What do you do when you have to decide between two obligations? When both choices are both right and kind of wrong at the same time?
I was reading Joshua 9 this morning. The people of Israel had crossed the Jordan River into the land that was promised to them by God. After conquering a couple of cities, the Hivites who were Israel's new neighbors tricked the Israelites into making a treaty with them. The Israelites were to spare them from destruction.
The problem was that God had instructed the Israelites to destroy all the people living in the land they were to conquer. Yet now they had sworn an oath before God to spare the Hivites. What were they to do? If they renege on their oath, they would have broken an oath made before God himself. If they spared the Hivites they would be disobeying the command of God.
Sometimes we face decisions in our lives where we have to make choices. Choices are rarely black and white and simple.
As we read deeper into the story, we discover that the Israelites were in their situation because they had made the oath with the Hivites without enquiring of the Lord first. I find that often when we find ourselves in conflicting situations, we are there because of choices we have made without consulting God first. Then we wonder how God could allow us into the difficult situation.
May we increasingly consult God on everything we do - and follow his instructions when we do consult him!
I was reading Joshua 9 this morning. The people of Israel had crossed the Jordan River into the land that was promised to them by God. After conquering a couple of cities, the Hivites who were Israel's new neighbors tricked the Israelites into making a treaty with them. The Israelites were to spare them from destruction.
The problem was that God had instructed the Israelites to destroy all the people living in the land they were to conquer. Yet now they had sworn an oath before God to spare the Hivites. What were they to do? If they renege on their oath, they would have broken an oath made before God himself. If they spared the Hivites they would be disobeying the command of God.
Sometimes we face decisions in our lives where we have to make choices. Choices are rarely black and white and simple.
As we read deeper into the story, we discover that the Israelites were in their situation because they had made the oath with the Hivites without enquiring of the Lord first. I find that often when we find ourselves in conflicting situations, we are there because of choices we have made without consulting God first. Then we wonder how God could allow us into the difficult situation.
May we increasingly consult God on everything we do - and follow his instructions when we do consult him!
