V.21-24 These two tribes had to submit to the Lord in the sorrowful split that had taken place, for all the people were guilty.
V.24 There is a remarkable statement in the middle of this verse, “this thing is from Me.” Has something happened in your Christian life that has been a real sorrow to you? Remember, you have not been placed where you are by chance. He has allowed it so that you might learn that the best friend is Jesus. When we are in difficulties or trials, the closer we get to the Lord, the more we will understand that the Lord is saying to us, “this thing is from Me.”
V.25-33 He knew very well where God’s center still was (11:27, 38), but his own self-importance was getting in the way of obedience to the Lord. The results? He made false centers of worship and his own arrangements in those places. What does the Scripture say of this human division (v. 30)? Christ is God’s Center, and His Name alone. The Word of God is the only source of true teaching as to worship and Christian order in the assembly.