On Monday, we said that one of the themes for Joshua 9 was “how to sniff out a con artist”, but after studying this chapter, meditating on it and praying about it, I think it would be fair to number among those themes, “how to sniff out a self-reliant Christian”. I was totally convicted by this chapter! It’s true that in this chapter we learned what things should cause red flags during the decision making process when making agreements with others, but the biggest red flag that I noticed was in my own life.
We saw in this chapter how practical God’s Word is. It showed us what warning signs to look for when someone is attempting to deceive us, but what’s even better is that God always makes it personal. He doesn’t just want us to get the practical advice on how not to be deceived or how not to get duped, but more importantly He wants to go deeper with us personally. It’s not just about our relationships with others, but most importantly it’s about our relationship with Him. He showed us that seeking Him comes first.
There are many humanitarian organizations in this world with well meaning individuals who follow the principles that are found in the Word of God, yet are still sadly going to spend eternity apart from Him. Simply following the principles, adhering to the rules, or viewing the precepts of God’s Word as “good advice” will never save our souls. God wants us to seek Him first. This is why in summing up the entirety of the Law in two commandments, Jesus said the FIRST is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”, and the SECOND was to love people (Lk.10:27, Mk. 12:30-31, Mt. 22:37-39). The order of these things was not accidental. Our relationship with God always needs to come first and after that, how we deal with others.
The Israelites knew the Law. Just one chapter before, we saw them reciting it in it’s entirety in the Valley of Shechem, and even writing it on the rocks. They knew what it said. They knew that in the cities of those people that God was giving them for an inheritance, they were to save nothing that breathes (Deut. 20:16). And they also knew that the people in the cities that are very far off, that do not belong to these nations, they were allowed to make peace treaties with (Deut. 20:10-15). These things were written in the Law. So here come these con artists from Gibeon (which was in Canaan, one of the nations close by that they were to destroy), putting on a show and lying about where they had come from in order to save their own skin. They said they were from a “very far away country”, knowing that this would be grounds for a peace treaty. The Gibeonites were also familiar with the Law, thanks to Israel reciting it in that natural amphitheater called the Valley of Shechem, which was near to where they lived. Both of them knew the rules, but only one group was wise enough to go beyond the surface of the rules. Sadly, that was the enemy. They were able to deceive Israel, because in this instance Israel used God’s law merely as an instruction manual. They did not consult the Lord (Joshua 9:14).
Just as we learned in Romans, here was a great reminder that we cannot depend upon following the rules in order to be saved. The Israelites relied on the Law rather than seeking God. It is so important to remember that knowing the rules, what we should and shouldn’t do, apart from seeking God is useless. We cannot understand spiritual things apart from Him (1 Cor. 2:14), and God’s Word is definitely spiritual. It is supernatural. It’s not a textbook, it’s not even a history book, but it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). This is why Jesus told the Pharisees in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
The Pharisees relied on the Law (the rules) because they thought that was all they needed in order to be saved. They were dead wrong. We must not fill our heads with info and our hands with work, to the exclusion of spending time hearing from God and consulting Him about these things. I love how Joyce Meyer says it: “We are educated far beyond our level of obedience!” And isn’t that true! Our heads can get so filled with information, (and it’s good information) but at the same time we aren’t living our lives any differently than before. We want to be teachers of the Law even though we don’t understand either what we say or the matters about which we make confident assertions (1 Tim. 1:7).
So let’s not assume that we understand God’s Word apart from spending time asking Him what it means. This is why we always pray before we study. This is why quiet time with God is so vital. Let’s learn from Israel’s mistakes! They followed the rules to the exclusion of seeking God and still ended up in a big mess. We must be people who consult the Lord at every turn, in the big things AND in the small. These things were written for our instruction (Romans 15:4, 1 Cor, 10:11).
The whole purpose of God’s Word is not to inform us of stuff or to tell us what to do. It’s not even about showing us how to achieve victory, as the Israelites may have assumed. . It’s not “what do I need to do”, but what does He want to do in me. The purpose of the Word of God is so that we might know Him and be in relationship with Him. And out of this relationship will flow a real desire to be obedient to His Word.
We look forward to seeing you again on Monday You don’t want to miss this one! The sun and moon will stand still! Bring a friend or two and all of your questions. Remember, we will be meeting upstairs in the main sanctuary. God Bless!!