Whispers of His Power –  MARCH 31

Josh. 22.34 (RV):  And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar ED:* for, said they, it is a witness between us.

When two people who love the Lord misunderstand each other and get into a tangle, there is generally a mistake which a few honest words will clear up.

Read Joshua 22.  A long time ago two sets of people misunderstood each other.  Both had made a mistake, the Reubenites and Gadites by not consulting anybody before building a great altar beside the Jordan, and the Israelites by putting a wrong interpretation on it.

But a few words straightened things out.  The Reubenites, very much surprised that the Israelites could think anything so unkind and untrue, explained that they had acted out of carefulness and of purpose.  The Israelites accepted their explanation, and the matter ended with a word easy for us to remember, ED.  The thing which had almost caused a furious quarrel was turned to ED. which meant that God (who is the God of Peace) was Witness.

If we have a misunderstanding with anyone, what about taking ED as a little word of reminder to hurry up and make friends?

[*The Hebrew word ‘ed’ (עֵד) primarily means ‘witness,’ ‘testimony,’ or ‘evidence,’  is pronounced ‘ayd’ and rhymes with ‘made’]

oooOOOooo

These words are from ’Whispers of His Power’ a collection of writings that Amy Carmichael wrote for her ‘children’ and others associated with the Dohnavur Fellowship. and are Copyright © The Dohnavur Fellowship 1982

Unless otherwise stated, biblical quotations are from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.

The following abbreviations are used to refer to other versions and sources:

BCP:               Book of Common Prayer, the Great Bible of Coverdale

Conybeare:       W. J. Conybeare, The Epistles of Paul (a translation)

Delitzsch:        F. Delitzsch, Notes on Job and the Psalms

Kay:                W. Kay, The Psalms (a translation)

LXX:              The Septuagint

Moffatt:           J. Moffatt, The New Testament: a new translation

Rotherham:      J. B. Rotherham, The Emphasized Bible Revised Version

RV:                 Revised Version

Way:              A. Way, The Letters of St Paul (a translation)

Westcott:         F. Westcott, Notes on the Gospel of St John

Weymouth:      R. F. Weymouth, The New Testament in Modern Speech

Young:            R. Young, A Literal Translation of the Bible

Verses of poetry without quotation marks were written by Amy Carmichael.