Promises (Joshua 6-10)

One thing I've noticed in today's reading has been how God is faithful in His promises, for both good and bad.  Almost every chapter God was working in promises made and broken.

We start out with God promising Joshua that Jericho would be overtaken, just walk around the city 7 days straight.  Some people have tried to explain how sound waves would destroy the walls with the loud shout, but I don't think anyone was measuring distances or pitch to get the sound exactly right.  It was God working the whole time. 

But, God made the Israelites promise that they won't take anything.  Yet one of the Israelites (Achan) messes up, and it costs them.  Compared to Jericho, the Israelites should have creamed Ai, yet they get routed.  It reminds me of how Husker nation felt after getting beat by Iowa State.  Everyone's head is down, wondering how their mighty team could loose to someone so lowly. 

It's interesting that Joshua invokes God's promise in prayer, asking God why this happened.  God tells Joshua that Achan took some stuff, Joshua makes it right.  Then they rout Ai. 

Some Gibeonites hear of what is happening and are scared.  They put on a rouse so that they won't be destroyed, figuring that it is better to be servants than dead.  So they act like faraway travellers, and Joshua makes a covenant with them without consulting God first.  This makes the Israelites angry, but there is an important lesson to be gained from this. 

In chapter 10 when the Gibeonites are in trouble, the Israelites come to the rescue.  A true legalist would have figured that God would punish the Israelites for foolishly making a covenant with people they were to destroy.  I say this because a legalist figures God will destroy when He's not obeyed.  God, however, knows that promises are very important, and honors the promise despite how it was made.  Israel routes the kings that go after Gibeon.

This is important for us, because we are not perfect.  We will mess up.  We will sin.  We will be foolish.  But God is faithful to us and will still use everything, even our mistakes, for His glory. 

And He keeps His promises.  Even if they take a long time to fulfill.  Back to Joshua 6.  Joshua makes a prophecy, cursing anyone who wants to rebuild Jericho.  Now read I Kings 16 (the last few verses) and see what happens when someone tries to rebuild it.