Joshua 9

“Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord’s counsel. 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. Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were neighbors living among them. Joshua 9:14-16 (HCSB)

Let’s once again consider Israel’s deliverance into Canaan as a metaphor for our salvation. The “land” would represent your own body. The “former inhabitants” would be representative of those former fleshly desires that used to drive you down destructive paths.

Once Israel received deliverance, by God’s grace, they were commanded to drive out those former inhabitants. In a similar manner, once we have been delivered through Messiah, we are commanded to drive out the “former self” and its controlling desires.

Israel was doing a pretty good job of it. They had the issue with Achan taking the spoils of war, but they dealt with him. Soon, they were back on the path to victorious dispossession.

Then came the Gibeonites. Israel was so naïve that they fell for a scam that seemed too simple to be a lie! Followers of Jesus, immature in their faith, can do the same thing. Sometimes, older believers display the same immaturities as younger believers!

Satan comes to lie, steal and destroy. He lies to entice you away from the Lord. Once you fall for the lie, he steals your blessing. Set apart from the Lord’s blessing, Satan has effectually destroyed your impact as a believer. Often, he will present a “former inhabitant” in a new light or even try to disguise it as a whole other thing that the Lord would approve of.

Israel’s problem is that they forgot the most important part of their investigation: They didn’t seek the Lord’s counsel.

You may have experienced victories in various areas of morality, but don’t ever believe the lie that says you don’t need to seek the Lord continually. He cares about the smallest details of your life. The only stupid question is the one you didn’t take to the Lord and weigh it against the trustworthiness of His Word.

Consider the verse we teach children and never forget we are children in God’s eyes:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8 (NKJV)