Every time Israel moved forward without consulting The Lord they had some kind of a set back. First it was with Ai and the hidden sin of Achan.

Then it was the deceptive covenant with Gibeon.

Basically Gibeon heard about what happened in Egypt, they heard about the Jordan River, they heard about Jericho and now Ai. They were scared. So they sent messengers disguised as poor foreigners. The Gibeonites insisted they were from a far off land and pleaded with Israel to make a covenant with them. We swear we are not from here. They Lied. Everyone say, “They Lied.”

“So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭9:14-15‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Remember Joshua is the same name as a Jesus. Yoshua. He is a type of Christ. Jesus made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live and the leaders swore an oath to them. Sound familiar?

In essence the Gibeonites are a prophetic vision of us. Unless you are of the tribal bloodline of Israel, you are a gentile grafted into the family tree. As Gentiles we have been included as His chosen people.

But it was out of the disobedience of the tribes of Israel that Gibeon became included. In the same way it was out of disobedience of the Jews after hearing the good news of Jesus that God sent Paul to preach to the Gentiles.

History shows us that Gibeon later became one of the “High places” where Solomon offered over a thousand sacrifices to God. It became one of the Holy cities that never fell to idol worship. The Gibeonites were included as part Israel.

The prophetic parallels run deep.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16-26‬ ‭NIV

Holy Spirit, am I resting well?

Are there any relationships that are hindering me?

Am I allowing you to provide for me the way you want to?

How can I participate in being a blessing to this church community?

How would you like us to move forward as your church?

Are there people you want me to invite into the community?

Anything you would like me to be aware of?