“The Moldy Bread.”

Have you ever been in a crossroad and didn’t know what to do, or which way to go? God always closes one door (and sometimes slams it) before he opens another. We all get in a position many times, when we need to “ask counsel of the Lord.”

Joshua was a tremendous leader and was God’s choice to lead the people after Moses died. He generally prayed and asked God for counsel before he did anything, but one time, his enemies set a trap for him. This happened in Joshua, Chapter 9. His enemies, the inhabitants of Gibeon, had heard that Joshua was a fierce leader and that he was “wiping out the enemy,” and the Gibeonites would be next in line! So, they disguised themselves as travelers coming from a “far away country,” putting on old, dusty, torn, clothes, and bad looking, worn out sandals, with clogs of dirt on them, and even carried “moldy bread.“They told Joshua, “We come from a far country. Look at our clothes and our shoes, and even our bread is moldy from the trip. Make a pact with us to be your friends. We come from a far country.”

Have you ever had to make a “quick decision” and decided not to pray about it? That’s what Joshua did. The Bible says in Joshua 9:14 “And the men took of their victuals (looked at their moldy bread) and “asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.” After this, Joshua and his men found out that they had been tricked, but Joshua was forbidden to slay them because he had made an oath with them (and anytime when God told his servant to destroy and not to leave anyone alive, it always brought them trouble in the future).

We see Joshua, being tricked by some fellows dressed in rags, carrying moldy bread, “and the men took of their victuals (the moldy bread) and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.” If you are making a decision, any decision, always pray about it first. God desires the very best for you. Always ask “counsel of the Lord,” and “never trust the moldy bread” (what something appears to be)!

Have a great day! Sherry