Seeking the Lord When Certain
Seeking the Lord When Certain
Daily Reflection: Joshua 9:12-15 — 1/5/2024
“Here is our bread; it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey, on the day we set out to come to you, but now, see, it is dry and moldy; these wineskins were new when we filled them, and see, they are burst; and these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” So the leaders partook of their provisions, and did not ask direction from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.” — Joshua 9:12-15
As the Israelites were taking the land God promised them, they were told to “drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you…” because if they didn’t, the inhabitants would “become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live” (from Numbers 33).
After they had experienced victory over Jericho and Ai, word spread that God was with them and surrounding nations trembled. So the neighboring Gibeonites plotted to create a treaty with Israel. They pretended to have journeyed from a faraway land by presenting worn clothes and old bread as proof. Upon seeing this proof, the leaders of Israel agreed to a treaty with them. They didn’t inquire of the Lord but leaned on their understanding. In doing so, they disobeyed God.
It is easy to turn to the Lord when uncertainties abound. In those times, Psalm 18:6 rises from our soul like a torch in the night: “In my distress, I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”
But when problems seem solvable, and we are certain that we are doing what is right, that’s when we scarcely even think of God.
It’s not that God is like a celestial AskJeeves (if you remember what that was), wanting to weigh in on everything we do. Rather, he wants to be in a relationship with us. So, as Israel was listening to the Gibeonite representatives, they undoubtedly went around the circle of leaders for their thoughts on the matter. Does it not stand to reason that they could’ve said, “What do you think, Lord?”
St. Teresa of Avila was correct when she said, “You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.” But you reveal the depths of the relationship when you include him in the small things, too.
Once during a church service, in a segment called Joys and Concerns, wherein people would stand and offer prayer requests or share praise reports, one man stood and offered a prayer request for divine intervention for terrorism in Nigeria. After him, a lady stood and asked for God’s help as her family was visiting for the holidays, and she had a lot of cooking to get done.
The consecutive nature of the requests made the lady seem like she didn’t take faith seriously, whereas the first man did. Upon deeper reflection, this scene reveals the alarming truth that the God who can intervene on the world’s stage can also intervene in family gatherings.
The point is that we should include him in all things. This does not remove human initiative or responsibility, but it should encourage us to have a more fatherly view of God. Children have their parents weigh in on things great and small; that is how we are invited to be in relation to God. Most often than not, God will want us to do what we think is best and assure us of his presence as we do so. But because of our practiced consideration of him, our relationship would’ve reached depths known by few in human history.
Almighty God, we hear from the wise author of Proverbs that we should “Trust you with all our hearts and lean not on our understanding. In all our ways acknowledge you, trusting that you will make our paths straight.” And yet, often times the ways we choose to bring you into are those that are beyond our capacity. Forgive us, we pray. Teach us to value you, not as a wise benefactor, but as a Father that desires to be with us. Not that we might be saved from error, but that we may have a deep and ever-increasing relationship with you. This is what Jesus came to accomplish, so we offer this prayer in his name. Amen.
