Read
Joshua Ch 9: 24-27
They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”
So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. And that is what they are to this day.
Think
We have seen in the previous few chapters how the Israelites were to completely displace the inhabitants of the promised land – their continued presence would eventually lead them to run after other so called gods. But what about those like Rahab who fear God and want to join his side?
The Gibeonites know they can’t survive – so they trick their way into a treaty with the invaders. They end up in humbled circumstances, but alive. They serve Israel as manual labourers from that moment on – yet they live.
In Jesus, we’re no longer a people united by ancestry and circumcision, but united by faith in him. Whatever nation you belong to, you can gain life through Jesus and it won’t require any cunning or trickery on your part – but it will humble you.
To find life in Jesus is to accept that you can’t do it on your own. You can’t make it to heaven on your own merits, you can’t please God with exam results or good behaviour.
To find Jesus is to to find a saviour who humbles us completely – he alone has done it all. And to find him is to discover such joy and hope and love that even the most menial work in his service is an honour and an opportunity to thank him.
The Gibeonites were wise enough to choose a life of humility over no life at all. Are we wise enough to do the same?
Pray
Father, thank you that you have given what we cannot earn – forgiveness, and a life made richer by humble service before our king. Keep showing us how completely we depend on you to provide all that we need.
Please teach us humility, that we might appreciate you more – and show us how we can serve you best, though if it be scrubbing toilets, wiping children’s bottoms, or toiling among those who might never say thankyou. We’d rather be janitors in our Father’s house than millionaires anywhere else!
