When nosotros seat confidence inwards our abilities to discern errors inwards pop Christian teaching, position the graphic symbol of strangers, or know the correct choices for our lives, we're on unsafe ground.
In Joshua 9, God gave His people strict orders to brand no treaties alongside people inwards the Promised Land.*
Then a grouping of strangers (the Gibeonites) approached cry for for a treaty in addition to claiming they were non residents of the land.
God's people used their abilities to banking enterprise fit out their even out in addition to decided they were telling the truth. But they "did non inquire of the LORD" (v.14).
Because they trusted themselves, they didn't notice out until later on that the Gibeonites were lying, in addition to they'd made a treaty against God's warnings.
God's people spent a bang-up bargain of fourth dimension in addition to resources protecting the Gibeonites whose presence must own got been a constant reminder of their misplaced self-confidence
Let's larn from their mistake! Let's seat confidence inwards the Lord, non inwards ourselves.
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* God had already given these people ample chance to plow from wickedness in addition to they'd refused. It's sometimes difficult for us to empathise the violence of the Old Testament, merely Rahab that God volition rescue truthful seekers inwards the midst of an evil city. It's too of import to recollect that God knows the see of every individual, in addition to when it comes to children earlier the historic menstruum of accountability, they would own got been spared bang-up terms past times coming to the Lord earlier growing upwardly inwards such a wicked culture.
If you're struggling alongside this, I intend this article volition too help: Why Did God Condone Such Violence inwards the Old Testament