Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors. So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, “Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.” Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.
And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us.” So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
– Joshua 10:1-11
Devotion
Because of the earlier deception of the Gibeonites, the Israelites had made a covenant of peace with the people of Gibeon. The Israelites were now indebted to helping the Gibeonites as allies. Because they had not sought Lord’s counsel, they were then forced to protect the very people that God had sent them to destroy.
This time, however, the people of Israel sought the counsel of the Lord. The Lord told them not to fear the attacking army because they would be delivered into their hands. Additionally, after seeking the Lord, the Lord actually fought for the Israelites, as hailstones killed many who fled from the Israelite army. This is even more astounding when you notice the hailstones did not destroy everyone, but rather only the enemy army!
This passage is a great reminder to always seek the counsel of the Lord in our own lives, even when we are sure that we know the answer to life’s questions! When we seek God’s counsel, we not only receive comfort that we are following his will, but often times favor with God as we align with his plans.
The Big Question
Do you seek God’s counsel and plans for your life, or do you make decisions and hope that God will bless them?
Conclude in prayer and silence, reflecting on what you’ve learned.