Today, I am reading and commenting on  Joshua 8-9.

I never really think about the fact that in Deuteronomy the Israelites were commanded to set up an altar on Mount Ebal as soon as they entered the land of Canaan, but they did not actually do so until after they conquered Ai.  However, when I looked at where Mount Ebal is, I realized that they had to conquer Ai before they could occupy the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.  I am unaware of any real significance to this, except that it reminds us that some things which appear inconsistent when we read them would have been perfectly clear and consistent to those living as they happened.

We can, however, learn an important lesson from the way in which the Gibeonites fooled the Israelites.  The Israelites attempted to do their due diligence before entering into a treaty with the Gibeonites.  They carefully examined the Gibeonites provisions, supplies, and equipment, but the Gibeonites had expected that and packed provisions and supplies which were already old before they set out, and they used well-worn equipment.  What the Israelites did not do was seek God’s guidance.  When entering into a big decision, we must do our due diligence, but we must also seek God’s guidance.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.