I remember well the vulgar tang that gripped my tongue when I bit into the bread. I was probably about ten-years-old and, in my haste and my ignorance, had retrieved from the bread box (yes, we had one -- every household did in those days) a piece of moldy bread. The center had remained fluffy and white, but the crust...? Fuzzy black and green spots dotted its once golden-brown surface. I immediately spit it out. And I've never made that mistake again.
The mistake I have made again and again, however, is a lesson learned through moldy bread and old wineskins. In Joshua 9, the nation of Israel has entered the Promised Land, Canaan. They have followed their God in the person of their appointed leader, Joshua, as they have been handed the victory over the godless inhabitants occupying the land. In short, these nations had, by their conduct, warranted God's judgment; God's people had been tasked with the exclusive worship of Him, holiness, and obedience. Obedience, in this case, required the children of Israel to distribute the Canaanites' earnings by military means and eliminate those who, by their deviant behavior, would corrupt the morals of Israel. The reputation of Israel's God had preceded their arrival, and nations were clamoring to get ahead of what would surely be their end. The Gibeonites had devised a plan; dress as travelers, sojourners like Israel, from a far-off land who had heard of Elohim's reputation and were coming to meet with Israel in hopes of a peaceful union. Sure, they were lying, but their motives were admirable, right? I mean, absent some sort of betrayal once they were welcomed into the company of new friends, the Gibeonites simply wanted a peaceful solution to their presumed demise. Verse 8 says, We are your servants. They willingly humbled themselves before the leaders of Israel in hopes of making a covenant of peace. And Israel, following the instructions given them in Leviticus 19, made such a covenant, looking to assimilate the people of Gibeon into their culture.
God's people, however, are called to a higher standard. The problem wasn't really with the pagan people of Gibeon, the problem was with Israel's trust in moldy bread. The Gibeonite retinue had dressed themselves in rags and worn-out sandals; they carried tattered wineskins and bread that had molded and begun to crumble. It made their premise more convincing. Joshua and the men of Israel said, "Hahaha! Nice try, but we have prayed to our God, and we see right through your little charade. You are targeted for termination!" NOPE! No, they did not. Instead, some of the leaders sampled the bread. The moldy bread these charlatans had dredged up from who-knows-where? --the men of Israel tasted it. Even as I type these words, I recall the taste. If I were to accidentally ingest some free penicillin again, it would be immediate recognition. But is the lesson as fixed in my psyche as the visceral consequences? If we're talking about bread, yes. If we're talking about praying, seeking God's will before I accept that invitation, before I schedule that event, before I sign up for that committee, before I take that person at their word, even before I write that article...? I can't say that it is. Like the men of Israel, I am far too attached to my senses; I rely far too often on physical evidence. If Joshua and his advisors had bowed their heads in prayer as instinctively as they examined the goods, they would not have been duped. If I had bowed my head in prayer as instinctively as I followed my thoughts or feelings; if I had weighed all things by God's standards as keenly as I saw them as good or worthwhile (when it really wasn't); if I had sought God's truth as naturally as I employed my own (perceived) autonomy, things would have been different.
As for Joshua and the people of Israel, God demonstrated His infinite mercy toward His people and the citizens of Gibeon. Neither was destroyed. There may have been a tummy ache or two, but neither was destroyed. And as for us, it remains a lesson. God will lead us and protect us when we seek His will continually.
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