I wrote this awhile back but thought it might be a good thing to put up here, the Lord really used this to change my heart so I hope it does the same for others :-)
"Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them".
Many of us (including myself) become lazy in the battle for the promised land, forgetting the promise of the Lord to grant us ALL of the land that He has promised. Now as we tread forward in the pursuit of this conquest, do we assume it will simply come to us as we walk? Do we think there will be no resistance? No testing of our faith and perseverance? Well here's an example of something that will seek to happen in all of our lives.
Joshua knew the Lord's promise to His people, which said "...go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river Euphrates. See, I have placed the land before you; go in and and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers..." (Deut 1:6-8)
So here in Joshua chapter 9, Joshua simply believes the Gibeonites when they lie and say they are from a far away land and makes a covenant with them. The same thing can easily come into our path: things that appear harmless and weak, when in reality they are a hindrance to our conquest in the promised land and we should be conquering, not compromising. The Lord has called us to be sober and watchful, not allowing anything to come into our hearts that He has not given us. In my life I too often take things I see as good and wholeheartedly allow them to take a seat right next to the Lord, if not above Him and His word. It takes alot for God to come and show me that though He brings many blessings, I am to see those as good gifts and worship Him for them, and in those things glorify Him for who He is, not just for what He gives. This places Him on the throne, putting right priority in all of my thoughts and desires.
God did not tell Joshua that he could not spare anyone, but He did say he had to conquer the land and make it free of idolatry. If Joshua would have simply sought out the Lord, asking Him for wisdom and knowledge regarding this covenant I know God would have been faithful to show Joshua the true identity of these "foreign men". And in doing so they still could be spared if they surrendered, submitted, and left their idols.
Don't be fooled by all the good things that may come and seek sanctuary in our lives, but examine them and make sure they are sincere and take a seat below the Lord. But if the mistake is made, don't despair, there is always room for healing and making things right. Here in Joshua we see him make servants of those whom he had made a covenant with, for the sin was not in the covenant, the sin was in the place Gibeon had been given alongside Israel. So Joshua's vow was not nullified, but the sin was fixed and Israel was made right with the Lord. In the end of it all everything was given it's right priority, and I hope the same goes for all of us who may find ourselves giving anything it's improper place in our hearts and in our relationship with the God.
