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"Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord's decision. So Joshua established peace with them and made a treaty to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them."
(Joshua 9:14-15, CSB)
In my personal time with the Lord, I have been studying the book of Joshua! If you have not read Joshua in a while, I would encourage you to read it, because it has some AMAZING God stories and impactful passages. It contains a lot of great truths to cling to, like being strong and courageous. There are great stories to read in it, like the Israelites crossing the Jordan, the battle of Jericho, and the battle of Ai. This book also features some defeats that we can learn from. Today's devotional is about a lesson we can learn from Joshua himself: seek the Lord's decision.
In Joshua chapter 9, there is this interesting story about Joshua, the nation of Israel, and the inhabitants of Gibeon. Up until this point in the book, the nation of Israel, under Joshua's command, has crossed the Jordan, defeated Jericho, defeated Ai, and recommitted itself to the Law. There have been some bad things that have happened (e.g. Achan's sin, the first defeat at Ai), but for the most part, things are going really well for Joshua and the nation of Israel. This is where the tables turn and they get tricked by the people of Gibeon. These people recognize the power of Israel and trick Joshua and the nation's leaders into a treaty. The Gibeonites showed up to Israel looking poor and downtrodden, and this tricked the Israelites. The verse of today's devo shows the Israelites ultimate downfall: the men of Israel and Joshua "did not seek the Lord's decision."
What a great warning and great reminder for us as followers of Jesus. May we be people who seek the Lord's decision on all the decisions we make in this life.
What about you? Do you fall into the trap of not seeking the Lord's decision because things are going well and you have seen God do some great things? This is an easy trap to fall into and one where constant humble dependence upon Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God living inside of us is the remedy for us not relying on our human wisdom to make decisions. We need to remember that every good and perfect thing comes from above and that God is the giver of all wisdom. So when we have decisions to make in this life, let us be people who seek the Lord's decision!
Follower of Jesus, seek the Lord's decision!
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