Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Joshua 9:3-25
Set – Joshua 9; 1 Corinthians 6
Go! – Joshua 9-11; 1 Corinthians 6
Joshua 9:3-25
3 But the people of Gibeon, who were Hivites, had a different idea when they heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai. 4 Knowing that Joshua might turn his attention to them next, they decided to use their wits, not their military might. They formed a delegation to serve as envoys and gathered the most worn-out sacks for their donkeys and worn-out, patched-up wineskins they could find. 5 They took some ragged sandals and patched them. They dressed in thread-bare clothes—all so it would look as though they had come from far away. Even the food they carried was dry and moldy, as though it had been carried a long distance.6 These envoys went to Gilgal to meet with Joshua and the men of Israel.
Gibeonite Envoys (to Joshua and the men of Israel): We have traveled from a far country and beg you to make a treaty of peace with us.
Israelites: 7 How can we make a treaty with you? How do we know you aren’t from around here?
Gibeonite Envoys (to Joshua): 8 We are your servants.
Joshua: Who are you? Where do you come from?
Gibeonite Envoys: 9 Your servants have made the journey from a distant country because even there the name of the Eternal One your God is in the air. We have heard of what He did for you in Egypt 10 and what He did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan (King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth). 11 So our elders gathered us together and directed us to take provisions for a long journey so we could tell you we are your servants. Please, we beg you, make a treaty with us.
12 Look. Here is all that remains of our bread. It was fresh, warm from the oven, when we set out, but now it is nothing but mold and crumbs. 13 And these patched-up wineskins were new and full when we left home. And our clothes, our sandals are worn—you can see that we have traveled a very long way.
14 The leaders did not consult the Eternal. They broke bread with the messengers, 15 and Joshua offered them a treaty of peace, with the leaders of Israel swearing an oath to bind it.
16 Three days after they had sworn peace with these deceptive messengers, they discovered the visitors were Gibeonites from the land of Canaan, their neighbors, who, in fact, were living in part of the land God had promised the Israelites. 17 So the Israelites went to their cities: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim on the third day, 18 but they did not attack them. Even though they had been tricked into making a treaty, an oath made in the name of the Eternal was sacred. The people of Israel grumbled and complained against their leaders, 19 but they replied to the entire congregation.
Leaders: Look, we have sworn an oath in the name of the Eternal God of Israel, and we must not touch them. 20 If we attack them now and break our word, God’s anger will fall on us. Let them live and serve us.
21 So the leaders kept their promise to the Gibeonites who became servants of the entire congregation, cutting their wood and drawing their water.
22 Joshua summoned the Gibeonite leaders.
Joshua (to the Gibeonite leaders): Why did you lie to us? Why did you claim to be from far away when really you lived right here among us? 23 Your lie comes with a curse. You will live, but you will always be our slaves, carrying our water and chopping wood for the sanctuary of my True God from now on.
Gibeonite Leaders (to Joshua): 24 We knew for a fact that the Eternal One, your True God, had told His servant Moses that He would give you all of this land and that you would destroy all of the people in it. We were so afraid of you that this seemed the best thing to do. 25 But now we are in your hands. Do to us what seems fair and just to you, and we will accept it.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
You see what can happen when you don’t include Me in your decisions? Joshua and the rest of the Israelite elders didn’t ask Me about the Gibeonites when they came into the camp. They didn’t inquire about the treaty this “far-away” people wanted to make with them. They just looked at the outward appearance of the entourage, believed what they saw, and made a foolish judgment. But that’s the way with humankind.
Men and women can only see what’s on the outside. You can only judge what you can see. You can’t look inside the hearts and minds of the people you see and talk to every day. Consequently, unless you ask Me, your judgments can and often will be flawed. Until you learn to lean on Me for your decisions you’ll continue to find yourself in the same situation Joshua and the Israelites were, making bad choices and consequently suffering for them.
I can help you with that discernment. I can help you with your choices. I can help you understand the right paths to take and when you steer down the wrong one. I can help you stay clear of the dangerous connections. But you have to listen to Me. You have to begin to incorporate Me into your thought process for all those decisions. You have to recognize your inability to look into the hearts of men.
It’s not always easy to make the transition I’m asking you to make. It’s simple to say, but not always easy to execute. I’m asking you to give up ownership of you. Let Me take charge of your life…every part of it. From the most complex to the simplest decisions, include Me in the process. That’s the only way to know you’re on solid ground. But that’s okay. I want to become that involved in your life. I want to be there as your advisor. I want to so permeate your life that turning to Me for those decisions becomes a common, ordinary act for you.
How does it start? Get to know Me. Spend time with Me. I know all about you, but you need to know Me. You need to know My voice. Be able to recognize Me in the chatter of voices the world throws at you to pull you away from Me.
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