Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The One Thing You Desperately Need | Historical Books | Joshua 9

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. What's the main thing you need more of in your life? That's a hard question to answer, isn't it? I mean, I need lots of things. Maybe when you ask yourself what you need more of, you'd say, I need more vacation time, or I need a better job or a better boss or a more understanding spouse or better behaved kids.

Starting point is 00:00:30 I don't know what's on your list. But high on my list of things that I should want more of, like things I really need, but I don't often recognize how much I need it. And I think you're going to agree that you need this too. But it's wisdom. Like you can Google information. You can go to the internet and get knowledge, but you can't Google wisdom. We're told that we live in the knowledge economy. We're told that we live in the information age.

Starting point is 00:00:57 But no one ever says we live in the age of wisdom. Wisdom is rare. But maybe you need wisdom navigating difficult relationships. Or maybe you need wisdom deciding if you should change jobs. Or maybe you need wisdom in whether to trust a friend who's betrayed you. Or maybe you need wisdom to make an investment. I know this. Every parent needs wisdom when it comes to raising their children.

Starting point is 00:01:19 So you probably agree with me that we all need wisdom to live our life. Since we all need wisdom, I wonder why we don't ask God for it more than we do. My guess is it's because we think we can handle most things on our own. we ask God for wisdom for the big things but not the everyday things. Let me give you an example. Let's say that you had cancer and they offered you two different treatments. I bet you'd pray for wisdom before you made the choice of which treatment you'd receive. If one of your teenagers got into serious trouble at school and you had to talk with the principal,

Starting point is 00:01:51 you'd probably ask God for wisdom before you had that conversation. But in the mundane things in life, the everyday things, we did not to ask God for wisdom. Well, in Joshua 9, we find a story of what happens when we don't ask God for wisdom and try to do life on our own. The chapter opens by telling us that when the kings of the surrounding nations heard about Israel's military victories, they planned to wage war against Israel. We pick it up in Joshua 9, verse 3. However, when the people of Gibbon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and I, they resorted to a ruse. They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals in their feet and wore old clothes.

Starting point is 00:02:36 All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp and said to him and the Israelites, we have come from a distant country, make a treaty with us. So what's happening here? Why are the Ghibionites who lived only six miles northwest of Jerusalem trying to trick the Israelites into thinking they live a long way away? Well, the Ghibionites knew that God forbade Israel for making treaties with the people living in Canaan, or what we call the promised land, but they were allowed to make treaties with people who live far away. That's why they dress in a way that makes Israel believe they've traveled a great distance to get to them.

Starting point is 00:03:14 Remember back in the days of COVID when the vaccine was released and there was a lot of people who were trying to cut the line so they could get early access to it? Well, when the vaccine was first released, Florida only allowed people 65 and older to get it because they were believed to be the most vulnerable. two women aged 34 and 44 disguised themselves as elderly grandmothers by wearing bonnets and gloves and glasses to try to get the shot early

Starting point is 00:03:36 and it worked I mean they got the first dose without being caught but then it didn't work when they tried to get the second dose they got caught cheating the system it's similar to what the Gibeonites are doing they're dressing up to disguise themselves to gain a personal advantage

Starting point is 00:03:52 but not only do they dress up they also deceive they lie when the Israelites asked where they came from, the Ghibeunites answers, picking up in verse 9, Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him, all that he did in Egypt, all that he did to the two kings of the Amarites east of the Jordan. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, take provisions for your journey, go and meet them and say to them, we are your servants, make a treaty with us. This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you,

Starting point is 00:04:29 but now see how dry and moldy it is, and these wine skins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are, and our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey. So the Gibbyanites put on quite a show. They put on their old shoes and their old clothes and they carried moldy bread, and they tell everyone how much they've heard about God and how much they really want to serve and follow him. Now, it's very difficult, at least at the beginning, to tell the difference between, true faith and flattery. It's difficult to tell the difference between, say, the faith of Rahab that we've been hearing about in Joshua 2 and Joshua 6, and the flattery of the Ghibionites

Starting point is 00:05:06 were confronted with in chapter 9. Both sound spiritual. Now, in our life, we need to know that over time, a person's heart is always revealed. That's true whether it's our heart or someone else's heart. True faith always leads to greater obedience and a desire to please and honor God. and false flattery always leads to living for our own self-centered agenda. But Joshua and the Israelites don't have time on their side. The Gibeonites have come and they have presented themselves as people who live far away and now the Israelites have to respond in the moment. So what will Joshua and Israel decide to do?

Starting point is 00:05:45 Will they go on the evidence of what they see and what they hear, what their senses and logical deduction tell them? Or will they follow what the law given to most, Moses prescribed. Because see, in the book of numbers, it gives a very specific set of instructions about what Joshua is to do when he comes on a situation that is not recorded in the book of law. And what it tells him to do is to go to the priest who will tell him the will of God, what God says in any particular situation. That is where the authoritative direction is to come from. But listen to verse 14 of Joshua 9. It is the sad reality. And it constitutes kind of the

Starting point is 00:06:24 the turning point of the story. Here's verse 14. The Israelites sampled their provisions, but did not inquire of the Lord. So the Israelites, they tested the Ghibionites food to see if it was fresh or stale, but they didn't ask God for wisdom. To paraphrase, Proverbs 3.5, they didn't trust in the Lord, but instead relied on their own understanding. They should have inquired of the Lord through the priest, but they didn't. Yahweh's direction, Yahweh's wisdom was available but it was ignored. James 1.5 says, if any of you lacks wisdom,

Starting point is 00:06:59 you should ask God, who gives generously to all, without finding fault, and it will be given to you. What area do you lack wisdom in? What area of your life do you need God's wisdom to guide you? Ask him. He wants to give it to you.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The One Thing You Desperately Need | Historical Books | Joshua 9

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