close to death, but God intervened. Knowledge was poured out, truth revealed, and God stepped in as a Savior again.
Remembering Back
We should take time to remember back to specific spiritual moments in our life. When we glance around, we’ll see the “Eds” in our life. We’ll see those specific altars and remember what God has done for us, what He brought us from, how He’s been good to us. No matter where we go in God, the challenges we face and trials we endure, we’ll always look back to see our altar named Ed.
The Word of Our Testimony
Just as looking back to see what God has done for us, our praise and worship to God is just as important. We’ll overcome every situation by our witness and praise unto God (Revelation 12:7–12). We cannot keep silent about what God has done and who He is. We must worship and praise Him for being the King of kings and Lord of lords in our life.
