THURSDAY, APRIL14, 2016
"The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath." (Joshua 9:14,15)
In Joshua's life, we find moments of great spiritual triumph, particularly through his tremendous courage and leadership, but also examples of neglect and disappointment. This incident, in which Israel hastily made a peace treaty with the neighboring Gibeonites, shows us the dangers of "resting on our laurels," only to abandon God.
As we have been reading, God promises the full extent of the Promised Land to His people Israel, conditioned on their obedience to His direction. Moses faithfully shared the truths that obedience would bring blessing, while disobedience would make the people susceptible to receiving God's wrath. Deuteronomy provides numerous, lengthy passages about the root and results of obedience and neglect. Joshua fully apprehended these realities as he accepted the mantle of leadership that God passed to him through Moses.
Yet, here, the Israelites became complacent after gaining several recent military victories. The Gibeonites wisely took advantage of this complacency by planning a ruse: to appear as if they had traveled from afar to seek a treaty of peace. As we read above, the Israelite leaders sampled their provisions but didn't seek God's perspective on their guests' presence. The deception proved effective.
As the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tse noted, "all warfare is based on deception." How true! Here, the Gibeonites won a bloodless victory simply by outwitting the Israelites. The Israelites had similarly deceived other enemies, to great effect.
In our lives, deception rears its head through temptation and appeals to our worldly nature. The Evil One made similar approaches to Jesus in Luke 4. Jesus demonstrated that, without a ready focus on God's Word, we will stumble into these temptations. The antidote lies in loving God wholeheartedly, remembering moment-by-moment our desperate condition without Him. To bring and maintain that attitude, we must have the filling of the Holy Spirit, Who may direct us into truth and bring forth His fruit for love and obedience. I know from experience how weak we are outside of God's will, but how strong we are when we fully rely on Him. How about you?
Practically speaking, what implications does the Israelite leadership's shortcomings have for us? It seems that we may profit from their example by avoiding a similar flippancy in making decisions. God has given capacity for reason, but, oftentimes, there are spiritual aspects to a situation that lie beyond human vision. We need His wisdom to see into the hearts of people, the truth or falsehood in certain statements, or the prudence of certain actions. Sometimes, He will lead us through valleys where it seems tough, perhaps to refine and shape our characters. We need His guidance both to seek protection and take risks, as appropriate for His plan. He may help us to overcome the flawed nature within us.
A friend shared a wonderful revelation with me: "I am learning to trust God so that… " May we all complete that phrase as God so directs, to His honor and glory!
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your example of perfect obedience. Thank You for this teaching from the lives of the Israelite leadership. Give us the courage to wait or to act, as appropriate. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide and direct us today towards obedience and towards serving and loving others. Strengthen us to live fully for Your purposes today. We love You and give You all the praise, honor, and glory forever! In Your Name, amen.
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