Have You Asked God?

“So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord” (Joshua 9:14).

God had been very clear about how Israel was to deal with the pagan influences they would encounter when they entered the Promised Land (Exodus 23:32-33; 34:12-16; Numbers 33:52-56; Deuteronomy 7:1-6, 16-18, 25-26; 20:16-17). With God’s help and guidance, the Israelites experienced a convincing victory at Jericho. After some costly lessons, the same results were achieved at Ai. As one would expect, news about the conquering Israelite forces traveled fast among the Canaanites. Most began to combine their armies in hopes of surviving. One group, the Gibeonites, decided to employ a more devious defense. They sent emissaries to Joshua who were cleverly disguised as travelers from a distant land and asked to make a peace treaty with Israel. God’s people were initially skeptical, but the Gibeonites played their ruse to the hilt. The Israelites examined all the evidence at their disposal and fell for the trick. One critical step was left out of their deliberations – they forgot to include God as a part of the process!

We all make decisions every day. How shall I spend my money? Whom shall I marry? Which job should I take? Where should I live? How should I raise my children? On and on the list goes. And we live in a time when we have a seemingly unlimited amount of information available to help us make our decisions. At the click of a mouse, we can instantly have more than we care to read on any subject at hand. A trip to the library can provide an armload of books written by well-credentialed experts. The airwaves are full of gurus that claim to have all the knowledge that you will ever need to succeed.

In the face of such an informational onslaught, it is easy to overlook the one Source that is more important that any other. Like the Israelites, we can also fail to “consult the Lord.” And any decision made without God’s input is just asking for trouble.

God loves you!
Mike