Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - You Made a Mistake, Now What? | The Life of Joshua | 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. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. And I'm Patrick Miller. Right now, we're going through the Book of Joshua. Also, if you want to connect with us, follow us on Twitter at TMBT podcast. You can also check out our hashtag, hashtag, Ask TMBT, where you can ask us anything, and we'd love to connect with you. Today, I want to tell you a story about a time in Joshua's life that was a lot like living in ours, because

Starting point is 00:00:34 it was inspired by God, the Bible is true and relevant for all people and all time, but some stories just really capture us because the things that people were going through don't need cultural or contextual explanation. They just relate and they just make sense because being human has always been challenging. Being human and following God can sometimes be even more challenging if we want to be honest. Here's the basic problem Joshua was facing. How can he keep from turning one big mistake into two? If you have a chance to follow along with us by reading in the book of Joshua, I just highly recommend it. The narration here is really sharp. So today we pick up in Chapter 9, and you're going to hear many territories mentioned, but pay careful attention to the

Starting point is 00:01:12 Gibby Knights. They will rise to be the main characters of our story. From Joshua, Chapter 9. When all the kings heard about Jericho and AI, those who were west of the Jordan in the hill country, in the Judean foothills, and all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, Amirites, Canaanites, Parasites, Hivites, and Jebizites, they formed a unified alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel. When the inhabitants of Gibbon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and AI, they acted deceptively. So you just heard the enemies divided into two groups. You have those who heard about Joshua's victories and formed a really big alliance to fight back. And then you have the Gibbynites who heard about Joshua's victories and came up with a different tactic, deception.

Starting point is 00:01:58 The narrator goes on to tell us how the Gibby Nights went to great lengths to deceive. They baked bread, only to let it become moldy. They pilfered through their belongings to find the oldest and most worn-out wine sacks and the oldest patched sandals for their feet. They found threadbare clothing for their bodies. They basically dug through the yard sale pile to find their worst and oldest things to disguise themselves as poor, bedraggled, travel-weary folks, trekking through the miles and miles of territory to come from.

Starting point is 00:02:28 find the revered Israelites. The problem was, as the narrators clued us in, it was a complete deception. They weren't from a faraway territory at all. They were actually, from inside the territory, God had promised the Israelites. From inside the territory, Joshua was supposed to capture and conquer. But the views works. And the Israelites believed that these people are from far away. So when they were offered some of the provisions to solidify a treaty, this is what the narrator tells us in verse 13. Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord's decision. According to Deuteronomy 20, Israel was not to make a peace treaty with any cities of the lands, but they could make a treaty with a city outside the land.

Starting point is 00:03:13 This was part of God's command to ensure the people adequately stepped into all that he promised to give them. But they didn't know. They didn't consult the Lord, so they didn't know that the Gibbynights were tricking them. It didn't take long. Three days, according to scripture, for Joshua and the people to discover that they had been tricked. That those weary travelers were actually their neighbors and probably back at home already drinking good wine out of fresh wine skin. And the people were hopping mad. They were mad at Joshua and they were mad at themselves. What had they done? They faced with a dilemma. The city of Gibbean is the next stop in taking over a whole swath of enemies. But therein lie the people,

Starting point is 00:03:54 with whom they've just made a peace treaty. So should they go back on their word and destroy them anyway, or should they keep the oath that they made before the Lord? Now the people really grumbled, but the leader said, we have sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. This is how we will treat them. We will let them live so that no wrath will fall on us

Starting point is 00:04:17 because of the oath we swore to them. Then the chapter just concludes, as Joshua and the Gibbonite leaders established the working terms, of the treaty. And the Ghibi knights are made woodcutters and water carriers basically to serve the Israelites in consecration to the Lord. If we keep reading, we don't get to find out right away if this was the right decision. Will this go well for the Israelites? Or have they just further compounded one bad decision? Maybe you and I are in a situation like this as well. And in trying to prevent one bad decision from becoming two, we try to do what's right in the eyes of the Lord, but we still don't

Starting point is 00:04:53 see how it's going to work out. So what truths or one encouragement can we take from the true word of God to help us? This book of Joshua is consistent with the rest of scripture in reminding us about the consistent work of the Holy Spirit. When Joshua realized he was in a pickle because he didn't consult the Lord, he has a new opportunity to honor the Lord. And that's the work of the spirit, shedding light instead of leaving us on autopilot. We also get to watch Joshua wrestle with the consequences of making a mistake. Once we've made a mistake or a poor decision, are we willing to live with that in a way that honors God?

Starting point is 00:05:29 Maybe that means confession or maybe that means restoration. Maybe that means being willing to humbly live with the consequences. But there's never a benefit in scripture of adding sin to sin. Believers are called to work out the consequences in light of the rest of scripture. even when we can't see how that's going to go for us. However, we can always seek to do what's good and just. We can always seek to do what marks and set us apart as the people of God. As I'm writing this, I'm living out the gap between mistake number one and the potential

Starting point is 00:06:02 for mistake number two. It's summer. My kids are home. Already this morning, I've interacted with three out of four of them in a way that's short-sighted, emotionally charged, and a little bit critical. However, I can honestly tell you I was provoked. they are in their own right, being short-sighted, emotionally charged, and I think comparatively more critical than me. It's one of those days where you're like, I need to have a conversation with

Starting point is 00:06:26 your mom because someone has to be to blame for this. So I've already made a couple of threats and I've jostled a few slingers out there and I've gotten myself in a place where I can either keep this up or I can recognize this is not the best way and tell them, I was wrong, I'm sorry. I need Jesus to help me do this better. I'm trying to imagine what temptations you're facing to double down instead of turn around. Are you in a tricky relationship or a sticky financial situation? Or maybe just a confusing or hurtful place where you've made a bad choice and you either get to make another one or turn around and look for how to honor God in this mess. Here's the really, really good news.

Starting point is 00:07:06 No matter what mistake, how big it is and how many people it impacts, it's not beyond the reach of Jesus. You're never in a situation where his sacrifice is not out of God. enough to redeem. You might not know or be able to see the outcome, but taking the next step in faith with him will always be restorative. Do you remember what Jesus said to the thief on the cross close to him the day he was crucified? Did he say, I told you so? Or too little too late? No, when the thief said Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus responded, truly I tell you, Today, you will be with me in paradise. We will not always have situational evidence to know that God affirms our decisions,

Starting point is 00:07:51 but we can have peace, joy, gentleness, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control that affirms we are marked by God. We can know that He loves us when we make mistake number one, two, three, or 74, while simultaneously equipping us and inviting us to come to him before making any mistakes at all. We can know that Jesus never pushes away, but always says, today, you will be with me. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow

Starting point is 00:08:39 spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - You Made a Mistake, Now What? | The Life of Joshua | Joshua 9

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