In the book of Joshua, we learned how the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto the cities of the men of Gibeah on the third day, and when the congregation of the people of Israel murmured against their leaders, they said,“We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them. And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them”, and in chapter nine and verse twenty-two of the book of Joshua, we learn how Joshua asked the men of Gibeah, “Wherefore have you beguiled us?”, where we read,
And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying,
Wherefore have you beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?
The verse reads, “And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua called for them” which means “and Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation summoned and demanded the presence of the men of Gibeah”, “and he spoke” or “and he, Joshua, uttered, declared, proclaimed and questioned” “unto them” which means “to them, the men of Gibeah”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring, proclaiming and asking” the following question. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” summoned the “men of Gibeah” and asked them the following question.
The verse continues, “Wherefore have you beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?” Joshua or the writer added the words, “wherefore have you beguiled us” which means “for what reason and cause have you, men of Gibeah, deceived, mislead and dealt treacherously with us, Joshua and the people of Israel”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “we are very far from you” which means “we, the men of Gibeah, exist and live a great distance separate and apart from you, the people of Israel”; “when you dwell among us” or “at the time and moment you, the men of Gibeah, live, abide and are inhabitants in the midst and middle of us, the people of Israel”? Joshua asked the “men of Gibeah” why they deceived them by declaring that they lived a great distance away from the people of Israel when they actually lived within their midst.
When we think through the words in this verse, we see how Joshua began to question the “men of Gibeah” by demanding their presence and asking them why they lied to them about living a great distance away from Israel’s location. The “men of Gibeah” lived within their proximity, but they told “Joshua” and the leaders of Israel otherwise. God knew where they lived, but Joshua and the people of Israel did not seek God for what to do with these men. We shall see how this affects Israel’s future in our next verses, but for now let us consider that Jehovah God desires to have an intimate personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the grave after three days. When we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us to rely upon Him when we do not know the truth about others and what they have said.
Next time we learn how Joshua tells the men, “therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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