Oops!

********************************************

Live up to it, and own it.

Represent the Lord well.

This is the aspect of life that we often forget.

What am I getting at?

You see...Joshua made a MISTAKE, yes.

However, to violate their oath would have been to take the holy name of Jehovah in vain, and this would have brought about divine judgment. (and it did later)

ILLUSTRATION:

This did happen years later...

The Bible tells us that years later King Saul, in his zeal for Israel, violated this oath with the Gibeonites and had them all killed; and God judged the nation severely with a 3 Year Famine -2 Samuel 21.

Well, military leaders of lesser character than Joshua might have argued that "all’s fair in love and war" and forced the Gibeonites to divulge information that would help him conquer their city.

-But, instead, when the Jewish army arrived at Gibeon and the neighboring cities, they didn’t attack them.

*Because they held to the Lord by living up to their word, in spite of the consequences...

Church, in spite of our consequences for our mistakes, we must still own it, and live up to the name of the Lord by being men and women of our word!

-Why? Because we REPRESENT the Lord!!!

********************************************

So, we Live up to it, and Own it.

Represent the Lord well.

Bear the Consequences.

Most of us want to save face, so we keep things from others, and hide, and play the blame game.

And, of course, the Jewish people grumbled at what their leaders had done?

1-Because this covenant with Gibeon would cost the soldiers dearly, in plunder, that they would never get from these protected cities.

2-Furthermore, the Gibeonites, and their neighbors, might influence the Jews with their pagan practices and lead them away from the Lord.

So, a mistake, this certainly was...and a BIG one with some large consequences!

But, it’s easy to criticize, and easier so, after the fact!

********************************************

But that wasn’t the end of the story!

Joshua and his associates teach us an important lesson: If you make a mistake, admit it; and then make your mistake work for you!

So, the leaders put the Gibeonites to work hauling water and fuel for the service of the tabernacle, where both water and wood were used in abundance.

In fact, in the later years the Gibeonites were called the Nethinim ("given ones" = given to assist the priests) and labored as servants in the temple...

-1 Chronicles 9:2, Ezra 2:43, 58 & Nehemiah 3:26

So that, in Joshua 10, we shall see that God overruled Joshua’s mistake, and used it to give him a single victory over five kings at one time!!!

-All because He OWNED he mistake.

-He remembered that he REPRESENTED the Lord.

-He dealt with the CONSEQUENCES.

-And, he saw how the Lord could work out all things for His good, because he was called according to Him purposes!!!

******************************************************

Church, look with me to this one verse again, we know it well!

Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."