God always makes good on his promises. Centuries before either Moses or Joshua were alive, God promised a specific piece of land to their ancestors. We read of this promise over and over again in the first five books of the Bible.
The Bible is full of these promises from God that become fulfilled. Some have taken centuries, others just a few days (I will delivery your enemies into your hands). There are whole chapters in the book of Joshua that lists all of the enemies which Israel conquered through that promise being fulfilled by Israel listening and obeying.
Obedience is a big part of God's promises. Had the Israelites obeyed earlier, they would have been firmly planted in the promised land. But we know what happened there.
Disobedience to God and his instructions ultimately make our lives harder. Without God's support and council we are doomed to fail even when the odds seem to be in our favor. I'm reminded of a story in Joshua chapter 9 when the Gibeonites tricked the Israelites into making a treaty with them.
The Gibeonites were afraid. Word around town and the local bar was that the Israelites were decimating all the neighboring tribes; destroying them completely so that not one person survived. And now this unstoppable power, this all powerful God and the country that followed him, had their eyes set on the Gibeonites.
So what is a tribe to do when they are staring down the fate of total destruction? Lie of course. And the real shocker is that the Israelites fall for it!
The Gibeonites come up with the grand plan of pretending to be foreigners from distant lands who came because they heard of the fame of the Israelites' God (Joshua 9: 9). And man can the Gibeonites put on a show!
In the Bible it says that "they put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. And all the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy" (Joshua 9: 5). They dress to fit the part and throw in a little flattery, "we have heard of your fame and just had to come meet you." It's all coming together and looking like the Israelites are going to fall for it, which they do.
The Israelites had been doing such a good job up until this little episode. They followed God's instructions and received the spoils of war; their rightful inheritance. I'm sure all of the victories fed Israel's ego and caused it to grow. Instead of seeking God's council like they should have done, they brushed it off most likely puffing out their chests and saying "I got this."
Can't you just picture God in the background, jumping up and down, hands raised and waving, saying "wait a minute! They are deceiving you! Don't listen!"
Israel messed up here but God has His promise to keep and according to that promise, the Gibeonites' land belong to Israel. We find the solution to this problem in verses 20 and 21.
It says there that "the Israelites let them live so that God's wrath would not fall on Israel for breaking the oath sworn to them... Let them live, but let them them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly." In God's good council a decision was agreed upon and this whole messy business was taken care of.
"Great story, but what does this have to do with me?" is what I'm sure you are wondering at this point. I'm fairly certain you don't have to deal with your neighbors dressing up like foreigners to somehow trick you into doing something (although that would be quite interesting). But you do make choices every day. God must be a part of these choices because he had made promises to you.
He wants to save you. He wants to be a part of your life. He loves you!
We need to seek his council so he can show us the plans he has for us. He will show us the pitfalls along the way, the roads we shouldn't go down, and the advice we shouldn't heed. All Israel had to do was ask for God's guidance in this matter, and the same is true for us as well.
God wants to be a part of our life decisions. If we aren't sure of where to go, we ought to turn to God. And when we are sure about ourselves and what we decided, we still need to ask God. He sees what we cannot and he always has our best interests in mind.
Next time you are not sure, ask God. Next time you are sure, still ask God.
