King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Monday, March 25, 2024
Chapters: Joshua Chapters 9-11
Message: Seeking Counsel From God
Hello My Friend,
When I was praying last night before I went to sleep I asked God for something that I am guilty of rarely asking Him for, and that was for His counsel. I have asked Him to let me know what direction or path to take, I have asked Him of His will for me many times, but to seek His counsel I lack tremendously. Perhaps that may be the answer to why I am struggling with so much today. You know, every decision we make without seeking God’s counsel before we do it brings some kind of challenge and takes us that much longer to get back in His will, [Proverbs 19:20-21 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. 21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.]
The counsel of the LORD, is receiving instructions and directions from God before we make a decision, the very first thing that we need to do in order to ask God for anything is to get saved. Getting saved means that we have heard the Gospel of Christ, admitted that we were headed for hell because of our sin, but Jesus gave His sinless life on the cross so that we might be saved from that, [Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.]
Then once we get saved, we reading the Bible in order to understand God and His will for our lives. However, receiving counsel from God is more than actually reading His Word, it is praying to Him about it and meditating on the Scriptures, [Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.]
As Joshua and his army start taking out nations, you can imagine that the kings of the surrounding nations were scrambling to figure out what to do to keep them from taking theirs. As we continue in the reading of Joshua, many of these kings got together to come up with some kind of strategy to keep them from taking over their city. However, one tribe, the Gibeonites, decided that it might be best to make peace with Israel, but instead of being truthful to Joshua about who they were they came up with a scheme.
[Joshua 9:1-6 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; 2 That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. 3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, 4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; 5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. 6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.]
[They did work wilily…and made as if they had been ambassadors,] While the men were scheming about who they were at least they had one thing going for them which was probably what saved their lives, they did not join in with any of the others to fight against them. Nevertheless, they were successful at deceiving Joshua.
[Joshua 9:9-11,14-15 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. 11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. 14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. 15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.]
[and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.] Once again they made a decision without seeking counsel from God. Of course, three days later the Israelites found out that they were in fact their neighbors, but by then it was too late.
[Joshua 9:17-20,22-23 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. 18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. 19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. 20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. 22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? 23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.]
[We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel:] We really do need to be careful who we align ourselves with, trust me, even one person can completely derail Christ’s work in us. This is also a great reminder that we cannot trust anyone who says they are of Christ, we need to ask God’s counsel before we even attempt to let them become a part of our lives. Nevertheless, the Gibeonites saw the power of God and instead of fighting with Israel they wanted to become like them, even if that meant that they had to spend the rest of their lives serving them. This is really how we all ought to be the second that we receive Christ as our Saviour, although we are not cursed to serve Christ, we are blessed to have that privilege, [1 Corinthians 7:22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.]
Think about it, did God not already know that the Gibeonites were going to go to Joshua? Of course, He did. While Joshua was wrong in that he did not seek counsel from God on the matter, God did not deny the Gibeonites the opportunity to be saved. God, never denies salvation to anyone who comes to Him willingly, and with a sincere heart. Now, with that said, that alliance actually worked out to their advantage when five kings joined forces to attack the Gibeonites.
[Joshua 10:1-4 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; 2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. 3 Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.]
[for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.] Still today, any nation that supports Israel will face attacks from their enemies, and it is out of pure fear and hatred that they do. Can you imagine what the world would look like if these nations actually humbled themselves to God rather than fight Him? It would be a lot less painful that is for sure, especially if His own people did, [Isaiah 1:18-19 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:]
Up until this point did you notice who was not in the picture? God. This is what freewill does, it allows us to make our own choices, even if it goes against God’s will. However, those who belong to Christ are only able to go so far before God steps in and tells them that they need to start making their decisions with Him. Now, God, would use this union to His advantage in that the Israelites would be one step closer to taking the land. This is when God stepped in and told Joshua to help the Gibeonites.
[Joshua 10:8-10,12-14 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. 9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. 10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. 12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.]
[he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon;] I have never been to Alaska, but would like to go on one of those Alaskan cruises before I leave the earth. It is said that some parts it will remain dark twenty-four hours a day for about sixty-seven days in the winter while in the simmer remain daylight for about eighty days. This was different though, the sun and the moon literally stood still for an entire day so that the Israelites could take on all of them. How amazing is it that no matter how many times we fail God He still fights for us? Not only that, He gives us the strength and courage to fight until the job is done. Those five kings were so scared that they hid themselves in a cave, but that could not save them.
[Joshua 10:17-19,22,24-25 And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah. 18 And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them: 19 And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand. 22 Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave. 24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. 25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.]
[for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.] Does God really put His foot on the necks of our enemies? Again, we may not always make the best decisions, but God knows who are His and everyone that is not saved will lose this fight. Therefore, we are not to fear, only trust that God has a plan. Sometimes we wonder why God does allow us to do things that are not in His will, especially when He does direct our paths, but later on, we will discover that it was in His plan all along, [Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.]
You see, there is nothing that God does not know about well before we make those decisions and while He could and does intervene more than we realize, He allows us to go ahead with our decision for a couple of reasons, one; to remind us that we should have listened to Him in the first place. And two; to renew our fear and dependence on Him. Once the Israelites took these five kings and cities they were sure to seek counsel from God first and with His help they were able to conquest the entire southern section of Canaan.
[Joshua 10:40-42 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded. 41 And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. 42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.]
[because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.] When God fights for us there is no one who can come against us, even Satan has no power on us. This does not mean that he does not try or that he has not oppressed us from time to time, but it does mean that He will see us through, [Romans 8:31,35-37 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.]
Now when the kings from all four corners of Canaan heard what happened to the five kings and their nations being taken by the combined forces of the Israelites and Gibeonites, they too tried to stop them, but this time under the counsel of God, Joshua led his army to take them all.
[Joshua 11:4,6-9 And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many. 6 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire. 7 So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them. 8 And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining. 9 And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.]
[And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him:] This time Joshua was not taking any chances, he sought counsel from God and they did what He told them to do. There is nothing that God will not do for us if we are faithful to Him. He is there for us in every battle, whether it be family, foes, finances, or famines, and He will fight for us, but we must be willing to do what He asks us to do. And God does not ask us to do anything that we are not able to do, [James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.]
Truth be told, it is seldom that our every step is taken in faith and His will, and we are going to make decisions without consulting Him, even major decisions. However, God, can turn any mess into a powerful message, and the message that God was sending with Joshua was that no nation can defeat Israel as long as He was with them. And now we find the sole purpose as to why God allowed the Gibeonites to join a league with Israel.
[Joshua 11:18-20,23 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. 20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.]
[So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said] It took them seven years to take possession of all the land while most of the people were destroyed many still remained but because the Israelites were now in control of the land they feared them. This would cause problems later on, but at this point God had given them rest from war. We can all wonder why God wanted them all destroyed, but the truth is, these were all reprobate nations, if at any point they would have repented, just like the Gibeonites did, He would have saved that nation. Nevertheless, I am sure that He would have saved any individual who repented regardless of what nation they were a part of. How do I know this? God, will save every soul to the uttermost who comes to Him with sincere repentance, [Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Joshua 10:25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercy and grace to save a sinner like me when I put my faith and trust in Your Son as my Saviour. That was the best decision that I ever made, and one that You gladly hearkened to, but I am ashamed to admit that while I have often asked You for guidance, direction and Your will for my life I have not always asked for Your counsel in decisions I made and as a result caused some distress in my life. Thankfully, You came through and used those decisions to Your advantage. Lord, I know the best decisions come when I seek Your counsel, therefore, I am seeking it now. Lead me and guide me, open my ears, eyes, and heart to Your will and in what You would have me to do. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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