Today we begin Joshua Chapter 9.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here.
For the King James version, click here.
Joshua Chapter 9 tells us about an encounter the Hebrews had with a group of people called the Gibeonites.
Their relationship would not be a positive one.
Why?
Because from the outset, it was based on a fishy foundation of lies, sin and deceit.
Pay close attention to what we’re about to study in this chapter because it is a solemn warning to not be taken in by the cunning deception and temptations the world will throw at us.
It’s also a warning to not compromise our values and faith just for the sake of attaining peace or obeying some worldly standard of morality outside of God’s Word (like what the UN promotes for example).
This is a lesson I feel the modern state of Israel has yet to fully learn as they’re always trying to broker peace deals with nations whose only goal is the utter extermination of the Jewish people.
I mean why try to negotiate peace with people who have already sworn to kill you and have demonstrated their intentions through actions such as by sending suicide bombers into Israel or launching rockets towards the Jewish state?
I think you’ll find the Book of Joshua to be especially applicable to the hotbed political issues modern Israel is facing today.
But having said that, keep in mind that God’s Law in and of itself is just mere theory until put into practice.
It’s a divine blueprint of the Lord’s ideal will for our lives but like any blueprint it means nothing unless executed.
At the end of the day, it’s up to us to take the principles of God’s Word and apply it to our lives regardless of cultural background, unbelieving family members or whatever difficulties or roadblocks we may be up against.
How to properly apply the Torah to our lives is the challenge every believer faces whether Jew or Gentile or whether living in the Holy Land or not.
It’s a challenge for us today and it was a challenge for the ancient Israelites when they encountered the Gibeonites.
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