August 22 ▪ Day 234

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 21:31
Joshua 9–10
Mark 14
Psalms 50

Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:31)

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
     but victory rests with the LORD.

Meditation

Proverbs 21:31 says, in the ESV, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” I love this verse! Victory always belongs to God. Yesterday’s proverb reminded us that God’s purposes are what stand; nothing can prevail against the LORD. Yet even though it is God’s will that affects the outcome, we are still required to do our part. And our part is to get the horses ready for battle.

God has used this proverb to speak to me in the past and in the present — in very similar situations, no less! Job interviews. (That’s about as close to battle as I get.) Like a military battle, I can feel anxious and concerned about what will happen. And I do need to prepare. I need to study the company, and its directors, and do my homework. But the outcome will be entirely up to God. Whether I do well in the interview, whether I get the job or not — victory rests with the LORD.

Knowing that victory comes from God takes all the anxiety out of a situation. It’s not up to me. Yes, I have a role to play. I have things to do. I strive to do my best, always. But if I flub up, or if I do spectacularly — ultimately, it doesn’t matter. Because it’s what God wants that will happen. And that’s true whether it’s a work presentation, a job interview, an offer on a house, or anything else.

Father God, help us to do what we should do in the situations we face. Help us to prepare the horses for battle. Let us do our homework, let us be prepared, let us be ready. But we leave the outcome up to you. Thank you that your will prevails. Thank you that we can trust you to do the best for us in all situations. Help us to rejoice in your plans through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Joshua chapter 9 tells the story of the Gibeonite deception. When news of Israel’s defeat of Ai travels across Canaan, most of the kings of “the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (v. 1)” decide to band together, making alliances to fight against the Israelites. But the inhabitants of Gibeon decide upon a different strategy. They scheme to form an alliance with Israel directly, using “cunning (v. 4)” to deceive the Israelites into believing that they are from a distant country. They take worn out clothing and supplies and dried-out bread to convince the Israelites that they have been on the road for a very long time. The Israelites examine these provisions, but — as verse 14 says — they “did not ask counsel from the LORD.”

And so Joshua makes peace with the Gibeonites, forming a covenant with them (v. 15). Well, it only takes three days before the truth is discovered. The Gibeonites with their four cities are actually near neighbors, only a few days’ journey away. The people of Israel want to destroy them, but the leaders refuse to let that happen since they had sworn a covenant with the Gibeonites in the name of the LORD. The people murmur, but the leaders stay firm. The Gibeonites had deceived the Israelites out of fear for their lives; now they will not be destroyed, but they will become servants for the rest of their lives. And so the Gibeonites become wood-cutters and water carriers for the Israelites.

In Joshua chapter 10, Joshua completes the conquest of southern Canaan. Gibeon is an important city, and so their alliance with Israel is particularly disturbing to the Amorites. Thus five kings of the Amorites decide to make war against Gibeon. The Gibeonites send a message to Joshua; the Israelite army marches all night long to surprise the Amorite kings at Gibeon. And the Israelites win. The Amorites are thrown into a panic; the Israelite warriors begin to chase them. And the LORD also fights for Israel by sending down great hailstones. Verse 11 tells us, “There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”

The battle against the five kings of the Amorites is particularly notable because Joshua prays that the sun and the moon will stand still until Israel takes vengeance on their enemies. As verse 14 says, “There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.” After these kings and their city-states are defeated, Joshua fights against additional kings in southern Canaan until the land is subdued. Joshua follows God’s commands by completely destroying the peoples; he heeds the word of the LORD.

Joshua and the Israelites were easily deceived by the Gibeonites. Of course, most of us assume goodwill in our relations with other people. We tend not to assume that we are being lied to unless we’ve had a prior bad experience. Still, the Scripture is particularly cutting when it points out that they did not even inquire of the LORD. You’d think such a major decision as a covenant would cause them to pause and take stock — to pray, to consider, to be certain of the wisdom of that course of action. But it did not occur to them to do this. And it only took three days before the deception was revealed. If they’d even thought to wait a week before entering into an agreement, things likely would have turned out differently. Hopefully we can learn from the Israelites’ mistakes and seek God before making life-changing decisions. But most of the time I find out that I am prone to the very same mistakes that the Israelites made.

Interestingly, the Scripture never criticizes Joshua or the Israelites for adhering to the covenant they made with the Gibeonites. It may have been the wrong choice to make, but there is no “undoing” that mistake. The covenant has been made; circumstances have permanently changed. They can’t rectify their past mistake by ignoring the covenant. If they do so, they make a new mistake. Later in the histories, we’ll read how King Saul makes this very mistake and thus God punishes Israel for the failure to uphold the covenant.

Mark 14 records Jesus’ last days with his disciples. The plot against Jesus comes to fruition when Judas agrees to betray him. They celebrate Passover together, and Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane before he is arrested and taken before council.

Today, as I read this chapter, I spent more time thinking about Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. In verse 36, Jesus prays, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” I usually focus on Jesus’ surrender when I read this prayer. Jesus presented his request, but he was willing to have his request denied. He most wanted whatever the Father wanted for him.

But today the words that are ringing through my mind are the words, “All things are possible for you.” Jesus has said this before. In Mark 10:27, in the incident with the rich young ruler, Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” And I believe this! But like the father of the deaf and mute child, at the very same time I also struggle to believe that all things are possible for God. And it gets so hard when your desires start getting mixed in to the situation.

I suppose the reason this passage resonates with me today is because I’m going through the job interview process. And these jobs look like some really great possibilities. And all things are possible with God. And so I hope. And there’s what I want, and what I fear, and all the unknowns of the future. So even though I am not facing death, a small part of me feels kinship with what Jesus went through that night. And I am amazed at how he is able to set aside his own desires (“Remove this cup from me”) to choose and earnestly pray for what God wills to be done. It’s much easier to accept that Jesus did this in the abstract. When facing your own desires, Jesus’ submission is all the more astounding.

Jesus stands before the council and the priests try to find two witnesses who can testify against him. But their stories don’t match. Finally, in frustration, the high priest asks Jesus in verse 61, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus answers him plainly and clearly. The high priest’s reaction is to cry blasphemy against Jesus. And this interaction strikes me.

If the high priest truly believes in the Messiah, then one day someone will answer this question in the affirmative. So answering “yes” cannot be blasphemy in and of itself. It is only seen as blasphemy because the high priest does not believe the answer. I suppose arrogance is at root — the high priest assumes that he will be able to recognize the Messiah when he comes. And yet so much of Messianic prophecy shows that the Messiah will not be recognized; indeed, he will be rejected by the people. Although perhaps the high priest called blasphemy not because Jesus agreed that he is the Christ, but because he said he would be seated at God’s right hand. But again, wouldn’t you assume that the Messiah has a special relationship with God? So why would Jesus’ response be blasphemous?

I just keep coming back to the point that the blasphemy is really a function of the high priest’s disbelief. Which leads me back again to the arrogance of the high priest, and of all the Pharisees. They believed they were right. And yet they were completely mistaken. So I find this disturbing — I wonder if we make those same mistakes today. How do you know the truth? How can you be certain of what you believe? Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the light (John 14:6).” Thank God for the Holy Spirit!

Psalm 50 can be difficult to understand at times. Parts of it are very clear. And parts are not. As I read the psalm today, I noticed what it says in verse 7 and also in verse 8. God speaks in verse 7, saying, “O Israel, I will testify against you.” Then in verse 8 He says, “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.”

So God is actually rebuking His people for something in this psalm. Their sacrifices are fine. And yet God has a charge to lay against Israel. Then He proceeds to speak about how He owns all the earth and every animal; He is not hungry and He does not need food from us. And then, in verses 14 and 15, the LORD says, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

It appears that God is rebuking His people for a lack of gratitude. Over and over again I am astounded at how serious a matter thanksgiving is in Scripture. I remember that lack of gratitude is one of the main charges against the unrighteous in Romans 1:21. We think of thanksgiving as a normal part of rejoicing; we assume it flows naturally. But clearly it does not flow naturally, otherwise God would not be finding fault with His people.

Verse 23 says, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.” May I learn how to glorify God in this respect!

Father God, forgive me for my lack of gratitude. Forgive me for not recognizing just how much you do for me, each and every day. Thank you for being with me today. Thank you for setting up today’s job interview and for giving me peace. Thank you that victory is yours and that all things are possible for you. Thank you that you have a plan and a purpose for my future. Thank you that we all can trust you with our futures. Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to pray with us and for us and through us. Thank you that you can lead us into all truth. Protect us from making the mistakes we see in Scripture. Remind us to seek your will before making big decisions. Teach us to hear your voice clearly. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.