Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Dumb and Dumber Joshua 9 Promised Land Living in Problematic World Sermon #13 In March of 1992 Andy Mikula lived in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, and received a bill for his as yet unused credit card stating that he owed $0.00. He ignored it and threw it away. A month later Andy received another and threw that one away too. The following month the credit card company sent him a very nasty note stating they were going to cancel his card if he didn't send them $0.00 by return post. He called them, talked to them, they said it was a computer error and told him they'd take care of it. The following month Andy decided that it was about time that he tried out the troublesome credit card figuring that if there were purchases on his account it would put an end to his ridiculous predicament. However, in the first store that he produced this credit card in payment for his purchases he found that his card had been canceled. He called the credit card company who apologized for the computer error once again and said that they would take care of it. The next day he got a bill for $0.00 stating that his payment was now overdue. Assuming that having spoken to the credit card company only the previous day the latest bill was yet another mistake he ignored it, trusting that the company would be as good as their word and sort the problem out. The next month he got a bill for $0.00 stating that he had 10 days to pay his account or the company would have to take steps to recover the debt. Finally giving in, he thought he would play the company at their own game and mailed them a check for $0.00. The computer duly processed his account and returned a statement to the effect that he now owed the credit card company nothing at all. A week later, Andy Mikula's bank called him asking him what he was doing writing a check for $0.00. After a lengthy explanation the bank replied that the $0.00 check had caused their check processing software to fail. The bank could not now process ANY checks from ANY of their customers To make a mistake can be dumb, to make the same mistake is dumber. More times than I want to admit I have felt like Dumb and Dumber. It’s bad enough making a dumb mistake but it’s really dumb to repeat it. Yet it is so encouraging to me to come to Scripture and observe that we all make mistakes, even great heroes of the faith like Joshua. Not only does Joshua make mistakes, but Joshua 9 reveals that he repeats the same boner. While Joshua 9 is about the Dumb and Dumber aspects of mistakes, it doesn’t end there. This same chapter also tells us how Joshua turned his mistake into a spiritual victory. All of us are going to make mistakes; periodically we’re all going to feel like Dumb and Dumber. This chapter not only gives us insights into mistakes so that we can avoid them but also how we can turn the mistakes we have made into both positives and victories. It’s a handbook on how to handle mistakes. What does it teach us about handling mistakes? 1. Yesterday’s mistakes are often tomorrow’s problems, vss. 1-2. In this first verse the writer is seeking to draw our attention to something noteworthy, “Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things...” We find this same type of phraseology in 2:9-11 and 5:1. As Israel’s reputation had spread and the Canaanites had “heard” about Israel and its victories, their hearts melted. Previously, they had responded with fear bordering on paralysis. But something has happened. Even after impressive victories at Jericho and Ai, there is a change from fear to fury. There is a remarkable turnaround in their attitude. The Canaanites fear has been diminished and they now feel confident in going to battle with them. So what had happened? Remember that Achan had sinned and the nation had faced their first defeat. Though they ultimately defeated Ai, that first defeat with the loss of thirty-six lives revealed that they were not invincible. Before Israel had been the aggressor and attacked, now that the Canaanite kings feel there is hope, they become the attackers (chapters 10 and 11). This is also the reason that the writer shares this detailed list of peoples in the armies that gather against Israel. The stress is placed upon the numbers and totality of the people groups represented. It was going to be a large and powerful attack. Though Achan’s sin had been forgiven and taken care of, it still had far reaching consequences. If that incident had never happened, perhaps Israel would have taken the rest of the Canaanite territory with a minimum of conflict, as they had taken Jericho. Life’s consequences follow life’s choices. Yesterday’s mistakes are often tomorrow’s problems. One failure brought a huge conflict and great loss of life. Hess asks, “who can say what would have happened had Achan not sinned? Perhaps the battle at Ai could have been Israel’s past. The other nations of Canaan would have responded like Rahab...with belief in the one God of Israel, and Israel would have completely occupied the land.” We’ll never know. But there is a vital principle of sowing and reaping here, even with confessed and forgiven sin, that we dare not ignore. It is so important that we make the right decisions today because we will reap those decisions tomorrow. Possibly the best example of this is parenting. The choices parents make during our children’s formative years carry a lifetime of consequences. Too often parents do not realize the effect of the mistakes of the past until the teen years arrive. The decisions for godliness for the teen years begin in the sowing during the toddler years. This principle is true in every area of our lives. If you do not correct being a joyless person today, you may be even more joyless in the future. If you are an angry person today, you will probably be a bitter person in the future. If you are spiritually complacent today, you may be even more so in the future.  Yesterday’s mistakes are often tomorrow’s problems. This principle applies to nearly every area of life. To some extent, we do reap what we sow. When we know that we have a sinful direction, it is critical than we change our direction as soon as possible so that the long-term damage is limited. 2. Big mistakes often come in innocent looking packages, vss. 3-13. While the Israelites would have been on red alert if these Canaanite kings and their armies had tried to march into their camp...men in old, dirty clothes with worn out provisions caused them to let down their guard. Let me put it this way, if a van full of deadheads broke down in front of your house and asked to use the phone, would you be extra cautious? Probably. But what if a family of five broke down in front of your house? Our tendency is to jump to conclusions and make foolish judgements based on appearances. The Gibeonites, though living a short distance of just thirty miles from the Israeli camp, asked them for a treaty as if they were from a far country, which the Law did make allowance for. But what they asked Israel to do was a violation of God’s clear instructions to destroy all of the people of the land. Israel was prepared for battle but not for deceit or treachery. And it was an Oscar winning performance. "Craftily" is the word used in the NASV to describe the actions of the Gibeonites. The word carries the idea of a shrewdness that is contrary to the will of God. This word first occurs in Gen. 3:1, where the serpent is described as "more crafty than any beast of the field." That same negative connotation applies here in Joshua 9. There is a certain similarity between the craftiness of the serpent and that of the Gibeonites. In each case they confused the mind by appealing to the senses. Eve was tempted by focusing on the tree, whose fruit was "good for food," a "delight to the eyes," and "desirable to make one wise" (Gen 3:6). The Israelite leaders also were deceived through their senses. They focused on the Gibeonites' food, drink and clothing, man's most basic human needs, and responded emotionally, perhaps out of sympathy or guilt. It’s similar to people you sometimes encounter in urban areas at traffic islands, dressed in rags and worn‑out sandals, holding a sign that says, "Will work for food." Many of them are not homeless and have turned their panhandling into a very successful enterprise.  The Gibeonites even spiritualized their scheme. They knew just the right buttons to push, vss. 9-10. This is spiritual one-upmanship. How could Israel turn down the request of those who came looking for a treaty because of the fame of Yahweh? Notice, too, that they were careful not to mention the victory over Jericho or Ai. That news was too fresh and would unmask their scheme. Scripture tells us that sometimes Satan comes as a devouring lion but sometimes he comes as a snake. We’re on guard against the lion, but too often let the snake slither in. Let me illustrate. If you came in this morning and their was a huge Buddha in the front as part of our worship service, you’d be incensed that we had allowed an idol and idolatry to contaminate our church. Yet though most of us don’t believe that we struggle with idolatry, we do. It slithers into our lives in the form of our job, our children, our houses, our hobbies, etc. Idolatry isn't less of a problem today than it was in the Old Testament days of gilt godlets, when prophets railed at the worshipers of Baal and Molech, because sin and sinners just don't change that much. We’d see the big lion of a stone Buddha but we frequently fail to see the snake’s tail sticking out of our personal idols. Anything that has precedence over God in our lives is an idol. Is something an idol in our lives? Sometimes the best way to answer that is to ask, “How would I respond to God if He took it from me?” We go on an all out offensive when Satan comes as a lion, but too often he slithers into our lives and we don’t even know it. Friend, have you been deceived? Has Satan slithered into some areas of your life? Note: Based on what we see in Scripture with people like Rahab and the city of Nineveh under the preaching of Jonah, if the Gibeonites had come in brokenness and repentance to the One true God, God would have been merciful and accepted them. 3. Prayerlessness is probably the most common mistake of the people of God, vs. 14. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, has coined what he calls Rumsfeld's Rules. One fits this scene in Joshua 9:14, “Try to make original mistakes.” This is the second time that Joshua and the leaders of Israel have terribly blundered because “they did not inquire of the LORD.” The whole mishap at Ai and now this deceit by the Gibeonites could have been avoided if they had simply prayed and sought God’s counsel. There was a cartoon of Calvin and Hobbes where Calvin says, "You could step in the road tomorrow and — wham! — you get hit by a cement truck. That's why my motto is, ‘Live for the moment!'" "What's your motto?" he asks Hobbes. Hobbes dryly replies: "Look down the road." When you and I are merely living for the moment we sometimes forget to look down the road. More importantly, we fail to ask God to tell us what's down the road. That’s what Joshua did, He failed to pray and he failed to ask God “what’s down the road?” The leaders of Israel took the scientific approach rather than the spiritual approach and failed miserably. Joshua had just come off a big victory and time of spiritual renewal. He also probably rationalized that this was not a big decision. Perhaps he thought it was too small to even bother God about...after all these people lived a long ways away. God wants us to be dependent upon Him even in the “small things.” In fact, our taking the “small things” to Him glorifies Him. It shows that we consider Him great enough to know and care about the smallest details of our lives. Prayerlessness is the greatest weakness in the American church. I know it’s mine. Like Joshua, we too often rely on our experience, our common sense and our own ability. Sometimes it’s just subtle pride...we really believe that we can make it on our own and we’ll call God if we really get into trouble. Do you habitually start your day in the Word and asking God for wisdom? If not, what makes you think that anything you are doing that day is His will? When you have decisions, do you ask for His guidance? His empowerment? And let me say here, that not only is the absence of prayer a problem but so is prayer with an agenda. Too many believers rationalize that they have “prayed” about a matter, when really they have basically just told God what they were going to do or what they wanted. That is not prayer. We are not to seek God’s will like customers wanting our orders filled, but as servants, listening for orders to follow. James 4:3 warns us about agenda prayer, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” We need to guard against taking decisions in our life without first seeking and submitting to God’s guidance and will. I’m not suggesting that we should have a special time of prayer each day with our family around the kitchen table in order to decide whether we should have Cornflakes for breakfast or Wheaties; or a special time of prayer each morning to decide whether we should wear a blue shirt or a white shirt. But there are issues which we all face in life, where the decisions that we make will have very real and lasting repercussions. As you make those decisions, do you also bring them to your Heavenly Father in prayer? Have you sought His will? Have you brought the matter to Him, seeking His leading and guiding? It is so easy when faced with having to make a decision to do what Joshua did, to make hasty decisions based solely upon the fruit of our own reasoning, logical, and sensible as that reasoning may appear at the time. We will have personal decisions to make...about our career, our relationships, our spiritual needs, our finances, whatever. But to make hasty decisions based solely upon what we think is right in the situation, without ever taking time to refer the matter to God in prayer and seeking His guidance, may help us make logical decisions but they probably will not be spiritual ones. Worse, they may be completely contrary to God’s will for us. But we don’t know that because we sinned by neglecting to pray. Someone said, “No proposed course of conduct can be so clear to a Christian as to excuse him from the duty of seeking direction from above.” Like ancient Israel, the apparently obvious course of action is not necessarily always the right one to take. In all your major decision making in life be sure to seek guidance and direction from God, both at the throne of grace in prayer and also by searching the Scriptures with a view to finding relevant principles that you can take and legitimately apply to your specific situation. Wise is the warning of Alan Redpath, “It seems to take us a long time to learn the lesson that neglect of prayer always leads to trouble, and destroys the spirit of discernment. Neglect of prayer always suggests pride in our own judgment, which is fatal” Prayerlessness caused Joshua to make a big mistake. Ironically, he made an oath in the name of God without ever consulting God. The Gibeonites thought that they had pulled one over on old Joshua. They didn’t pull a fast one on Joshua; he did it to himself by failing to seek God’s counsel. Friend, are you making big mistakes too because of your prayerlessness? 4. When you make a mistake, make it work for you, vss. 18-27. It would be easy to think, “So what? What’s the big deal?” This blunder had vast effects; it brought an entire community of idolatrous Canaanites into Israel’s midst! The danger was immense, for as Moses warned in Deut. 7:2b, 4, “You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them...For they will turn your sons away from following [God] to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you.” The probability of idolatry and intermarriage was high. God’s sanctity was in danger of compromise–all because of this prayer lapse. At this point we see a brilliant success for the forces of Satan. If ever the camel had its “nose in the tent,” this was it! The Gibeonites’ “Oscar‑winning performance” had accomplished something which a frontal attack by all the united forces of the Canaanites could never have achieved. This “Gibeonite strategy” is, and always has been, a major trick in Satan’s bag. Never trust your own judgment apart from Christ’s counsel. If there is doubt, learn to wait. God’s people faced serious danger because of the failure of their leadership to detect the Gibeonites’ strategy. It was a fundamental error, because it involved the lack of prayer. But Joshua made the best of a bad situation. Someone wisely said, “Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker.” That’s what Joshua did. Today it would seem that the Israelites could easily extract themselves from this covenant. After all, they were deceived into making it. But the covenant had been made in the name of God and was irrevocable. Two wrongs never make a right. This covenant is similar to the blessing that Jacob received from his father, Isaac, by impersonating his brother, Esau. Though the blessing was gained by deception, it was still in effect. Psalm 15 says, “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He...who keeps his oath even when it hurts” (vss. 1, 4). King Saul brought judgement upon Israel and his own family when he violated this covenant and killed the Gibeonites. God takes covenants seriously, even ones made via deceit. We live in a society today where promises are too easily and quickly broken. We can see this in many different realms. Take the realm of marriage for example. When a man and woman get married they take marriage vows. Those vows are made not only before the people gathered to witness the marriage but more importantly are made in the sight of God. Promises to stick by their spouse in bad times as well as good. Promises to be faithful to their spouse throughout their life and so on. Sadly, those vows mean so little to many people today. Many have no intention whatsoever of keeping those promises if things don’t work out quite the way they had hoped as the ever rising divorce statistics prove. We see promises being broken time and time again in the realm of politics. As general elections approach the political parties promise they will cut taxes here and give more benefits there, that they will put more money into the national health service and into education and so on and of course when they get into power those promises often are set aside in favor of some other political goal. And there are many other areas where this fickle attitude to promises one has made can be clearly seen. As believers, we are to be different. We are to be men and women who are known to be people of our word. People who once they make a promise, do not renege on that promise, even if the keeping of our word will cause us personal inconvenience. If we promise we will do something we should do it. The reason that God blessed Joshua in this is that he fessed up, he owned up that he and the leaders had blundered. He didn’t look for loopholes; instead he took full responsibility. What a great example for all of us. When you make a mistake, admit it, and them make your mistake work for you. That’s what Joshua did. He made the best out of a bad situation. When the Gibeonites claimed to be Israel’s servants, that was merely cultural politeness. They were really looking for military protection. As we’ll see in the next chapter, apparently this treaty included provisions for mutual defense as well. But now they would be Israel’s slaves. Joshua put them in the safest place that he could, in the work of the Tabernacle where they would be influenced rather than being an influence. And it worked. The Gibeonites never joined with Israel’s enemies in warring against them. One of them was listed among David’s mighty men. Later the Tabernacle was pitched at Gibeon. In fact, when Nehemiah returned to rebuild the wall, a group of Gibeonites assisted with the reconstruction. How wonderful! God used deceit, prayerlessness and a terrible blunder to bring about the Gibeonites inclusion in His people! Conclusion: All of us make mistakes. All of us periodically fall for Satan’s enticements. All of us fail because we have been prayerless. These mistakes embarrass us, especially those mistakes that are caused by our running ahead of the Lord and not seeking His will. But we need to remember no mistake is final for the dedicated Christian. God can use even our blunders to accomplish his purposes. Obviously, this is not an excuse for carelessness but it is a comfort and an encouragement when we do make mistakes. Some of you sitting here this morning were deceived into a marriage. You may have even thought that you were marrying a believer but now you’re quite certain that was not the case. Others are caught in a bad business deal where you gave your word. In spite of being deceived into making a commitment that we would not have made if we had known the whole truth, we are to be people of integrity, even when we are dealing with partners who are Gibeonites, who are not people of integrity. This account reminds us of how important it is to keep our commitments, even when it’s tough. A Christian shouldn’t technically ever have to put anything in writing. His or her word should be his or her bond. Are you known for that kind of integrity? John Huffman shares of a Christian farmer who had integrity. This farmer made a gentleman’s agreement to buy some produce at a certain price. Then the market value went down. That man could have claimed altered circumstances; but because he had already agreed to the higher price, he kept his word and paid it. On another occasion, this same farmer had made a promise to sell some produce at a particular price. Between the time of the verbal agreement and the delivery of the produce, the price went up. Out of Christian character and integrity, he insisted on accepting the lower price, knowing the person with whom he was doing business would have been making a sacrifice to buy it from him for more than he would have paid on the open market at the time of the agreement. This farmer’s Christian integrity went far beyond what was required and he is respected for his Christian grace and character by those with whom he has done business. When that farmer shares his faith people listen, do people listen when you share your’s? Could it be that you are not a person of integrity, and what you do speaks so loudly that they are not interested in what you have to say?