Read Joshua 9
Have you ever made a rash decision and regretted it? I know I have. That is what Joshua and the princes did in this story. Joshua had just detroyed Jericho and Ai and were making there way to the little town of Gibeon. The people of Gibeon had heard of all God was doing through the men of Israel so they decided to trick them. They dressed in worn out close and took food that was stale and moldy and went to meet Joshua. They lied and said they were from a city far, far away and had heard of their fame and their God. They asked to make a league with Joshua. This meant that they would not kill them or their people. Since Joshua thought they were from a long way away, he knew they were not from the land God had given him. He forgot to ask God about it. Instead, he got carried away in their compliments and made a pact with them. Three days later, he found out he had made a pact with neighboring towns and now he was bound by his agreement not to kill them. Now, what would he do? God told him to take these towns and kill the inhabitants. So he had to compromise God's perfect will and come up with something that would please God and his promise. He decided to let them live, but make them slaves. They were from 4 towns whose names meant; hills, villages, wells, and forests. Vs. 23: As their slaves, they were cursed and had to be hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God. I find it interesting that they probably had to hew wood from their forests and draw water from their wells.
I know that in every battle in the OT we can learn how to fight spiritual battles in our NT lives. Maybe we made an irreversable mistake, but like Joshua, we can sstill find a way to curse our enemy. We can demand he serve us in the very thing he tripped us up in. Example: we have a child out of wedlock (not married). We can pray that that child grow up to serve God with all his might and do the devil much harm. We turn his curse back on him. Maybe he has robbed you of peace in your family. So you determine that your family will serve God and be peacemakers. God says in Joel 2:25 that he will restore back to us the years that the locust and cankerworm have eaten. In other words, we demand back the things Satan has robbed from us. Joel goes on to say that we will eat and be satisfied, and praise the Lord because he has dealt wondrously with us and that we will never be ashamed. All these things come for those who pray and wait patiently upon the Lord.
Lord, we ask you to forgive us for jumping ahead of you when we make decisions and don't even think to ask your wisdom. But, thank you for your forgiveness and that when we do act rashly, you make a way of escape for us. You always have a plan to deliver us from ourselves and the devil. Let us be offensive toward the devil and turn his curses back on him. Remind us that because of Jesus, we are the "head" and not the "tail", even when we act like one.
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