“Now the children of Israel heard someone say, ‘Behold, the children of Reuben…Gad…Manasseh have built and altar…’ the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.” Jos 22:11,12

Satan does not need a blatant lie to work his dastardly ways. Often a partial truth is enough. Once we are alerted he has this very effective weapon in his arsenal, we must stay vigilant to guard against the proliferation of “fake news” that can easily snowball into an avalanche of destruction.

Such was the case in the waning days of Joshua. In fact, this should have been a time for celebration. Following a chastising 40-years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel had crossed the Jordan River ready to leave centuries of slavery behind. They were poised to take possession of the territories God had designated by covenantal promise to mighty Abraham and his descendants forever.

Though not perfectly executed, Jos 21:44 declares “the Lord gave them rest all around”. Their enemies had been denuded and silenced. Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh were released from their commitment to help their brethren secure their inheritances which lay on the Western side of the Jordan. As they returned to their allotted territories on the Eastern side, they constructed an altar of thanksgiving and remembrance for all that the Lord had done. Sounds harmless, right?

That is, until someone suggested the altar may be used for sacrifices in violation of the priestly systems and authority established by Moses. Someone was overheard saying something…and before long, an insidious rumor had taken wing. Driven by dark forces, suspicions quickly turned to indignation. Caution, like tumbleweeds, barreled ominously across the landscape to the drumbeats of war in their wake. Only decisive action by tempered leaders averted a bloodbath among brothers.

These words are a timeless admonition—as though blared from the mouth of an ancient trumpet. May we never succumb to the power of a half-truth.