The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Joshua 9:24-25,
"Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you."
These Gibeonites knew that the one true God had slated them for annihilation. Wisely, they considered their options and chose a ruse: they would trick the Israelites into a treaty and thereby escape certain destruction. Although it resulted in servitude to Israel, it certainly was better than being totally destroyed, being put to death.
As I read the account this morning, I am drawn to what the mindset of the Gibeonites must have been as they considered their options. They could see the destruction God had brought about through the Israelites to her neighbors and knew very well they were in the cross-hairs. There was simply no escape.
What does it feel like to know you face certain death? The deaths of your family members and friends, all you know? It brings to my mind the folks who showed up for work at the twin towers in New York on September 11, 2001. They got up that morning, got ready for the day, made their commute into town and arrived at work. Suddenly, in moments, they were faced with a horrible choice. Knowing they were going to die, should they leap hundreds of feet to their deaths or burn alive in the building? What a horrible circumstance! The excruciating mindset of those condemned to die!
Yet, that is the very reality of all life. We are all condemned to die. It is God's judgment for our sins. We are brought into an existence that is governed by sin and rebellion against God, and we all face the certainty of God's judgment for the sin we are born into and participate in. Not only are we all slated to die physical deaths, there awaits us a fiery lake of burning sulfur for an eternity of torment. A horrible state of affairs!
But God, in his great love for us has provided escape! He has made a way for us. Although we are all destined to die, we have all been invited to his kingdom that we might escape that eternity of torment. Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and has become our way to eternal blessings at the hand of God! The way is through faith. He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In that passage Jesus spoke the words, "Believe me", "believe in the evidence", "anyone who has faith in me", John 14:6-12. And, as he said to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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