Joshua's Big Mistake
“So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.” – Joshua 9:14 NLT
This verse gets me every year in our Bible Reading Plan. If you know, then you know. If you don’t, let me fill you in with the Cliff Notes version.
Joshua is leading Israel into the Promised Land. They have some wins and they have some losses. Wins come when they obey God; losses come when they don’t. The inhabitants of the land and their Kings start getting nervous, so they make an alliance and dress up like they have traveled a long distance to make peace with Israel. They go so far as to present moldy bread and old food to prove that they are from a distant land outside the Promised Land. They do this attempting to make a treaty with Israel to avoid attacks. It’s a big lie, but it works! Joshua meets with them and establishes a treaty. Right before the treaty is finalized, the verse we read at the beginning shows up.
“So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.” – Joshua 9:14 NLT
That was a big mistake, and God wouldn’t let them get out of their treaty just because the other party lied. I could do a whole dissertation on how Israel is still paying the cost of that decision to this day, but I will leave that for you to Google. I could write an entire devotion on the grace we experience in our lives. I am truly grateful for God's grace and His mercy, especially when I make mistakes. However, this isn’t that devotion either.
The point of today’s devotion is straightforward and to the point. Maybe we should consult God more often instead of trusting what our eyes see.
The battle we all face is whether we will trust human wisdom or God’s wisdom. Joshua did what we all do. He trusted what He saw with his eyes instead of consulting the God who had brought him that far to begin with.
I encourage you to take some time to consult with God, with big decisions, small decisions, and the in-between. You will be surprised by what He reveals to you.
This verse gets me every year in our Bible Reading Plan. If you know, then you know. If you don’t, let me fill you in with the Cliff Notes version.
Joshua is leading Israel into the Promised Land. They have some wins and they have some losses. Wins come when they obey God; losses come when they don’t. The inhabitants of the land and their Kings start getting nervous, so they make an alliance and dress up like they have traveled a long distance to make peace with Israel. They go so far as to present moldy bread and old food to prove that they are from a distant land outside the Promised Land. They do this attempting to make a treaty with Israel to avoid attacks. It’s a big lie, but it works! Joshua meets with them and establishes a treaty. Right before the treaty is finalized, the verse we read at the beginning shows up.
“So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.” – Joshua 9:14 NLT
That was a big mistake, and God wouldn’t let them get out of their treaty just because the other party lied. I could do a whole dissertation on how Israel is still paying the cost of that decision to this day, but I will leave that for you to Google. I could write an entire devotion on the grace we experience in our lives. I am truly grateful for God's grace and His mercy, especially when I make mistakes. However, this isn’t that devotion either.
The point of today’s devotion is straightforward and to the point. Maybe we should consult God more often instead of trusting what our eyes see.
The battle we all face is whether we will trust human wisdom or God’s wisdom. Joshua did what we all do. He trusted what He saw with his eyes instead of consulting the God who had brought him that far to begin with.
I encourage you to take some time to consult with God, with big decisions, small decisions, and the in-between. You will be surprised by what He reveals to you.
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2 Comments
Well, if this isn't an extremely timely message! Thank you!
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