When God called the children of Israel to drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land, they did so with varying degrees of success. They were told not to make leagues (alliances) with the people of the land but to destroy all who opposed them. The Gibeonites, hearing of the Israelite advance, out of fear of their great God disguised themselves as distant foreigners. Joshua and the elders were flattered and pleased by the proposal and made an alliance with them - without seeking guidance from God. Their neglect of seeking God caused them to ignorantly sin by doing exactly what God forbade them to do.
Whilst the failure with the Gibeonites is commonly known, I came across an interesting passage which had a similar outcome. The house of Joseph went up against Bethel (formerly called Luz) and the spies struggled to find the hidden entrance to the city. Judges 1:24-25 reads, "And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy." 25 So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go." The men of the house of Joseph did not seek the LORD but asked for the help of a man who departed the city. They promised to show him mercy and were true to their word.
I was surprised when I read Judges 1:26: "And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day." The ancient city of Luz was later called Bethel by Jacob, meaning the "house of God." The single man and his family to whom was extended mercy went to the land of Hittites and established a new city called "Luz," a city named after the ancient one. The name "Luz" means "as growing there." The slackness of the house of Joseph to obey God to eradicate the inhabitants of the land led to Luz being rebuilt and fortified in the land of the Hittites, a people hostile to God and His people. Disobedience to God causes problems to grow in our lives which will impact us and others.
This made me consider how important it is for us to seek God and heed His Word. It seemed a little thing to show mercy to one God had deemed under judgment, but see the fruit of their negligence! Like a single cancer cell can grow and spread throughout the body, a little disobedience and slackness will certainly lead to a future threat upon our spiritual and physical well-being. There is no mention in the book of Judges of the house of Joseph doing what was commanded by God in Deuteronomy 20:10-11: "When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. 11 And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you." They showed mercy to a man who had no intention of agreeing to conditions of peace, and future generations faced hardened enemies and strongholds because of it.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Our God is a merciful God, but let us not be merciful to corrupting influences in our lives. Should we do what is right in our eyes, we will later reap what we have sown and increased problems down the road - in some cases literally.
Whilst the failure with the Gibeonites is commonly known, I came across an interesting passage which had a similar outcome. The house of Joseph went up against Bethel (formerly called Luz) and the spies struggled to find the hidden entrance to the city. Judges 1:24-25 reads, "And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy." 25 So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go." The men of the house of Joseph did not seek the LORD but asked for the help of a man who departed the city. They promised to show him mercy and were true to their word.
I was surprised when I read Judges 1:26: "And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day." The ancient city of Luz was later called Bethel by Jacob, meaning the "house of God." The single man and his family to whom was extended mercy went to the land of Hittites and established a new city called "Luz," a city named after the ancient one. The name "Luz" means "as growing there." The slackness of the house of Joseph to obey God to eradicate the inhabitants of the land led to Luz being rebuilt and fortified in the land of the Hittites, a people hostile to God and His people. Disobedience to God causes problems to grow in our lives which will impact us and others.
This made me consider how important it is for us to seek God and heed His Word. It seemed a little thing to show mercy to one God had deemed under judgment, but see the fruit of their negligence! Like a single cancer cell can grow and spread throughout the body, a little disobedience and slackness will certainly lead to a future threat upon our spiritual and physical well-being. There is no mention in the book of Judges of the house of Joseph doing what was commanded by God in Deuteronomy 20:10-11: "When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. 11 And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you." They showed mercy to a man who had no intention of agreeing to conditions of peace, and future generations faced hardened enemies and strongholds because of it.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Our God is a merciful God, but let us not be merciful to corrupting influences in our lives. Should we do what is right in our eyes, we will later reap what we have sown and increased problems down the road - in some cases literally.
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