On the heels of their victories at Jericho and Ai, one might
expect Joshua and the Jews to have been extremely cautious on their next
encounter with the locals; to consult God carefully about their decisions.
Surely the events surrounding those two conquests were enough to show them that
they needed God's wisdom, direction and power, right? And, wisdom was
specifically what the nation needed when they came into contact with the
inhabitants of Gibeon. But, regrettably, they didn't seek God's face for a
healthy dose of discernment.
"If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids
not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). What would it mean if God
were to "upbraid" us? The word translated "upbraid" in James 1:5 is translated "reproach, revile, cast in his teeth and suffer reproach" elsewhere
in the Authorized Version. That is, James 1:5 says that God won't
"disgrace, embarrass, scold, rebuke or criticize" those of us who
come to Him admitting that we don't know what to do and that we want His help.
God is willing to give us a measure of what He gave to Solomon. So if we ever
act in a foolish, naive or gullible manner, it is our own fault.
The people of Gibeon were wise in their own way (Luke 16:8).
They saw that they were doomed and so they looked for a way to make peace (Luke
14:31 & 32). They were wily and
creative, and it worked.
They pretended to be from a faraway place when they were
actually nearby. The quandary is that God had told Joshua not to make treaties
with the people of the land, but instead to exterminate them. So, this was a
problem. God said as much in the record in verse 14: "The men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the
mouth of the LORD."
No comments:
Post a Comment