Follow God's Counsel, Not the Counsel of the Ungodly

"And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD." (Joshua 9:14)

This verse appears within the account of the deceitful Gibeonites, who dressed themselves in ragged clothes and provided themselves moldy food to give themselves the appearance of having traveled a long distance, far beyond the Promised Land, even though they lived in that land.

They sought to fool Joshua and all the Israelites because they did not want to be wiped out by them.

What happened? Why did they get away with pulling a massive fraud on Joshua?

They did not seek counsel from God. They trusted in their own wit and wisdom.

We are called to heed God's word for every need, challenge, and occasion in our lives.

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." (Psalm 1:1)

Ungodly counsel is not just expressly evil advice, but any counsel which does not come from God.

For the past two weeks, I was relying on the opinions and advice of other people to comfort me in times of stress. All of that came about because as they outlined that things were going to proceed my way on certain conflicts, they did not turn out as expected.

Our hope comes from Him, for Christ in us is our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Hope does not come from other people, and the best of advice of our best friends cannot compare with the wisdom we have in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30).

We need to rest in Him, not in ourselves, or in the best intentions and interactions of men:

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5)

But there is great blessing in trusting God:

"7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

"8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Let us place our trust and hope in God's word, not in ourselves, nor in the words and counsels of those around us.