“These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” – Joshua 9:13
Looks can be deceiving! The people of Gibeon, recognizing the danger posed by their newly arrived Israelite neighbors, created a clever deception. Counting on the Israelites’ unfamiliarity with the region, they created the appearance that they’d come from a long way away to make peace with God’s people. Their story was so convincing that Joshua and the other leaders were completely sold. They relied on what they saw and heard, trusting their own judgment while neglecting to pray about the people and their proposed treaty. Because they did, Israel went against God’s commands and made peace with a local pagan people.
God’s people are called to be discerning. Not suspicious or mean. Not cynical or uncaring. Prayerful, careful, and discerning. Jesus sent His first followers out into this difficult, deceitful, and dangerous world with instructions to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. The same is true to day. We must be kind, caring, loving, gentle, and above reproach personally. We must carefully guard our hearts against become jaded, cynical, or closed off to caring for those in need. However, that doesn’t mean we should be unquestioning about any story told to us. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do prayerful due diligence when asked for assistance or partnership.
If we must err, Christians should err on the side of being taken advantage of rather than the side of being cruel and uncaring. That said, we should really try to walk the narrow path of prayerful, Christ-like discernment as we steward the resources of time, energy, and treasure God entrusts to each of us. #FollowJesus