[They] did not inquire of the Lord.
—Joshua 9:14
The Gibeonite delegation lived twenty-five miles down the road from Joshua’s camp at Gilgal but lied and said they had come from a distant land and wanted a treaty of peace.
Joshua and his pals eyeballed their worn-out sandals, threadbare clothes, cracked wineskins, moldy bread—and took the bait.
Big mistake!
God had stabbed seven pins in the map of Canaan, marking seven nations: “Make no treaty with them,” he commanded (Dt 7:2).
But Joshua and his team “did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them” (Jo 9:14–15).
Trusting our own observation, relying on our own judgment, and making our own decisions without inquiring of the Lord is a big mistake.
If you’re going to map your own plans,
be sure you do it in pencil.