Thursday, July 9, 2009

Today's Passage: Joshua 9-10

Joshua is probably my favorite book in the Bible. I think he is such a fascinating Old Testament figure. When I look at Joshua and see how great a leader he was I am amazed. He had to follow one of the greatest leaders of all time. Can you imagine stepping into the role of leader after Moses? So when we get to a passage like this in chapter nine, I take comfort.

Joshua leads these people fearlessly. Chapter nine shows us two things that are very important. First, that even the greatest leaders make mistakes and second that not consulting God can lead you down a road that you do not want to go.

When I look at Joshua’s life and all of the things that God accomplished with him at the helm I am amazed. He was in leadership during an awesome time in Israelite history. Even he made mistakes though. When we strive for greatness and we want to be a leader that God can use and that people will follow sometimes we make ourselves believe that perfection is the only way. Joshua gives us an out in chapter nine. Even he makes a mistake by making this treaty. However, he shows his amazing leadership when he sticks to his word and when his people who are following him do not harm the Gibeonites.

The second take away for me relates to Joshua’s blunder, as well. When we take God out of the picture and do not consult with him, we may be in trouble. God still protected the people and still has plans for them, but I think it is very important that in the scripture it is mentioned that they did not inquire of the Lord. God takes care of them and there are not any major repercussions, but scripture did not add in that piece of information for nothing. We must inquire of the Lord and seek Him and His wisdom on decisions. My prayer for us today is that when we are facing decisions and weighing through our options that we would inquire of God and see what He has for us on the subject.