As I read many of the stories in the book of Joshua, I’m continually amazed at the character of God. God tells the Israelites to destroy, or drive out, the inhabitants of the promise land, and not to make any treaties with them. But the Gibeonites tricked them. When they approached the Israelites they wore worn out clothes and brought with them moldy food so that it seemed as if they traveled from far away. And in Joshua chapter 9 verses 14 and 15 it says these words:
"The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.+
Later, Joshua realized his mistake, but since they made the treaty, they had to stick with the agreement. If only Joshua would’ve inquired of the Lord before making a decision. If he did, God would’ve revealed the deception and he could’ve taken appropriate action. How many times do we move forward with a decision without inquiring of the Lord? Prayer to our Lord should be the first step in any plan. I encourage you, whatever you plan to do, whatever situation you face, before you do anything, inquire of the Lord.
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Inquiring of God shouldn’t be a last resort, it should be the first thing we do in every important decision or challenging situation. Joshua didn’t inquire of God and he was duped. Hopefully, we can learn from his mistake and get on our knees at the very start of the process.