#soap # Joshua 22 ## Title: Being Misunderstood ## Scripture: (Joshua 22:21-22) The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the Israelite clans: “El, God, the Lord! El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, don’t spare us today! (NET) ## Observation: Have you ever been misunderstood? I heard a phrase once that said, “No good deed goes unpunished.” The idea is that most of the time, doing the right thing is misunderstood. Many times, doing the right thing leads to more pain. The tribes leaving thought they were doing a good thing, but it almost created a civil war. They had to get a third party involved to stop things from getting out of hand. If we feel misunderstood, it’s often good to bring in a third party who can adjudicate. We just need to be careful to be sincere. ## Application: When feeling misunderstood, don’t let it be the end. Work the problem to clear up misunderstandings and find balance again. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for helping us extend understanding to others the way we want to be understood.