Sermon Preached May 05
by Pastor Byron
THE MISTAKE OF JOSHUA
Joshua 9 - 11
INTRODUCTION:
It is always amazing to see how people act when they only know a small percentage of the facts. We make some pretty bad decisions when we are only partially informed. We do some really brainless things. When we are unfamiliar with all the specifics we make some pretty big blunders in our lives. Those blunders can rob us from God’s blessings. Those indiscretions can keep us from conquering the enemies of the soul. That’s why it is so important for us to consult God in all matters.
The failure of Joshua was that he neglected to consult God and it caused a perplexing problem. He made a terrible mistake. A mistake that could have cost everything. It could have been a great tragedy, but he responded in a godly way. How we respond to our sin and shortcoming will determine how much God will use us.
Through this story we are also reinforced in our theme this year at New Hope: Never Give Up! Never Quit! Embrace Jesus and Expect A Miracle!
Israel was tricked into making a peace treaty with treaty with the people of Gibeon. This mistake could have cost Israel their lives and their blessing.
Background:
Gibeon was located only twenty-five miles from the camp of Israel at Gilgal and was on Joshua’s list to be destroyed. God stated that Israel must destroy all the cities in Canaan (Deut 20). Yet earlier, God told them that they could offer peace to cities that were outside Canaan. Somehow the Gibeonites knew about this law and decided to use the Word of God for their own purposes. (Since the enemy knows how to use the Word of God for their own purposes, God’s people must keep alert). Matt. 4:5-7)
The Gibeonites assembled a group of men and equipped them to look like an official delegation from a foreign city. Their clothing, food, and equipment were all designed to give the impression that they had been on a long and difficult journey from a distant city. Gibeon can be seen here as a type of the devil. He uses deceptive methods, he uses deceptive devices, and he uses deceptive words. (Satan is a counterfeiter and masquerades as an angel of light 2 Cor. 11:14 NIV) One of the names for Satan is deceiver. He is out there as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
As a strategist, Joshua knew enough to talk to God before leading his troops into battle. But the peace treaty seemed innocent enough so Joshua and the leaders made this decision on their own.
The mistake of Joshua and the leaders of Israel could have been a devastating blow to God’s promised victory. Today I would like to look at why the mistake could have ended in disaster and why God was willing to work through Joshua and Israel to given them triumph.
I) JOSHUA RELIED ON SELF TO MAKE DECISIONS.
This prompts me to ask some questions.
Why do we rely on ourselves to make decisions when we know we should rely upon God?
If we desire to follow God’s way, then why do we act without clear guidance from God?
Are we too rushed for time?
When we don’t take matters to God first, is it because we think consulting God is immaterial?
Or do we think that the matter is not important enough to ask God? Or that God us unconcerned?
We need to ask ourselves these questions to find out why we are unwilling to approach God with similar matters of concern in our own lives. When we fail to approach God with our issues of life we make the same mistake Joshua made.
Relying upon ourselves to make decisions without consulting God will get us into trouble every time.
They had foolishly made a covenant with the enemy. Joshua and the leaders were impulsive and didn’t take time to consult the Lord. Does that sound familiar? Are you guilty of not taking time to cousult the Lord? I think we all can be guilty of not taking matters to God to some extent. After listening to the strangers speech and examining the evidence, Joshua and the leaders concluded that the men were telling the truth.
The Gibeonites knew how to manipulate God’s people. The world is a manipulative place and will try to exploit God’s people. We are instructed to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matt. 10:16
How did the Gibeonites manipulate Joshua and the leaders of Israel?
They played on their sympathies by appearing as weary travelers who had been on a long journey.
They played on their ego and sense of pride. Insisting that they came on a long journey to pay respect for the power of God and the Israelites and wanted to be allowed to serve as servants.
They made the mistake of allowing the Gibeonites to play on their emotions. They accepted evidence, though questionable, without further more reliable evidence.
They depended on their own senses, examined the facts, discussed the matter, and agreed in their conclusion. It was all very logical and convincing, but it was all very wrong. They had made the same mistake at Ai (chapter 7) and hadn’t learned to wait on the Lord to seek His direction. I’m sure we all can apply this lesson to our lives.
When your spiritual vision gets dim because of neglect of the Word of God and prayer you are very susceptible to the tricks and traps of the enemy.
Do not forget to consult God in your decisions.
God was able to use Joshua’s mistake because he did four things:
1) Joshua willingly confessed his mistake. 9:16-22 Joshua acknowledged that he and theleaders made a serious blunder. The human aspect of this story reminds me that our lives will be filled with battles. These battles are not physical battle. Our battles are spiritual in nature.
"Someone once said, we live in a ‘Kodak generation’. People overexposed to sin and negative influences, yet underdeveloped spiritually and emotionally."
--unknown source
Joshua willingly confessing his mistake showed that he
was not part of a Kodak generation. When confronted
with his mistake he graciously relented.
2) Joshua confronted the enemy 9:22 - When Joshua found out the actions of the Gibeonites, he went to them and admonished them about their sin. Satan cannot stand in the presence of truth! If you confront Satan with the Word of God, he will leave you alone. We too must confront our sin.
3) Joshua controlled the enemy 9:27 - When Joshua made his mistake he immediately took the necessary steps to contain the situation. He made the Gibeonites woodcutter and water carriers for the community and altar of the Lord. When we make mistakes they don’t have to ruin us. We too must control our sin.
4) Joshua kept his commitment 9:27 - Two things are important to remember here, 1) the sacredness of an oath. When we give an oath God expect us to keep it. 2) the integrity demonstrated by the leaders of Israel. Keeping an oath is about the reputation and character of God. We must keep our commitments.
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If you make a mistake, admit it; and then make your
mistake work for you!
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God used Joshua’s mistake with the Gibeonites to protect Gibeon, bless Israel, and accelerate the conquest of His plan in Canaan.
II) JOSHUA DISCOVERED TOO LATE THE DECISION WAS WRONG.
The Covenant with the Gibeonites had already been made. It was too late to reverse it.
Yes, Joshua and the leaders of Israel foolishly made a covenant with the enemy. Why did the people grumble at what their leaders had done? Maybe it was because this covenant would cost the soldiers their share of the plunder they would never get from the protected cities. Maybe they thought it was because the Gibeonites would influence them with their pagan practices and lead them away from the Lord. Moses had given Israel stern warnings about compromising with the people of the land.
Now, they had foolishly entered into a covenant with their enemy. However, I wonder what decision the common people would have made had they been in the place of their leaders. It is easy to criticize after the fact.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. Joshua and his peers teach us an important lesson:
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If you make a mistake, admit it, and the make your mistake work for you!
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The mistakes we make may embarrass us, especially those mistakes that are caused by running ahead of the Lord and not seeking His will. But we need to remember that no mistake is final for the dedicated Christian. God can use even our blunders to accomplish His purposes.
We must give the leaders credit for being men of their word. To violate their oath would have been to take the holy name of Jehovah in vain, and this would have brought divine judgment upon Israel.
The Gibeonites were willing to submit to humiliating service rather than to be destroyed. There is no evidence in Scripture that the decedents of the Gibeonites created any problem for Israel.
After Joshua had confessed the sin of being deceived in chapter 9. We find out that God declares His word to them again in chapter 10.
After the confederated nations were defeated, by Joshua, in Joshua 10, I find something interesting in Joshua 10:16-18. Notice that the five kings of the confederated nations tried to hid themselves in a cave. When they were discovered, Joshua ordered the cave to be sealed up, thus preventing the kings from escaping.
The point being...when you got saved God changed you (represented in the conquering of the confederated nations against Israel)! However, your old, sinful nature is still alive and well (represented in the 5 kings of the confederated nations which hid in the cave)! That’s right, the part of you that loves to sin in the world is still active. Just like these five kings, our enemy, the flesh, hides itself within us and runs out into the open from time to time to cause trouble.
In verse 22-25 - We must confront our enemy. Notice that after the battle had been won, Joshua came back to the cave and brought these kings out and humiliated them by having the leadership place their feet upon their necks. He confronted them openly and publically pronounced victory over them.
Spiritually speaking, we need to do the same thing. Every person in this room knows what kings hide in your life. You know about your secret sins and those problems you have with the flesh. The only way for you to get absolute, permanent victory over these things is for you to confront them. I mean, you need to drag them out of their hiding place and lay them before the Lord. Place your foot on the neck of the sin in your life and in the name of Jesus proclaim victory over them this morning.
You will never prosper as a child of God until your sins are handled God’s way. "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Prov 28:13 NIV
We must conquer our enemy. In these verses, we see Joshua take a step that ensures the victory over these 5 kings. He puts them to death!
Joshua learned too late about the ruse of the Gibeonites when he made a covenant with them. Was it a mistake? You bet it was! But, the saving grace for Joshua and for us is, when we discover our mistake we need to remember, "THERE IS A RIGHT THING TO DO IN EVERY SITUATION." The right things for Joshua to do were: confess his sin, confront his enemy, control the sin, and keep his commitment or oath.
When Joshua did this, God intervened in a supernatural way on his behalf. God overruled Joshua’s mistake and used it to give him a significant victory over the 5 kings and the confederated nations.
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If you make a mistake, admit it; and then make your
mistake work for you!
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Don’t forget to inquire of God. Inquire especially when you aren’t sure!
3) GOD ACTED TO REDEEM THE SITUATION.
FOR UNBELIEVERS - What God did on the Gibeonites behalf.
The Gibeonites called to Joshua (Joshua 10:6-7). In spite of their paganism, these Gibeonites are a good example for people to follow today. When they knew they were headed for destruction they came to Joshua (Joshua = Jehovah is Savior) and obtained from him a promise of protection. What an example! A lost sinner who realizes his plight and turns to Jesus Christ by faith can be saved!
When the Gibeonites found themselves in danger, they believed Joshua’s promises and called on him for help. That’s what God’s people need to do when they find themselves facing the battles of life. That’s exactly what Christ does in our lives! When we capitulate our lives into His care and call upon Him, he will help us.
The Gibeonites turned their whole burden over to Joshua (Our Jesus) and trusted him to keep his word, and he did.
FOR BELIEVERS - What God did through Joshua and Israel.
There will come times in your life when the Lord will supernaturally intervene in your life and fight the battles for you. There will be other times where you may be allowed to struggle for a while with a situation so God can teach you character.
In this story we find God’s supernatural intervention, he caused the sun to stand still over Gibeon so the battle could be finished and won by the Israelites. Joshua 10:12,12
In this story we find a lesson about persistence for the believers. Joshua 10:28-11:23. There were many battles yet to be fought in order to conquer Canaan. In our lives, there are battles yet to be fought, each battle will not last forever. Let me to encourage you to persist in the fight. Our theme at New Hope this year is applicable here: Never give up! Never Quit! Embrace Jesus and Expect A Miracle!
"Many Christians misinterpret Jesus’ promise of the "abundant life" to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer. In a word, they expect the Christ life to be easy. They expect heaven on earth....Why would God provide heaven on earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity?" --Rick Warren in his book the Purpose Driven Life pg 173
God wants to develop your character and intimacy with him while you live on this earth.
In this story we discover we must fight daily battles. Note that the battles that Israel fought seem to come day by day. They lived a life of daily battles! The same is true for the child of God. Battles will confront us daily. Therefore we must arise each day with the willingness to fight the battles faithfully and for the glory of God!
In this story we are taught we must fight with determination. Joshua 11:8 tells us that Joshua fought the battles for a long time. Joshua had determination! So must we! Be steadfast unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I Cor. 15:58
In this story we learn we must fight with devotion. If you look what Joshua was doing, it is apparent that he was doing just what the Lord had told him to do.
The wonderful thing we learn from this lesson today is that when we make mistakes or sin and respond positively to God, he is willing to use our effort to fulfill his purposes and bless us in the process.
This is a wonderful way to live life. We have no one to please this morning but the Lord!
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So don’t forget...
If you make a mistake, admit it; and then make your
mistake work for you!
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And Remember, Never Give Up! Never Quit! Embrace Jesus and Expect A Miracle!
