Catch 22

Joshua 9:3-10:43; Psalm 83; Proverbs 13:4

 

Have you ever been in a Catch 22 situation, making a tough choice, and neither alternative seemed good? Sometimes it feels like we have to choose the “lesser of two evils.” But we never want to choose evil, even lesser evil! We’re God’s children! So what do we do?

 

Joshua and the Israelites faced something like this. The Israelites had been commanded by God to destroy all the nations who lived in Canaan, not letting anyone live. But the Gibeonites who lived there had deceived them, and because the Israelites believed that the Gibeonites lived far away, they had made a promise to let them live. And then they found out that the Gibeonites were Canaanites. These were some of the people God had commanded them to annihilate! So now what? Disobey God and leave the Gibeonites alive? Or disobey God and break an oath, a promise made in His name?

 

I would have been tempted to go back on my promise to the Gibeonites. I would have been tempted to say that since I made a promise in response to a lie, the terms of the promise had been violated and so the promise was void. Apparently a number of the Israelites were pressuring the leaders to think this way. But the leaders went the other direction:

 

The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, but all the leaders answered, "We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them." They continued, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community." So the leaders' promise to them was kept. – Joshua 9:18b-21

 

To the leaders, it was better to admit one mistake and not make another. They would admit they had been duped; they were not deliberately disobeying God by leaving the Gibeonites alive, and God knew their hearts. But they could not—would not—deliberately disobey God by breaking a promise they had made in His name. That would dishonor Him.

 

Sometimes the reason we end up in these Catch 22s is simply that we are unwilling to admit that our past decisions were mistakes. We want to cover over our stupidity, our foolishness, or lack of discernment. For the Israelites leaders, humility allowed them to move forward in obedience to God. By confessing that they had already messed up, they advanced in wisdom and righteousness. And God honored the leaders’ decision to keep their promise. When the Israelites went to battle to defend the Gibeonites against five other Canaanite kings, God helped them gain the victory by pouring down hail on their enemies and stopping the sun in its very course (Josh. 10:11-14)!

 

Father, give me the humility you gave the Israelite leaders, along with their confidence in Your grace. Help me to admit my sins and my mistakes rather than trying to cover them up. Help me to trust You to forgive my past so that I don’t sin worse in the present and future. I want to honor You!