A young man came to a farm looking for work. So the farmer set him to the task immediately. He had a barn that needed painting. So the task was handed to the young man. The farmer said to himself that it would take at least three days to finish the task but in two days the young man had finished. The farmer was very pleased and showered the young man with praise.
He then give the young the task of plowing the field, expecting the job to be done in two weeks but to his surprise in one the task was completed. The farmer thought to himself at this rate the young man would soon be out of chores to do.
The farmer had recently harvested some potatoes and had them stored in the barn so he told the young man to sort them into piles:
- One pile for the good ones
- Another pile made of those which had began to sprout
- And a third consisting of those which were not good.
He expected the young man to finish in a few hours but at the end of the day the youngster was far from finished. The farmer was astonished and inquired of the young man what the problem was, after all for much bigger task he had finished with remarkable speed. Why was he taking so long for such a simple task?
The young replied that he had a problem deciding which potato should be placed in each pile.
We all make many decisions every day. And all of us have made decisions that we have regretted. No doubt we can all remember making bad decisions. Some decisions were serious while oth¬ers were not. One thing we do know we have to live with the consequences. How does God relate to us when we make bad decisions, or does he want us to make decisions at all?
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Let’s turn in our bibles to Joshua 9 :1-6
¶And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against 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. ¶And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
Joshua 9:1 - 6 (KJV)
Even while Israel had gathered to worship in Mount Ebal (Joshua 8:30), her enemies had gathered to plan an attack (verses 1, 2). While Israel was worshiping God and reviewing God’s law, the kings of Canaan rallied to form an alliance to meet the challenge of Israel’s invasion. Though all the kings gathered to form this military alliance, the Gibeonites de¬cided to pursue a different course of ac¬tion because "the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai" (verse 3).
The Gibeonites had heard the same reports as Rahab, but they reacted dif¬ferently. They had heard about Israel’s strength and may have even realized that the power of God was behind that strength. Rahab also heard about the God of Israel, but her heart was open to learn more of Him and worship Him. The Gibeonites’ knowledge led them to be afraid and to do everything they could to save their lives.
Instead of repenting, the Gibeon¬ites decided to deceive the Israelites (see verses 4-6). They wanted to deceive Josh¬ua about their origin in order for him to make a covenant with them.
The Word of God tells us in Eph. 6:12
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
What we witness here is an attempt by forces unseen to thwart God’s plans for the Israelites. The enemy does not always make frontal attacks. In fact here the enemy sets up Israel for a body shift. While focusing on the Kings assembling for war he creates his own counterattack to achieve his ends. He is a cunning foe, the bible calls him a wily foe and warns us to put on the whole armour of God that we might not be deceived by the wiles of the devil.
Today many Christian girls are fooled by the men of the world. They meet the guys and fall in love but cannot marry because God has said do not be unequally yoked. The men then pretend to be converted and joins the church, but no sooner is the knot tied than they are back in the world again
Too many of us still sees the world through our physical eyes, rather than our spiritual eyes. We see only what is in front of us. What is reasonable, logical or seem to make common sense. But so often spiritual battles are fought on a higher plane:
Isn’t it reasonable for :
o a hungry man to turn stone into bread if he could- If Jesus had we won’t be here having this discourse.
o to stop praying or pray out of sight until the expiration of the Law of the Persians – but if Daniel had done that we would have been robbed of the Lion’s experience.
Does it make sense to obey someone who tells you to go and catch a fish and take the penny you find in its mouth? If Peter had reasoned that way we would have lost out on this wonderful story where Jesus demonstrated his enormous power over nature.
God does not always follow the logical ways of man. He does not always do things which seem reasonable to us. The Holy Spirit tells us in 1 Corinth 3: 19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 1 Corinthians 3:19
He declares through Isaiah in Is. 55:9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
It is unfortunate that people today still live by the Gibeonite philosophy—expediency rules. They do whatever they have to do to get through life’s difficulties. The ends justify the means. If the Gibeon¬ites had simply turned to God in repen¬tance, as Rahab had done, no deception would have been necessary.
DON’T BASE DECISIONS ON SU¬PERFICIAL EVIDENCE ( Joshua 9: 7-15).
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants.(diversionary tactics) 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 (Lie) because of the name of the LORD 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 Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth(truth). Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. ¶And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. Joshua 9:7 - 15 (KJV)
Verses 7-15 tell us that the Gibeon¬ites tricked the men of Israel. Notice in verse 8 that they did not answer Joshua’s
question: "Who are you, and where do you come from?" Instead they said, "We are from a far country," implying that "we are from so far away that you would have never heard of us."
The Gibeonites were deceptive not only about their origin, they also lied about their intentions. They told Joshua that they wanted a covenant because they had heard about the wonders of the Lord God (see verse 9). They gave the impression that they longed to honor God. But they did not offer to repent; they offered only to serve. Then they presented their proof—moldy bread, patched wineskins, and ragged clothes (See verses 12, 13).
The enemy is always looking to deceive:
He told Eve; Thou shalt not surely die!
It seems incredible that Israel’s lead¬ers accepted as evidence things that were highly questionable. Envoys with the power to conclude a treaty with an-other nation should have had substantial credentials. However, verse 14 tells us that "then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD" (See also verse 15).
So Joshua made a treaty with the Gibeonites without first bringing the matter before God. This treaty was a promise not only to spare their lives but also protect them if they were attacked.
IT does not matter how strong the evidence is we should always consult God when on Gods missions. Joshua was so persuaded by what his senses told him that he thought it necessary not to consult God. He felt sure about his own deci¬sion.
Proverbs 16:25 ¶There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Eve felt her way was correct and look what happened to us. The consequences of spiritual decisions are always far reaching and results in serious consequences to others who may not even be involved in the making the decision;
Solomon decided to obtain many foreign wives this lead to the demise of the kingdom.
David decided to number the children of Israel resulting in the death of over 70,000 men (1 chron. 21:14)
Seven men of Saul’s family were hanged because of the covenant made with the Gibeonites. (2 Sam. 21: 6)
Rahab made a decision to go with the Israelites, saving her and her family
Ruth made a decision to go with her mother-in-Law and she became an ancestor of Christ.
As Christians we certainly cannot take our decisions likely for they can have eternal consequences not only for us but for our children and their children, our friends and relatives and all those associated with us
I. DECEPTION WILL ALWAYS BE DISCOVERED (VERSES 16-20).
And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. Joshua 9:16 -20 (KJV). (the leaders stuck together)
It took only three days for Israel’s leaders to discover that they had made a mistake, but they had to live with that mistake for the rest of their lives. The story of Joshua’s reaction to the decep¬tion of the Gibeonites shows us how im¬portant it is to keep our promises, even when it is difficult. Other people’s well-being may depend on it. God’s people are called upon to live obediently amid mistakes of their own making.
It is important that when we make decisions as a group, we bear the consequences as a group. The enemy loves when we divide and start to point fingers. Instead of focusing on the mistakes we have made we should focus on the corrective measures we have to put into place.
When the Israelites discovered the deception, they complained bitterly against Joshua and the leadership and accused them of being gullible. Realizing that they had been tricked, Joshua and the leaders did not defend themselves. But they did acknowledge that a cov¬enant was a covenant and could not be taken lightly (See verses 19-21). It is so important that we honour our pledges and promises, even when we are duped into them. The psalmist David tells us to dwell in God’s holy Hill we must be people who sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not. Ps. 15:4.
There are too many people in this world whose word cannot be trusted. It certainly does not need anymore of that type. We must stand up and stand out as
People Whose Word is sure.
People whose word is honour.
People whose promises are dependable
People who sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not.
It is unfortunate that all we are known for is the fact that we keep the seventh day as our Sabbath. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be known as people of good character? Joshua and his leaders stuck to promises:
I. WHEN YOU MAKE A BAD DE¬CISION, YOU MUST LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES (VERSES 22-27).
¶And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose. Joshua 9:22 - 27 (KJV)
Joshua and the leaders of Israel erred in trusting their own judgment and failing to consult the Lord about the Gibeonites, but they did not compound the error by breaking the covenant they had made.
The resoluteness of the Israelites to the covenant made with the Gibeonites was soon tested. We can always expect that we will be tested on the promises we make and the covenants we create:
When we promise to keep the Sabbath Holy
Pay a faithful tithe
Forgive our brother and sister
love our enemies
Do you expect to make these promises and just walk away? The enemy of our souls would not allow this to take place. His task is to prove to God that we are just words. We can only honour our commitments when the road is smooth. But we must prove him wrong. We can honour our commitments in times of ease and in times of hardships.
Five kings of the Amorites, angered and threatened by the Gibeonite strategy, decided to attack the Gibeonite cities (10:3-4). Joshua was obligated to defend them. Even as Christ is obligated to defend us.
The story of Israel’s deception by the Gibeonites is just one of many examples in the Bible that remind us that we must live with the results of our bad decisions. May we learn from these stories to take our decisions to God as we humble our-selves to be led by the Holy Spirit.
