Obvious Folly

Obvious Folly Joshua 9 Joshua and the leaders of Israel seize an obvious opportunity without seeking the counsel from the LORD. And so they are deceived. This will be a growing pattern for Israel that leads to their destruction. It was a "no brainer". In all our ways we must acknowledge Him, that He might make our path straight. Is it Dad Worthy Kids yell “Dylan isn’t in bed yet!” Why is that your business? Is that like the highest priority thing at the moment? No! Don’t bother me with it. Dylan busting his head open in the basement. Is it Dad worthy? Yes. Is that the highest priority thing at the moment? Yes. Our house phrase is: is someone bleeding or vomiting? That is the level of “care”. Is It Worth a Prayer Request What is the level of severity that merits us taking something to God? We might have this when something happens in our lives. Does it make it onto one of these prayer request cards? Is this prayer request worthy? Didn’t Ask, Won’t Tell Recall epic deception of the Gibeonites. Joshua 9:14-15 14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. The people of Israel made a mistake. They did not seek counsel from the LORD. And it put them in this catch-22, caught between God’s command to destroy the Gibeonites and their new covenant with them. Promised to destroy them. Promised to not destroy them. This caused internal strife. In fact, it led to the “blame game.” Joshua 9:16-18 16 At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them. 17 And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18 But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. The people blame the leaders. Maybe the leaders in turn blame Joshua. And Joshua, we saw last week, when he finds out, he blames back around on the Gibeonites for deceiving them. Who’s fault is it? There is fault to go around. Certainly the Gibeonites are responsible for their deception, but what do you expect from scumbag Canaanites? God, indeed, seems to take this as a first step of faithfulness, they fear the Lord and do what they can to get on his side. God uses this for his grace and glory… But the people of Israel had a responsibility. They had a command even, to “consult” with the Lord. Literally, verse 14, it says they “did not ask the ‘mouth’ of the Lord.” Likely this refers to the official process of consulting with the high priest who would “consult” with God via the mysterious Uman and Thuman Even though God uses it to show grace and for His glory, it doesn’t mean the original decision wasn’t a mistake! This isn’t so much about how we “hear” God’s answer. We hear God’s answer in prayer. We hear God’s answer in circumstances. We read and study God’s answers in His Word. We hear God’s answer through wise counsel from fellow Christians. Sometimes even from Pastors. This is about practicing the question. What category of things do we bring to God’s attention? He isn’t like me. He doesn’t have finite attention, limited patience and other things to do. We bring all things to God. “Hey God, what about this?” We lift up every moment to him, we lift up every question to him. How big a deal does it have to be before we bring God into the loop? On a scale of 1-10?... 0. We bring God into the loop in all things. What will I be when I grow up? God, guide me on this, what about this, what do you think? The big stuff. Should I get the classic or grilled nuggets at Chick-Fil-A? God, guide me on this, what about this, what do you think? It is about practicing the “with God life”. Bringing Him into our lives, into our heart and mind, our thought process, moment by every stinkin’ moment. The Interview The interview on Thursday. The person in the room is not only the one with the answer, they are the one who gave me the problem. And they are the ones who know what I should be focusing on, what aspect of the problem I should be working on. Ultimately, they aren’t trying to stump me: they are testing me and preparing me to be on their team. How much more does our heavenly Father know the answer. How much more does He want us to walk wisely, to choose wisely, and to walk His Kingdom path? Practicing the “Ask” We develop the habit. We practice the habit of “asking” God in the day to day moments of our lives. We “ask” in prayer, seeking His guidance step by step in our lives. We “ask” in reading His Word and holding it up as a light to our lives. God, what do you say about this? What have you said about this? And we “ask” as we seek the counsel of fellow Christians. God loves to speak to us through the wisdom and experiences of one another. This is not a one-time thing. This is not just for the “big” things in life. This is for all the things, in all the ways, for all the times. In all our ways, we acknowledge him. Proverbs 3:5-8 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Not that everything will always go our way. Not that everything will always be easy. He will make straight our paths exactly where our path needs to go. Sometimes it goes right through the valley of the shadow of death. It goes to meet the hungry and the hurting. Not my will but thine be done.