The Gibeonites

Portion for Reading Joshua 7-9
Msg: 9

1. The Gibeonites deceived Israelites so that they would disobey God. Satan is the same way, he is a deceiver. We must learn some lessons so that if Satan comes to us, whether as a "serpent" or the "Gibeonites" to lead us to disobedience, we can be aware.

a)How are the Gibeonites' tactics similar to Satan's?

A. Disguise (v.4) Knew that if they pretended to be from far away, they could make a treaty of peace. So they disguised themselves and covered up the truth. Satan also comes to us in disguise, often as an "angel of light."
B.Lies (v.6). The Gibeonites lied about where they were from. That is exactly Satan's language as he is the father of lies

A. Usage of God's Word. The Gibeonites knew the OT commands concerning making treaties with people from distant lands. They played around with the Word of God and used it for their benefit and to deceive the Israelites into disobedience. Satan also plays around with the Word and changes it to cause us to disobey. In Gen 3, he played around with God's own words to cause Eve to eat the fruit. In Matt 4, he tries to tempt Jesus to sin by using the Scripture wrongly.

B. Usage of half-truth. There was a lot of truth, but just enough lie to deceive them. Again, in Gen 3, Satan told Eve that she would be like God in power, but did not tell her that death would result from such knowledge. Attack through senses (v.12-13). Trusted in what they saw and heard (the bread was moldy, the wineskins old) rather than the Word of God. Eve first saw that the fruit looked good, and then put that desire into action. Satan attacks our senses because he knows that we're weak in that area.

b)What mistakes did the Israelites make?

A. They did not inquire of the Lord (v.14). They did not pray and ask Him what to do with the Gibeonites. Even in the seemingly sure situations, we must ask at the door of heaven. Every choice must be bathed in prayer.

B. Did not carefully study God's Word. If they truly knew the Word, they wouldn't have been so quick to be deceived and make commitments they shouldn't have.

C. Did not carefully check facts and misapplied Word of God in wrong context. There can be no compromise in the Word of God, ever. God had told them to destroy all the people they encountered in Canaan, but they compromised this command.

D. Went by feeling rather than what God said. Just because it feels right does not necessarily mean that it is right.

E. Foolishly made commitment (v.14-15). Be careful making commitments. They are not to be taken lightly. If they are made, they are to be kept till death (v.19).

2. We can learn in two ways: the easy or the hard way. The hard way is to experience the mistakes ourselves and learn by pain. The easy way is to learn through the wisdom of God's Word. Experience is a good teacher, but God's Word is the best teacher. What additional wisdom or lessons can you learn from the whole chapter?

A. We must live what we say (v.19). That is what a covenant community is. Even though they were deceived into making a covenant with the Gibeonites, they kept their promise not to attack them. Two wrongs do not make a right. Just like God who keeps His Word, we must reflect Him in the commitments we make and be true to our word.

B. God is a faithful God. 2 Sam 21:1-2- Saul kills some Gibeonites and the Israelites went through three years of famine as a curse because the covenant was broken. God remembered and upheld the covenant made, even years later.

C. Grace of God (v.27).Gibeonites were used to serve near the altar of God. In the situation where they were cursed, they also received blessing because they learned about God and eventually became part of the covenant community. Same as us, we deserved to be cursed and die. But God, in His grace, gives us blessing from curse and saves us and brings us into covenant community.

3. The Gibeonites find salvation in the God of Israel much like Rahab did in Joshua 2.

a. Both Rahab and the Gibeonites came to the God of Israel as sinners, Rahab as a harlot, and the Gibeonites as liars.

b. Both Rahab and the Gibeonites were willing at risk to forsake their former associations and be counted among God’s people.

i. The risk of Gibeon is explained in Joshua 10:4, where they are a target of attack for their dealings with Israel.

c. Both Rahab and the Gibeonites, after they found salvation through the God of Israel, had a rich history.

4. The Gibeonites after Joshua 9.

a. The Gibeonites became servants at the tabernacle, just as Joshua had commanded.

b. Gibeon becomes a priestly city; the Ark of the Covenant stayed at Gibeon often in the days of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 16:39-40 and 21:29).

c. At least one of David’s mighty men was a Gibeonite (1 Chronicles 12:4).

d. God spoke to Solomon at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4).

e. Gibeonites were among those who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:7 and 7:25).

f. These are examples of the great things God can do with people who are sinners, but come to Him in humility and love.

© 2001 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Gilgal Where Your Reproach Rolled Away

"Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you?

What does Reproach means?
*To express disapproval of, criticism of, or disappointment in (someone).
*To bring shame upon; disgrace. Blame; rebuke.
*One that causes rebuke or blame.
*Disgrace; shame.ypt from you."

Gilgal
1.The place in "the plains of Jericho," "in the east border of Jericho," where the Israelites first encamped after crossing the Jordan (Josh. 4:19, 20). Here they kept their first Passover in the land of Canaan (5:10) and renewed the rite of circumcision, and so "rolled away the reproach" of their Egyptian slavery. Here the twelve memorial stones, taken from the bed of the Jordan, were set up; and here also the tabernacle remained till it was removed to Shiloh (18:1). It has been identified with Tell Jiljulieh, about 5 miles from Jordan.

2.A place, probably in the hill country of Ephraim, where there was a school of the prophets (2 Kings 4:38), and whence Elijah and Elisha, who resided here, "went down" to Bethel (2:1,2). It is mentioned also in Deut. 11:30. It is now known as Jiljilia, a place 8 miles north of Bethel

The effect: God rolls away their reproach.

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.

a. This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you: What reproach? What dishonor? Their shame from Egypt, the shame of their degrading slavery. God called Israel to a place where they saw themselves as they were in Him. By faith, they could see themselves as an obedient, trusting people, and to stop seeing themselves as they were in their slavery and bondage.

b.Of course, this is the same work God wants to do in us, taking away the dishonor and shame of our previous sin and rebellion, and seeing ourselves as who we are in Jesus. How was the reproach rolled away? By their radical trust and obedience to God, by taking the specific action He told them to.

Rolled away rolled away every burden of my heart rolled away.

I Will Give You Every Place Wherever You Set Your Foot

Wherever You Set Your Foot (1:3-4)
I've always been fascinated by God's promise in Joshua 1:3: "I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses." God recalls to Joshua's mind the general promise that Moses had announced to the whole people in Deuteronomy 11:24: "Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea."

What does this mean? It means that where Joshua and the people actually went, physically, God would give it to them. We see the promise fulfilled in Joshua where the people won battle after battle in campaigns in both the south and north of Palestine. Where they actually went, God gave them the land. But where they didn't go, the Canaanites continued to hide out and harass them.

Caleb remembered this promise, too, when he got ready to attack the fortified city of Hebron at the age of 85: "So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly'" (Joshua 14:9, citing Moses' promise in Deuteronomy 1:36).

I think this principle also applies in other realms of our life. We want everything brought to us on a silver platter, but God tells us to go and claim it personally. We have to go out to get it, and then God will give it to us. Spiritually, we want to grow. How will we do that? Passively? No, by believing the promises of God and desiring to see their fulfillment in our own lives. That desire will help us press through in faith and prayer, and actually grow in the Lord. He will give it to us, but we need to find a way to actually follow him there.

God outlines the physical territory which he is giving to Israel -- a huge land: "from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates -- all the Hittite country -- to the Great Sea on the west" (Joshua 1:4). In fact, during Joshua's time they never set their foot on all this. Most was under Israel's control by the time of David and Solomon, but then it was lost again through disobedience and unbelief.

There are great tracts of "land" God would give you that are now occupied by the enemy. They don't belong to the enemy. They belong to you. God has given them to you. There's a saying in legal circles: "Possession is 9/10ths of the law." The enemy has "squatter's rights," but only that. When you -- with God's help -- push the enemy off your inheritance, you can possess it, and experience its blessings. The book of Joshua can be a book of Conquest for you spiritually if you'll let it be.

The Burial of Moses

Portion for Reading Deut 32-34
The Burial of Moses
By Nebo's lonely mountain,

On this side Jordan's wave
In a vale in the land of Moab,There lies a lonely grave.
And no man knows that sepulchre,

And no man saw it e'er,For the angels of God upturned the sod,
And laid the dead man there.

That was the grandest funeral
That ever passed on earth;But no man heard the trampling,
Or saw the train go forth:Noiselessly as the daylight

Comes back when night is done,And the crimson streak on ocean's cheek
Grows into the great sun;Noiselessly as the springtime

Her crown of verdure weaves,And all the trees on all the hills
Open their thousand leaves;So without sound of music

Or voice of them that wept,Silently down from the mountain's crown
The great procession swept.

Perchance that bald old eagle
On gray Beth-peor's height,Out of his lonely eerie

Looked on that wondrous sight:Perchance the lion stalking,
Still shuns that hallowed spot,For beast and bird have seen and heard

That which man knoweth not.But when the warrior dieth,
His comrades in the war,With arms reversed and muffled drum,

Follow his funeral car;They show the banners taken,
They tell the battles won,And after him lead the masterless steed,

While peals the minute-gun.Amid the noblest of the land
We lay the sage to rest,And give the bard an honored place,

With costly marble drest,In the great minster transept
When lights like glories fall,And the organ rings and the sweet choir sings
Along the emblazoned wall.

This was the truest warrior
That ever buckled sword,This the most gifted poet

That ever breathed a word;And never earth's philosopher
Traced with his golden pen,On the deathless page, truths half so sage
As he wrote down for men.

And he had not high honor,--The hillside for a pall,
To lie in state while angels wait

With stars for tapers tall,And the dark rock-pines like tossing plumes
Over his bier to wave,And God's own hand in that lonely land,

To lay him in the grave?In that strange grave without a name,
Whence his uncoffined clay

Should break again, O wondrous thought!
Before the judgment day,And stand with glory wrapped around

On the hills he never trod,And speak of the strife that won our life
With the Incarnate Son of God.
O lonely grave in Moab's land!O dark Beth-peor's hill!

Speak to these curious hearts of ours,And teach them to be still.
God hath his mysteries of grace,Ways that we cannot tell;

He hides them deep like the hidden sleep Of him he loved so well.

Joshua to Succeed Moses

Portion for Reading Deut 29-31
Msg: Deuteronomy 31:1-8
Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: "I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, 'You shall not cross the Jordan.' The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said. And the LORD will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged

Finally it comes time for Moses to choose a successor in Numbers 27:18-23.
"So the LORD said to Moses, 'Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.'

"Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses" (Numbers 27:18-23).

Notice that the Spirit is already upon Joshua (vs. 18). What is new is the commission and authority to command.

Tithing and the Kingdom Of God

Portion for Reading: Deut 26-28
Msg Deut 26:1-15
Foundational Scriptures
Matthew 3:2 (AMP)Romans 15:4Genesis 2:16-17Genesis 12:1-2Galatians 3:29
Genesis 14:18-23Genesis 17:7Genesis 28:22Leviticus 27:30-32Deuteronomy 14:22-23
Hebrews 6:20Hebrews 7:1-16Matthew 22:37-38

Summary
Tithing in the Kingdom of God is crucial to receiving the blessings of God in these last days. The world's system is failing and Christians must learn how to trust God to meet their needs, and tithing is the gateway to His provision and protection. As you establish yourself in the Kingdom of God and His way of doing things, you will discover how to trust in a higher system that never fails.

A. To be successful in the Kingdom of God you will have to think differently.
1.Most people have been trained in the world's system from the time they were born. They have learned to trust in what they can see, the education they have and the knowledge of other people in their lives.

2.But when a person becomes born-again, he or she has the opportunity to learn a higher system—the Kingdom of God.

3.The Kingdom of God is simply God's way of doing things.

4.The Kingdom of God is based on faith in the all-knowing power of God.

5.John the baptist preached about the nearness of God's kingdom and the need for repentance (Matthew 3:2, AMP).

a.According to The Amplified Bible, repentance means to think differently or to change your mind (v. 2).

b.To be successful in the Kingdom of God, you must trust God's way of doing things and abandon all trust in the world's system.

B.The importance of tithing in the Kingdom of God.

1.The tithe is the key to unlocking God's blessings.

2.The Bible says that whatever was written in the Old Testament was established for our learning (Romans 15:4). Even though tithing is not mentioned in the five gospels of the Bible, it is discussed in the Old Testament.

3.God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat from all of the trees in the Garden of Eden except the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:16-17).

4.God wanted Adam and Eve to love Him enough to obey His instructions, but Satan deceived them into thinking that God was keeping His blessings from them. As a result, they disobeyed God and sin entered the world.

C.Tithing and the blessing of God.

1.God promised Abraham great blessings (Genesis 12:1-2).

a.The blessing is God's supernatural ability applied to your natural abilities.

ii.A leaf blows as a result of the wind. Likewise, the promises of God are the results of His blessing on your life.

iii.The blessing of God is the fishing line that brings what you need into your life.

2.Believers are entitled to the blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:29).

3.You gain access to the blessing of God through your tithe.

a.Abraham gave the tithe to the high priest Melchizedek and received God's blessing (Genesis 14:18-23).

i.God did not command Abraham to tithe, but Abraham wanted to honor God through giving.
ii.Abraham released the tithe and Melchizedek released the blessing of God.
iii.The blessing gives you the empowerment to get more than you've given.

D.The two systems of tithing.

1.Tithing and the Abrahamic covenant.

a.God established a covenant with Abraham after the tithe was given (Genesis 17:7).
b.Jacob established this covenant in his life when he vowed to give tithes to God (Genesis 28:22).

2.Tithing and the Levitical law.

a.God commanded the children of Israel to tithe in the Old Testament (Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 14:22-23).

b.Jesus was made a high priest after the order of Melchizedek under the Abrahamic covenant. (Hebrews 6:20).
c.It is through Jesus that you are blessed when you honor God with your tithe (Hebrews 7:16).
d.God wants you to tithe out of your love for Him.
e.It is through the law of love that the blessing of God will work in the life of a Believer (Matthew 22:37-38).

Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

The Golden Rule

Portion for Reading: Deut 23-25
Msg: Deut 25:13-16
Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. For the LORD your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.

A Brief History of Measurement
One of the earliest types of measurement concerned that of length. These measurements were usually based on parts of the body. A well documented example (the first) is the Egyptian cubit which was derived from the length of the arm from the elbow to the outstretched finger tips. By 2500 BC this had been standardised in a royal master cubit made of black marble (about 52 cm). This cubit was divided into 28 digits (roughly a finger width) which could be further divided into fractional parts, the smallest of these being only just over a millimetre.

In England units of measurement were not properly standardised until the 13th century, though variations (and abuses) continued until long after that. For example, there were three different gallons (ale, wine and corn) up until 1824 when the gallon was standardised.

In the U S A the system of weights and measured first adopted was that of the English, though a few differences came in when decisions were made at the time of standardisation in 1836. For instance, the wine-gallon of 231 cubic inches was used instead of the English one (as defined in 1824) of about 277 cubic inches. The U S A also took as their standard of dry measure the old Winchester bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches, which gave a dry gallon of nearly 269 cubic inches.

Even as late as the middle of the 20th century there were some differences in UK and US measures which were nominally the same. The UK inch measured 2.53998 cm while the US inch was 2.540005 cm. Both were standardised at 2.54 cm in July 1959, though the U S continued to use 'their' value for several years in land surveying work - this too is slowly being metricated.

Lenzen states that, 'The Hebrews, like the Babylonians, had two weight standards, one double the weight of the other'. He then provides substantiating ancient quotations or modern scientific assessments in support of his contention. The light Desert Talent is, therefore, simply ½ the value of the heavy Desert Talent. There was, yet, another variation within the system called the Jerusalem standard, which was also divided into "heavy & light" categories.

THE EGYPTIAN WEIGHTS STANDARD.
Figure 3: The 8 stone weights shown are "Beqa weights", which were formerly used in the Nubian gold fields and inscribed with the "Nub" sign (the hieroglyph for gold). Donald L. Lenzen states that, 'The Beqa was multiplied decimally up to 2000 units and divided binarily down to 1/16th shekel'.

The 8 stone weights shown are accompanied by signs, which indicate that they represent 1/3, ½, 1, 1½, 2, 3, 6 & 10 Beqa. Lenzen compares the weight values of four official, carefully marked, Egyptian stone weights to arrive at his average for a Beqa @ 196.65 grains. The stones, all notably inscribed with the names of a king or governor, range from the eras of 2250 BC to 1450 BC. Donald Lenzen's estimate is shown at the left.

Leviticus 19:35-37 parallels this teaching:

Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.

This is commonly referred to as the principle of "equal weights and measures." Remember, to deal fairly and honestly is our minimal obligation under the Golden Rule. To deal generously and better than expected is our maximal obligation which transforms the Golden Rule into the Platinum Rule.

The light Hebrew Shekel was set to half the grain weight of the heavy Shekel, or something in the close proximity of 131.18 grains.

Deut 25:13-16
A law against deceitful weights and measures: they must not only not use them, but they must not have them, not have them in the bag, not have them in the house (v. 13, 14); for, if they had them, they would be strongly tempted to use them. They must not have a great weight and measure to buy by and a small one to sell by, for that was to cheat both ways, when either was bad enough; as we read of those that made the ephah small, in which they measured the corn they sold, and the shekel great, by which they weighed the money they received for it, Amos viii. 5.

But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, v. 15. That which is the rule of justice must itself be just; if that be otherwise, it is a constant cheat. This had been taken care of before, Lev. xix. 35, 36.

This law is enforced with two very good reasons:—

1. That justice and equity will bring down upon us the blessing of God. The way to have our days lengthened, and to prosper, is to be just and fair in all our dealings Honesty is the best policy.

2. That fraud and injustice will expose us to the curse of God, v. 16. Not only unrighteousness itself, but all that do unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord. And miserable is that man who is abhorred by his Maker. How hateful, particularly, all the arts of deceit are to God, Solomon several times observes, Prov. xi. 1; xx. 10, 23; and the apostle tells us that the Lord is the avenger of all such as overreach and defraud in any matter, 1 Thess. iv. 6.

Sources: Mathew Henry Commentary