Joshua 9:7, 14 7 The Israelites said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty with you?” 14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.
Sometimes we need to listen to our first impression, our gut reaction, our immediate response. And I read some recent studies that show just how accurate our first impressions usually are. Our bodies can pick up on things our minds don’t even know about yet. Those gut feelings are real. They are part of the way God made us.
The Israelites have won their first fight, or should I say the LORD won the battle. After all, the Israelites just learned how to march in formation. Left, Left, Left Right Left.
So the third group they meet know they are going to die if they don’t trick the Israelites into signing a treaty. They know they don’t stand a chance, so they come up with a plan. They have heard what the LORD has done to the other peoples who got in the LORD’s way and they don’t want to end up like them.
And the plan works. The Israelites fall for the ruse. They sign the treaty. But they made a terrible mistake. They didn’t ask the LORD for His advice!
There is something to be said for those who just step out on their own, explore and conquer, and all that stuff. But not at the expense of disobedience to the LORD.
So often our prayer life is one of 911 calls to heaven. We get ourselves in trouble and we pick up the prayer phone and call home. “Help!”
The right thing to do would be to pray and obey. Or obey and pray. The LORD wants us to interact with Him continuously. He wants us to live lives of connection to Him and to each other.
How connected are you?
The Arnold Journey 