FAITH CAPSULE: Giving out words and not backing them can cause great pain.

Joshua 9

Whenever a believer engages being zealous for God it must be grounded on right principles and directed to right ends. When it is wrongly directed it brings forth a negative or painful consequence like the experience it brought to the Israelites during the reign of King David.
It is written, “Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” (2 Samuel 21:1) King Saul’s killing of the Gibeonites was a violation of the covenant that was made between the Israelites and the Gibeonites during the days of Joshua as the leader of the children of Israel.
During the days of Joshua, the Gibeonites cunningly deceived Joshua into making a covenant that guaranteed their protection. It was after Joshua had defeated their neighbor that they came to deceive Joshua that they were from far country which gave Joshua reason to enter into covenant with them. It is written, “And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. But the children of Israel did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers. Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them. This we will do to them: We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.” (Joshua 9:16-20)
Many years after Joshua’s covenant with the Gibeonites, King Saul went ahead and killed the Gibeonites violating the covenant between the Israelites and the Gibeonites. It was the violation by Saul that caused the three years of famine in the days of David. King Saul’s action could have been unknowing when he acted in violation of Joshua’s covenant with the Gibeonites. Before God, there was no excuse for such violation.Have you been consciously or unconsciously giving words which you fail to honor? God is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Avoid giving words that you cannot back up. Giving out words and not backing them can cause great pain at a time or season when we do not expect. The killing of the Gibeonites by Saul was a violation of the covenant of about four hundred years from when it was violated yet there was no place to hide from the consequence.

Prayer for today: Ask for His lovingkindness and truth to continually preserve you in your entire doings for His glory.