Day 62, or March the 3rd. Keep your word, no
matter what. Our thought today is rooted in Joshua
chapter 9, verse 19. All the leaders answered,
We have given them our oath by the Lord, the
God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.
First, the big picture surrounding this verse.
Having entered the Promised Land with varying
success, The Israelites now turned to conquer
every city. Initially, they conquered Jericho
and defeated the southern cities, and then, next,
turned north to tackle the northern towns and
cities. Despite his people making mistakes, God
kept his word, and in no time at all the whole
land had been subdued. But there were still several
pockets of resistance. These unconquered areas
would have to be tackled before the land was
really in the hands of the Israelites, as God
had promised their ancestors. Nevertheless, they
were in the promised land at last, and the task
of dividing the land and settling the people
was about to begin. Now today's action step.
Sometimes keeping a word is costly. It's easier
to break it and apologize. I'm glad God doesn't
act like that. I'm glad he told us in Isaiah
chapter 55 verse 8, My thoughts are nothing like
your thoughts, says the Lord. It's as easy as
that. Breaking his word is not an option for
God. He wouldn't think of it. Sadly, this is
an ungodly option that we believers still use,
and we must stop. When the Israelites were lied
to by the Gibeonites, and this trickery resulted
in them giving their word, they stuck by it because
it was the godly thing to do. Can you imagine
how different the world would be if everyone
kept their word? In those old films, based in
the 1940s and 1950s, when a baddie is caught,
he immediately says, Fair cop, gov, I did it.
On the other hand, modern films reflect the approach
of many in the 21st century society, when transgressors
say, you can't prove anything, I want to see
my lawyer. If God's people don't keep their word,
how can we expect unbelievers to? It's up to
you, and me.