1. 1 Last week we saw that the free will of man does not collide with the sovereignty of God. It is just that God uses the rebellion of man in his free will to prove beyond doubt that man is not smart enough to direct his own life. We also saw that God used what men have called “dispensations” to demonstrate under all different kinds of situations and conditions that man does not have what it takes to direct his own life under any living condition, even without a devil to tempt us, and Jesus ruling on the throne of His father David as it will be in the Millennium.

2. 2 We must also see the difference in relationship between God and man under the Old and the New Covenants. Under the Old Covenant God was a caretaker, a protector and deliverer. He was a promise keeper and sustainer who blessed the nation of Israel and defeated their enemies. He was trying to show hardheaded Israelites that if they were as competent, intelligent and powerful as they thought, they wouldn’t have so many problems and such need for deliverance.

3. 3 Under the New Covenant God has entirely solved our sin issue with everything needed to even solve our lack of ability to live life or direct it by giving us the life of His Son. But under the New Covenant God has more than demonstrated our lack of power and our inability to solve our spiritual problems. We are the bride of Christ who are indwelt permanently by the Holy Spirit. Under the Old Covenant obedience was the pillar of engagement with God for which blessing was bestowed. Under the New Covenant union with God is the pillar of engagement and submission of the heart and obedience in actions is the byproduct, not the goal.

4. 4 Under the New Covenant God has entirely solved our sin issue with everything needed to even solve our lack of ability to live life or direct it by giving us the life of His Son. But under the New Covenant God has more than demonstrated our lack of power and our inability to solve our spiritual problems. We are the bride of Christ who are indwelt permanently by the Holy Spirit. Under the Old Covenant obedience was the pillar of engagement with God for which blessing was bestowed. Under the New Covenant union with God is the pillar of engagement and submission of the heart and obedience in actions is the byproduct, not the goal. You have to understand that under the Old Covenant God was still trying to demonstrate to man that he was absolutely incapable of independence from God, or even maintaining righteousness by keeping the Law, and is in need of a Savior to produce righteousness, or even to live by any measure. Under the New Covenant, we agree with God that our own efforts will not achieve what we need and that we are totally dependent upon the finished work of Christ, not only to atone for our sin, but to actually live in day to day existence.

5. 5 Let’s make sovereignty totally practical. Does God really ordain every word spoken to us, every criticism, every attack, flat tire, every disappointment; is He controlling every issue in our lives for the work of sovereign good? I doubt many Christians believe that God can perform His will without violating free will. If we did, we wouldn’t see all of the frustration in Christian circles today in relationships and politics. Consider some of our more recent news: the Supreme Court’s ruling on healthcare and same sex marriages, the senseless murder of a young woman by an illegal alien in San Francisco, and the rape and murder of a female veteran by another illegal, the operation of sanctuary cities that harbor convicted and repeat felons – does God have design and purpose behind all of that? ABSOLUTELY! In our free will, when it is unsheathed from the will of God, we demonstrate that without argument we are much too foolish and incompetent to be capable of self-government, individually as well as corporately as a nation. It has never been any different in the history of mankind. Under the obedient leadership of Joshua, the unstoppable power of God convinced the Gibeonites that they were going to die before Israel who, by the power and direction of God was taking the Promised Land from the Canaanites without resistance of any kind. Isn’t it interesting that the unbelieving, pagan Gibeonites preserved their lives by faith, even though God had pronounced that Israel was to exterminate all of the inhabitants of the land? Isn’t it also interesting that Joshua failed his mission at this point because he paid attention to his sensory data, rather than taking every issue to the Lord for direction? In other words, the Gibeonites had more faith than Joshua in that event, and God rewarded their faith by granting them their lives by a covenant they made with Israel, because they made a good choice with their free will.

6. 6 “Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel. When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they also acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended, and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn- out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled.

7. 7 They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?” But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the Lord your God; for we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth.

8. 8 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us. “This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. These wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.” So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

9. 9 It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land. Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath- jearim. The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.” Joshua 9:1-20

10. 10 It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land. Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath- jearim. The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.” Joshua 9:1-20 Why are the Israelites angry and grumbling against the leaders? In faith and free will (interestingly enough) these pagan people believed that God was going to give the Israelites the same victory over the Gibeonites that He gave them over Jericho, and their faith in God and His power, saved their lives and their city. The Israelite population was grumbling against the Joshua because in his confidence in his own independent discernment, he took away from Israel some of the prime land that the Lord wanted to give to Israel because he made a covenant without checking with the Lord. Here is something interesting to see. The Gibeonites, who had a pronouncement of death determined over them by God, willingly put their free will in the faith of the power of God, even though they did it by telling a LIE, and in faith received grace by faith, resulting in their lives being spared. Israel, on the other hand, who had a divine pronouncement of possession of the land in perpetuity, forfeited their right to that promised land because Joshua used his free will to determine in his finite and faulty knowledge, that he could rightly discern the veracity of the story of the Gibeonites and did not ask counsel of God. If he did, God would have told him the truth about the Gibeonites which would have resulted in some other arrangement than the forfeiture of prime land and housing. Isn’t the life-giving dance between free will and sovereignty an amazing thing – even in the lives of people outside of the covenant? Now do you see why it is wrong to believe that free will competes with the sovereign will of God? The sovereign will of God is the perfect partner and complement to the free will of man, not a competitor.

11. 11 What did the free will of the pagan Gibeonites teach them concerning their position before God? They knew they were dead if they continued to use their free will to serve their own desires, trusting themselves for their wellbeing and did not yield their free will to God. Do we, who are under the covenant, understand as much? Do we, who live under grace, understand that if we use our free will to serve our own selfish desires and trust in ourselves, our wisdom, and remain confident in self, that we will destroy ourselves, our families and the peace of the Christian life? Were the Gibeonites perhaps a little smarter than a lot of Christians today?

12. 12 They knew that it was better to be the willing slaves of the Israelites and live, than to band together with the rest of the five Canaanite kings and their armies and die. Most of mankind live to utilize free will to serve self, to do what they want and live life as they see fit in free will. But the Gibeonites gained their lives by choosing to give up free will and live as slaves to the people of God. Isn’t it interesting that the lesson here is that if you use your free will to serve yourself, you will die, but if you use your free will to lay your life before God, you will live.

13. 13 The Bible doesn’t say, but I am sure that many of them came to faith in God by being servants to faithful Israelites who taught them about Jehovah and His love for His people. After all, it was more than obvious to the Gibeonites that they were under a death sentence, and that the gods they served were just as useless before the God of Israel as the gods of Jericho. Do you see how personal helplessness must FIRST be embraced in free will, and that faith stands on acknowledged human impotence? That is, we must be convinced of our own lack of ability before we will stand in faith in God. Is it true that faith stands on acknowledged human helplessness?

14. 14 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 2Chron 20:12 Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” 2Chron 14:11 Do you see why there can be no room for self-confidence in the human heart that desires to stand in faith in God alone?