THE NEED TO SEEK GOD’S COUNSEL – Joshua 9:1-27

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on October 30, 2013 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group; October 30, 2013

Joshua 9:1-27

Theme: We bring great trouble on ourselves when we act without first seeking God’s counsel.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

Beginning a presentation with a quote from Webster’s Dictionary isn’t typically considered very creative. But in this case, please permit an exception. Webster’s defines the verb ‘presume’ as: "to take upon oneself without leave, authority or warrant; to undertake in rash defiance, in overconfidence, or in vain hope . . ." To act ‘presumptuously’ is a prideful and reckless thing to do; and it usually leads to great regret. This is particularly true for the believer.

We have been made by God to walk in a dependent relationship with Him through His Son—our Lord and Master—Jesus Christ. In Jeremiah 10:23, the prophet says, "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." In fact, it’s a key characteristic of true godliness that we seek to walk according to His wisdom and guidance. As Psalm 1 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" Psalm 1:1-2). King David—who wrote those words—is a great example of the importance of this. Some of his greatest moments of victory were brought about because he paused to seek the counsel of the Lord (see 1 Samuel 23:1-13; 30:7-9). But some of his most notable failures occurred because he ran ahead without inquiring first of God (see 1 Chronicles 13:1-12; 15:12-13; 2 Samuel 24:1-10).

It’s God’s desire that we walk before Him in an uninterrupted experience of victory through Christ. But one of the surest ways to interrupt that victory—and bring great harm upon ourselves as a result—is to run ahead of God ‘presumptuously’; not stopping to inquire of Him through prayer and through examining His instructions in His word. That’s the lesson that Joshua 9 painfully teaches us.

I. THE DECEPTION THAT CAME UPON THE PEOPLE ISRAEL (vv. 1-6).

A. This deception came after the victory at Ai. And that victory was preceded by a failure after another victory at Jericho. Back then, we learned that one of our most dangerous and vulnerable moments comes after a great victory—and now we see it again. After the victory at Ai, the kings on the west side of the Jordan—"the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard about it", and "gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord" (vv. 1-2). God’s victory to the people of Israel was sure and certain. But it was no time to become self-confident. A reliance on God is always necessary; but a determination to be true to that reliance is even more necessary when the victory seems so sure and certain!

B. We’re told that the inhabitants of Gibeon—a region not far from Ai—took a different tactic than the other kings. We’re told that they worked "craftily"; and pretended to be ambassadors from a far country—that is, they pretended to be a people group from a land that God had not promised to give to Israel. They disguised themselves in such a way as to appear to have made themselves destitute by a long journey—saying "We have come from a far country; now therefore make a covenant with us" (v. 6).

C. It’s interesting that they came to make a ‘covenant’ with God’s chosen people. They knew that, because they were God’s people, they would keep the covenant that was made. This is somewhat like the trap that the enemies of Daniel had set for him. They knew him to be a man of integrity; and so they said, "Well shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God" (Daniel 6:5). They knew that if they made prayer to God illegal, they would have cause against Daniel—knowing that he would pray. Likewise the Gibeonites knew that they could trap the people of God if they trapped them into a covenant. Satan is clever; and if he can’t tempt us into doing wrong, he will seek to bind us to a harmful and burdensome obligation through what is right. We make it very easy for him to do this when we don’t consult with God in the decisions of life!

II THE FAILURE OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO CONSULT WITH GOD (vv. 7-15).

A. It’s interesting to note that the Israelites were suspicions from the very beginning. The men of Israel said, "Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?" (v. 7). The Bible tells us that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to resist. He provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13); and so often, that way of escape comes through a sense that something is not right. The suspicions on the part of the men of Israel should have been a clue that it was time to consult with God. But instead of turning to God, Joshua and the leaders gave priority to their own powers of judgment, and interrogated the Gibeonites further (vv. 8-13). The men of Gibeon said nothing about the victories of Jericho and Ai. That would have given them away! We’re told in verse 14 that "the men of Israel took some of their provisions"—looking them over and making a judgment call on the basis of what they saw. That, in itself, was not wrong. But error came about through what we’re told in the second half of verse 14—"but they did not ask counsel of the Lord."

B. If they had only asked! We already know that God was fully prepared to tell them what they needed to know. We saw that this was so through the way that He guided them in the case of Achin in Joshua 7. After they prayed and humbled themselves before God, God told them what they needed to do; and He surely would have done the same here. How sad it is that we don’t learn from the lessons of God’s faithfulness and help to us in the past! God wants to lead us—and will, if we ask. In Isaiah 30:19-21, we’re told, "For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." The apostle James wrote, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). But we so rarely avail ourselves to God’s promise of guidance. "So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them" (v. 15).

III. THE TROUBLES THAT CAME UPON ISRAEL AS A RESULT (vv. 16-27).

A. It only took three days before the deception was revealed (v. 16). But by then, it was too late. And when the people of Israel came to the cities of the Gibeonites—and discovered that they were from the land that God was giving them—there was nothing they could do about it (v. 17). The children of Israel could not attack them or take their cities. The people complained; but the leaders said, "We have sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them" (v. 19). They had bound themselves to the Gibeonites; and now they must keep their word. Later on in the history of Israel, this covenant was violated by a very foolish and presumptuous king—King Saul. A famine came upon the land in David’s day; and when he inquired into the matter before the Lord, the Lord told him, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibionites" (2 Samuel 21:1). In other words, God held the people of Israel to this covenant—even though it had been made foolishly and without having consulted with Him.

B. Joshua and the leaders decided that they would let the Gibeonites live among them—but only as woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation of Israel (vv. 20-21). The people of Gibeon agreed to this; saying, "Because your servants were clearly told that the Lord your 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 very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us" (vv. 24-25). And so they did (vv. 26-27). But the problems were far from over. As we’ll see in Chapter 10, the covenant that the people of Israel made only brought more troubles—and all because they didn’t consult first with God.

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Proverbs 3:5 warns, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding . . ." May God help us to make it our habit of life to always consult with Him first!