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 Israel murmured against their leaders for allowing the men of Gibeah to live, 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 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?”, and in chapter nine and verse twenty-three of the book of Joshua, we learn how Joshua told the men, “therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen”, where we read,
Now therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen,
and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
The verse reads, “Now therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “now therefore you are cursed” which means “at this time, wherefore, then and on this account you, the men of Gibeah, exist as execrated, damned and doomed”, “and there shall none of you be freed” or “and there will not exist a single one of you, men of Gibeah, who will exist as exempt and without charge” “from being bondmen” which means “separate and apart from existing as slaves, servants and men of servile condition”. Joshua told the “men of Gibeah” that they were execrated and doomed because not one of them would be exempt from being servants.
The verse goes on to say, “… and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and hewers of wood” which means “and cutters and gatherers of timbers, stock, planks and sticks” “and drawers of water” or “and balers of fresh water” “for the house of my God” which means “on behalf of the dwelling place, abode and habitation belonging to my, Joshua’s, Supreme Deity”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” told the “men of Gibeah” they would serve the dwelling place of his Supreme Deity by cutting and gathering “wood” and fetching “water”.
When we consider the words in this verse, we discover how Joshua told the “men of Gibeah” that they were doomed to be the servants of Israel and not one of them would be exempt. They were to cut and gather wood and fetch water which would be used within the dwelling place of Joshua’s Supreme Deity, Jehovah God. We might called this a consolation prize for the “men of Gibeah” because their lives were saved, however, because they lied, they would now be as bondmen. God knows everyone is bound by sin and wrong, and those sins lead to death. (See Romans 3:10, 23; 6:23) For this reason God sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of everyone, and He raised Him from the dead after three days so when we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, free us from the penalty of sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and to help us live in a manner that is not only “liberating” but also willing to be in service to Him.
Next time we learn how the “men of Gibeah”, “answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told your servants, how that the LORD your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land”, 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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