Joshua 9:14-15. “And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. 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.”
A LEAGUE An axis of enemies – come together to make war Usurpers think they are possessors Never considering the eternal God – until now Fear draws ancient enemies to a common purpose All think – and say, the one thing, “Stop God!” “Stop God’s people – Stop God’s purpose!”
An agreement of deceit – pretenders – deceivers “working wilily” An accord of lies – words spoken from fearful men An accommodation of sympathy from lessons not learned Counsel waits for a question – that never came “The Wonderful Counselor” is totally ignored His advice, counsel and commands never asked for.
An association of compromise – lies spoken by one, a poor covenant made by the other “Act in haste, repent in leisure” is more than a catch phrase The consequences of a hasty, unadvised choice have to be lived with It is important to keep integrity, even when a mistake is made A hard lesson to learn: never forget the Lord in decision making His counsel is always the first to seek – before anyone else.
“I fear there have been times, Father, when I have not taken counsel of Thee. Sometimes it has been that I thought the issue unimportant and I could handle it on my own. Other times it has been because I was afraid the answer might not be what I liked. Maybe I am getting more sense now, because I seem to be talking to Thee all the time. Please excuse my babbling at times. It is not in the sense of familiarity but in the sense of openness. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”