Passage Read: Joshua 10-13
Meditation Verse: 11:20
Thought
This is an interesting tidbit inserted into the narrative at this point. The Lord honored the vow the elders made with Gibeon, even though they didn't consult Him first. When Achan took things that were forbidden, the Lord ceased to bless and accompany Israel in battle, so they were defeated. But He didn't hold against them their mistake with Gibeon; in fact, He assured them of victory against the kings who fought against Gibeon. He could have let those kings fix Israel's mistake, but instead, He supported them in defending Gibeon. So of all the Canaanites, Rahab, her family and all Gibeon received mercy and we're permitted by the Lord to survive. But all these other kings, He made sure to harden their hearts so as not to receive mercy. All Canaanites were under condemnation, but a few received mercy from the Lord. Others remained condemned, but Israel failed to war against them and destroy them from their land; those became stumbling blocks to them, but somehow Gibeon and Rahab's family were not so.
Application
God has authority and the right to condemn whole swaths of people, but that doesn't mean He is not willing to grant mercy to some under condemnation. He hardens whom He wants to, but He also softens those He desires. The condemnation of the Canaanites is a microcosm of the whole of mankind. We all alike are under God's condemnation, and deservedly so. He would be perfectly just to destroy every one of us. But He is willing to rescue some from under the ban. God does not need to appoint a nation to carry out sentence against all mankind; every individual will eventually stand before Him for judgment and the vast majority will be condemned to eternal torment. But some will be saved. His method is to send out messengers of peace, offering peace with Him through the blood of His Son to those who will repent of their rebellion and return to His rule. Instead of clearing out those who are condemned, He is calling out those whom He desires to save. I'm one of those messengers, which means I need to be careful not to reject the whole but to offer the message of redemption to all. No matter how undesirable a people may be to me, I need to remember that among them are likely those whom the Lord has chosen to rescue, and so the message needs to be taken to them. How they respond, and who among them responds is entirely up to the Lord, but I need to welcome any who do receive the Lord Jesus' offer of redemption. Though all people are condemned, I can't reject any by refusing them the Gospel and a call to repent and believe.