Being To Friendly With The Enemy

Fake news is nothing new. That is, we’re not the first generation to grapple with truth vs. lies.

Human nature is such that many people find it easier to tell a lie than to tell the truth.

If lying was a sport, it would be the most popular sport on earth today.

Politicians have the reputation of being the biggest liars in the world. They can tell some WHOPPERS with a straight face. Many of them are better actors than those in Hollywood.

Illus: Makes us think of a bus filled with politicians was driving through the countryside one day, on the campaign trail. The bus driver, caught up in the beautiful scenery, loses control and crashes into the ditch.

A farmer living nearby hears the horrible crash and rushes out to discover the wreckage. Finding the politicians, he buries them.

The next day, the police come to the farm to question the man. "So you buried all the politicians?" asked the police officer. "Were they all dead?"

The farmer answered, "Some said they weren't, but you know how politicians lie."

Every day we hear people telling lies wanting people to believe something that has no truth in it whatsoever.

Illus: You may remember a TV show by the name: To Tell the Truth. The way this tv game was played there were two imposters on the panel and one person who told the truth.

They had celebrity judges who had to decide which one of the three was telling the truth.

That turned out to be very hard to do because a good lie often sounds more truthful than the truth.

This tv game makes us think of Joshua when it comes to telling the truth.

The people of Israel have just defeated the city Jericho and Ai and are preparing to march deeper into Canaan as they claim the Promised Land that the Lord had promised them.

They now have a couple of victories under their belts. They had to some more lessons to learn as they moved forward to possess the promise land.

For example, God was going to teach them the lesson of becoming too friendly with the enemy.

This is also a lesson for todays church.

You see, a lot of folks do not seem to know they are playing with the devil…that is, they do not know HE IS NOT PLAYING!!!

Illus: Samson learn that lesson the hard way when he was playing with Delilah, that is, he was playing around with Delilah but DELILA WAS NOT PLAYING!

As believers we must come to realize the danger of BECOMING TOO FRIENDLY WITH THE ENEMY.

As we study this passage, let's learn the lesson that Israel had to learn.

For example, when Israel was on their way to conquer the promise land the Gibeonites (Their enemy) deceived Israel into making a covenant with them that God forbid them to do.

Why did God forbid them to covenant with the Gibeonites?

Because …

I. The Enemy Can Be Deceptive

Israel had a reputation of having victory after victory and if anyone got in their way they would SMITE THEM!!!

No single nation could stop them so they formed an alliance together to stop them.

Look at Joshua 9:1-2 And it came to pass, when all the kings that were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

(Look how Gibenites tried to deceived them into thinking they were there friends)

In Joshua 9:3-5 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-skins, old and rent and bound up, and old and patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and was become mouldy.

And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country: now therefore make ye a covenant with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of Jehovah thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.