A LITTLE TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

This passage unveils a tragic story of deception. It examines in detail the process of the enemy’s deception and the end result of such:

1. The Deception Prepared – v 3-5
2. The Deception Proposed – v6-8
3. The Deception Performed – v9-13
4. The Deception Productive – v14-15
5. The Deception Publicized – v16-17
6. The Deception Punished – v20-21

Last week we saw the Deceptiveness of the enemy (1-3) Joshua 9:1-13, today we are focusing on the Destructiveness of the enemy – Joshua 9:14-21.

Three levels of Destruction can be clearly deduced from the passage:

1. Their Ability To See Was Destroyed – Joshua 9:14

Notice that in verse 7, Joshua initially was a little skeptical of these so-called ambassadors. He questioned them about their origin again in verse 8. Joshua is to get commended for his caution, but he gave up just a little too soon! When the Gibeonites showed him their clothes, food, and the broken wineskins, Joshua was more than impressed, and he believed their story!

Q1: According to Joshua 9:4-9, how were the Gibeonites able to convince Joshua and the Princes to come into league with them?

If the Lord has done anything for His children, He has given us a perfect Book and powerful Spirit. These two gifts give us a distinct advantage when it comes to fighting the devil! Using the Bible and the inner leading of the Spirit of God, we can do what 1 Pet. 5:8 says, and we can be “sober and vigilant.” These words carry the idea of being in control of ourselves and of being watchful. You do not have to fall for everything the devil tells you! He is a liar and the father of it, John 8:44. Hey folks, we do not have to fall into his traps! Thank God, we can walk in victory over the devil if we are sober and vigilant!

Q2: According to Ps 119:105 and John 16:13, what provision has God made for Spiritual Guidance?

Q3: What is the principal requirement in order to receive Spiritual guidance from God – Romans 8:14

When your spiritual vision gets dim through neglect of God’s Word and prayer, you are very susceptible to the enemy’s tricks and traps. It is impossible to have the victory over him when we neglect the very things designed to make us strong! The Bible tells us in Eph. 4:27 that we are not to give “place” to the devil in our lives. If we offer the devil room in our lives to attack us, you can count on the fact that he will! We must always be on guard to avoid his attacks. Don’t even let him have so much as a foot in the door!

• Their Ability To Seek Counsel Was Destroyed – Joshua 9:14

Notice that Israel ate with the Gibeonites and did not even take the matter to the Lord in prayer. To break bread with someone in that day was considered to be a sign of unalterable friendship. But what they believed to be the right thing to do turned into a problem because they did not take the time to take the matter to the Lord in prayer first, and neither did they take the time to wait on His answer. As a result, they stepped out of the will of God and had to suffer the consequences!

Q4: What was the principal mistake made by Joshua and the princes?

Q5: State other instances when the children of Israel made catastrophic decisions without first seeking the counsel of God?

How many times has this been true in your life and mine? We look at what the devil has to offer us, and we join up with him without even seeking the Lord’s will in the matter. At other times, we stack the deck in our favor, so the Lord’s attempts to speak to us and change our direction are made to appear like His blessings on our decision. I am encouraging you to be sure that it is the Lord’s voice you listen to and not the devil’s voice or even your own heart! God’s will is that we seek His face and give Him time to provide us with His answer!

Q6: What does the Bible say about waiting on the Lord from the following passages:

1. Ex. 14:13
2. Isa. 40:31,
3. Psalm 27:14

You get the idea! God expects His people to seek His will and wait on His answer!

C. Their Ability To Stay Clean got Destroyed – Joshua 9:15-21

In these verses, we see that the Israelites ability to be God’s separated people got hindered by their decision to make a covenant with the Gibeonites. God had told them to utterly destroy the inhabitants of Canaan and make no covenants with them. Deut 7:2 says, “And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:” However, Israel disobeyed this command, and as a result, they sinned before the Lord.

Before we judge them too harshly, let’s look at ourselves for a minute. How many times have we been guilty of following Satan instead of the Lord? The Word of God tells us what the Lord’s will is for our lives, 2 Cor. 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” Yet, all too often, we will allow the flesh, the word, and the devil distract us and
 defeat us.

If you let him, the devil will get you into such a shape that the Lord cannot bless and use you at all! I can think of many, many individuals who listened to the devil’s siren song and found themselves castaways, as far as the Lord’s work is concerned. Maybe you don’t think that can happen in your life. Just ask David, the sweet singer of Israel, the man after God’s own heart, what the devil can do to your life. You follow the devil, and you, like David, might find yourself in a place of prayer, begging God to restore the joy of your heart and life, Psa. 51:12. Don’t let that happen in your life! Our enemy is very deceptive and disruptive, and given the chance, he will defeat and destroy your life. The good news is this: Our enemy may be misleading and disruptive, but he can be defeated!