Daily Devotion ( January22, 2025)
Joshua 10:5 “Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.”
9:3–27 The Gibeonites devised a plan to protect themselves from annihilation by pretending to be from outside of Canaan. Joshua made a treaty with them without consulting the Lord. When Joshua and the Israelites found they had been deceived, they could not go back on their oath; the Gibeonites were allowed to live, though relegated to permanent servitude. This incident illustrates the force of the oath, and the spoken word, in Israelite culture. It also illustrates the problems that arise when the Lord’s counsel is not sought.
God has a plan and purpose for our lives. Do we consult God about His plan for our lives? This is a very important question! In Jeremiah 29:11 we are told, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God had a plan and future for the Israelites. Joshua did not consult God! Joshua violated God’s command. The Gibeonites’ brought into the Israelite nation a different social and cultural influence. The worst part was a different spiritual influence. The purity of Israels relationship was being compromised.
How true this is in our lives today. Who or what do we allow to come into our lives and compromise our relationship with God?
Our youth and even the elderly need to hear this. The old preacher was correct. Pray about who God wants you to date. Pray about who God wants you to have social interaction with. Pray who God wants you to marry.
America is falling because we have taken our eyes off God. God knows the plan He has for us. God’s plan of His prosperity. Not the plans of man. Pray for our leaders not to just speak the words but to live the words of God. Individually we must seek God’s will and purpose for our lives.