A Costly, Common Mistake

 We all make mistakes. Some mistakes are not very serious, while others have huge consequences. We should learn when we make mistakes and not commit the same mistake again. Also, we should learn from others, so that we do not make certain mistakes in the first place. In any event we should stop before we speak or act and consider well what we should do and how we should do it.

Joshua and the children of Israel committed a very costly mistake. They were fooled when they acted too quickly to make a treaty with the Gibeonites. (Joshua 9:14) The men of Israel took some of their provisions, but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. As a result, they were fooled into thinking the Gibeonites had come from far away, when they were actually close neighbors. Their mistake caused them to be unable to obey the Lord fully.

We should learn at least two things from this incident. We can always be fooled by "supposed" evidence, because people are very crafty, and we are very fallible. Things are not always the way they appear to be on the surface. We need to stop and do more investigation before the make a decision based on what we see with our eyes. Then, we can prevent costly mistakes.

Also, we should always ask counsel of the Lord before we make any decision. God can and will show us the truth if we stop to pray first. The Holy Spirit is in us to direct us in the right way by speaking to us or by giving us unrest in our heart, so we back away from making a decision. This is why the Bible tells us to "pray without ceasing." We should pray about everything we do all day long, so we allow the Lord to show us the right way.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 10-14.