Black History Unmasked: Bound by an Oath: The Gibeonites, Deception, and Divine Mercy

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you

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on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning,

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or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.

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The prayer of Jabez, oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,

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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,

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and our ability to receive what you have for us.

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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

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Your word says that you granted his request, and we believe that you are the same God today.

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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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We are on episode 5, The Gibeonites, Covenant, Deception, and Divine Mercy.

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I also want to welcome you back to the Bible History Unmasked.

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Hope you're enjoying the story of the ites. And these are not the giants, these were the enemies.

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We will cover the giants, the ites that are listed as giants.

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And it was a family of them, about three different families of the ites.

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But this is where we follow biblical texts, trace the nations named in scripture,

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and allow the word of God to tell the story.

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The last episode, we examined the Amalites and the surrounding nation Israel

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encountered in the wilderness.

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We looked at conflict, covenant boundaries, and the way God distinguishes between the nations.

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Israel was permitted to fight and nations were commanded to leave them alone.

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Now we come to one of the most unusual stories in the conquest of Canaan,

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and it's the story of the Gibbonites. These Gibbonites were Canaanites.

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They lived in the land of Israel, had been commanded to possess.

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So they live where Israel is supposed to go take over, right?

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They knew what happened in Jericho. They knew what happened in AI, and they understood.

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Israel was moving forward under the authority of the God of Israel.

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So they decided they did not want to meet Israel first with an army.

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So they came up with a plan and that plan is found in Joshua 9 verses 3 to 6.

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But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard that Joshua had done in Jericho and

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to Ai, they did work. They did work willy-nilly and went and made as if they had been ambassadors.

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And they went to Joshua unto the camp of Gilgal and said to him,

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to the men of Israel, we become from a far country.

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Now, therefore, make us a league with us. Like out of the blue,

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you're asking this strange people to come and make league with you.

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Isn't that interesting?

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And so did they ask God? Nope. They're just doing their own thing. Let's continue.

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But the inhabitants of Gibeon heard that what Joshua had done.

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So they were already afraid.

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So the Gibeonites disguised themselves. They carried old sacks.

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They wore worn clothing.

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They bought dry and moldy bread. They presented themselves as travelers from

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a distant country, but they were not distant.

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They were nearby. And scripture gives us one of the most important details of the entire story.

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It's found in Joshua 9, 14. And the

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men took their vitrioles and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.

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So they believed them and they did not ask God on what to do next.

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Israel examined the evidence. They listened to their sad story.

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They looked at the dry moldy bread. They looked at the closing,

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like going by sight, not working by faith, not working by discernment.

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And they did this and they made a covenant, but they did not ask God.

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And three days later, the truth came out. Like always, the Givinites were not

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from a foreign nation, distant nation. They were inhabitants of the land.

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Israel had been deceived, and yet something remarkable happened.

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Israel does not destroy them. Why?

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Because a covenant was made.

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It's similar to a marriage covenant, right? Any covenant you make,

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it's not that easy to get out of.

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Let's go to Joshua 9, verse 18 and 19. And it reads, And the children of Israel

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smote them not, because the princesses of the congregation had sworn unto them

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by the Lord God of Israel.

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We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. Now, therefore, we may not touch them.

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This is where the story becomes much deeper than deception.

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The Gibeonites lie. Joshua and the leaders failed to seek God.

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We have Joshua on this high horse, but Joshua was human too,

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so he made a mistake. He was just following his heart.

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Yet once an oath has been made in the name of the Lord, Israel understood that.

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The covenant itself carried weight.

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And that's because one of the central lessons of this episode tells us that

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God takes covenant seriously.

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Even when the circumstances surrounding the covenant are messy, right?

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Even if you marry the wrong guy, even when people make mistakes,

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even when deception is involved and the oath made before God was not treated

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casually, it wasn't, but the story does not stop there.

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The Gibbonites become servants associated with the house of God.

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Let's go to Joshua 9, 27. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers

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of water for the congregation for the altar of God. So he gave them a job.

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The people who enter Israel camp through deception were not erased from the biblical story.

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They remained among Israel. And later, when the other Canaanite kings attacked

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Gibeon because of their trusty treaty with Israel, Israel was required to defend them.

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Joshua 10 says they picked us like being a co-signer on a loan, right?

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You did it in good deeds. Say, hey, you know, it's good. I can co-sign this

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car for you or this house for you or whatever.

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They asked you to do, but then they lose their job or they decided that they

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don't even want to work, right? They just want to just hang out because, you know, you co-sign.

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So, I mean, you're going to pay the bills. That's why you have to pay attention.

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That's why you have to ask God. I remember I told you this guy gave me his phone

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number and I said, Lord, what should I do with this number, right?

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A lot of times we all excited and God said, that's not for you, you know?

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And no sooner than I did that, the different attitudes and things started to

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come out from him because I haven't called. It's been like almost a month.

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You see what I'm saying? So a lot of times you just have to wait on God.

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And if you wait long enough, you'll see a person's true color,

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but we're too excited that we move ahead of God. That's in anything.

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That's in everything. Or what should I do?

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Do I quit this job or do I go to another one? What should I do?

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Because you always want to inquire of the Lord.

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Otherwise, you got to be required to pay back that co-signing,

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or you're going to have a headache for the rest of your life because you did not inquire of the Lord.

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That was extra. Let's continue. John 10, 6.

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And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp of Gilgal,

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saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servant.

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Come up to us quickly and save us and help us. And Joshua responded,

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Israel went to battle and God fought with them.

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This is a famous battle in which Joshua prayed and the sun stood still.

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So think about what is happening.

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Israel is fighting to defend a people who was once supposed to be among a nation

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to be conquered in Canaan, a people who deceived them, a people who entered

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the covenant through the questionable means.

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And yet the covenant existed and Israel had to defend them.

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That reveals something powerful about biblical covenant ethics.

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The Gibbonites have moved from being outsiders and enemies to becoming a protected

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people within the Israel's covenant community.

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And generations later, scripture shows that God had not forgotten the treaty.

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During the reign of David, a famine came upon Israel.

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David sought the Lord and God revealed the reason. 2 Samuel 21, it says.

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It is for Saul and his bloody house because he slew the Gibeonites.

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This scripture reminds us in 2 Samuel 21, 2, it says, Now the Gibeonites were

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not of the children of Israel, but the remnant of the Amorites and the children

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of Israel had sworn unto them.

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And Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.

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Years passed. Leadership has changed.

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Joshua was gone. Saul had gone, come and gone. David was now king.

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But God still remembered the covenant Israel made with the Gibeonites.

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And that tells us something about the character of God.

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People may forget covenants, but God does not.

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And the Gibeonites story also introduces another theme that runs throughout

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scripture, God's mercy towards outsiders.

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Rahab was a Canaanite, a woman who believed.

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The Gibeonites were Canaanites who sought survival through covenant.

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Ruth was a Moabite who entered the people, God, through faithfulness.

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Again and again, scripture shows how outsiders are brought near,

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not because of ancestry.

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Not because ancestry suddenly stopped mattering in the historical record,

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but because God's mercy was never restricted by the social boundaries people

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created around themselves.

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Isaiah 56, 6-7 tells us, Also the sons of the stranger that joined themselves

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to the Lord to serve him and to love the name of the Lord, even them will I

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bring to my holy nation. Look at that.

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God says, I will even bring strangers that would join themselves to me.

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The given eye story is therefore not simply about people who lie to Joshua.

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It's about deception, leadership failure, covenant responsibility.

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Judgment, mercy, and protection.

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It requires us that wise decisions require seeking God. It reminds us that our words matter.

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Reminds us that covenant obligations cannot simply be discarded when they become inconvenient.

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And it reminds us that people who begin the story as outsiders may not remain outsiders forever.

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So in this episode, we're going to examine who were the Gibbonites?

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Why were they afraid of Israel?

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Why did they choose deception instead of war?

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And why did Israel honor a covenant that had been obtained dishonestly?

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And why God later judged Israel when Saul violated the covenant?

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And what does this story teach us about protection of people who become joined

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to the covenant community? Reminds me of, you know, church.

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You go to church, maybe you got a job and you always have somebody,

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you know, a job. People rotate jobs a lot and then church people come and go too.

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But it's like seeing someone new in the church. And just because you've been

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there 20 years, hello, you're going to snub your nose. And the first thing you

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ask a new person is, where are you from and how long you've been here?

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I've been here 20 years. It becomes more of a conversation about you,

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not about learning about them.

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And that's pretty cold if you think about it.

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And remember, God honors a covenant no matter how you get there.

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So when you get to that church and you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior,

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when they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, God automatically puts them in the

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family without your approval. Think about that.

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So you have to be careful because God is watching. I told you,

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his eyes are not closed to those things. So this reminds me of those covenants

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that, yeah, God made a covenant with his Christians, but his door is open.

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His door is always open. And once they're in, they get the same treatment as you do.

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The Gibeonites enter Israel's story through deception.

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But once a covenant was made in the name of the Lord, the covenant carried lasting responsibility.

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Their story shows that God takes promises seriously, protects those brought

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under covenant, and extends mercy even to people who began outside of the community

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of Israel. The lesson is clear.

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Seek God before making the promise, but once the promise is made, honor the covenant.

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The Gibeonites were Afro-Asianic Canaanites, brown-skinned descendants of Ham,

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living in a powerful city-state north of Jerusalem.

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Their deception of Israel revealed that both human fear and divine mercy,

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instead of being destroyed, they became servants of the sanctuary,

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protected by God and woven into Israel story for generation. Let's continue.

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Let's talk about these conquering giving nights, right?

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Let's talk about the story. We see here 1 John 9, not John, Joshua.

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We're in Joshua. Joshua has a long story.

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Joshua is one of those other people that God was watching from a long time.

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So Joshua chapter 9 talks about the Canaanite coalition.

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So after Jericho and Ai fell, the remaining Canaanites nations formed a military alliance.

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And so let's look up that Joshua scripture, Joshua 1.

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9 verses 1 and 2 see what happens here okay Joshua 9 1 and 2 and it tells us

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and it came to pass when all the kings which were on this side of Jordan in

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the hills in the valleys and all the coasts of the great sea

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over against Lebanon the Hittite and the Amorites and the Canaanites the Perizzites

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the Hivites and the Jebusites heard thereof and they gathered themselves together

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to fight with Joshua, with Israel

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on one accord.

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So when we talk about them, they came to fight.

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And the nations that were Afro-Asianic people, once again, they were the Hittites,

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the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

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The Gibeonites were Hivites, a Hurrian, Canaanite, Afro-Asianic blend.

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And then Gibeon was a major city in the political influence.

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They fear was rational. Israel had defeated two fortified cities.

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Let's go to verse 3 in Joshua 9 regarding this deception. We read it in the introduction.

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Let's see what it looks like in play.

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So when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard that Joshua had done to Jericho and

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Ai, they didn't work willy-lily

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and went and made as if they had been ambassadors

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and took old sacks upon their

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asses and wine bottles, old and rent and bound up, and the old shoes.

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Clouded upon their feet and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their

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provision was dried and moldy.

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And they went to Joshua, went to the camp of Gilgal and said unto him,

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and the man of Israel, we are come from a far country. And now therefore make a league with us.

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And the man of Israel said unto the Hivites, preadventure ye should dwell among us.

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How should you make a league with us? And so it talks about how the Gibeonites

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disguised themselves as distant travelers to secure a treaty.

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The Gibeonites were brown-skinned Afro-Asianic people living in the Central Keogh country.

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Their clothing and props, moldy bread and worn sandals, reflected ancient Near

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Eastern travel customs.

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Their deception showed political intelligence, not cowardness.

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Theological insight showed us that they believed Israel's God was real.

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Their deception was an act of desperation mixed with faith.

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Let's go to Joshua 9 verses 14 and 15.

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And it says, And the men took their victuals and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.

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And Joshua made peace with them and made a league with them to let them live.

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And the princess of the congregation swore unto them.

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So we see here that Israel makes a treaty without consulting the Lord.

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Even righteous leaders can make mistakes when they rely on sight instead of prayer.

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Our theological point speaks of how God honors covenant even when it's made an error.

00:18:10.476 --> 00:18:14.081
Israel's integrity becomes a witness to surrounding nations,

00:18:14.336 --> 00:18:19.834
and the treaty becomes a long-term relationship between Israel and Gibeon.

00:18:20.101 --> 00:18:25.262
Let's go to verses 16 through 21, when the truth was revealed.

00:18:25.615 --> 00:18:29.496
And it came to pass at the end of the three days after they had made a league

00:18:29.496 --> 00:18:35.483
with them, They heard that they were their neighbors and that they dwelt among them.

00:18:35.606 --> 00:18:39.674
And the children of Israel journeyed and came unto their cities on the third day.

00:18:40.005 --> 00:18:45.025
Now their cities were Gibeon, Shebriah, Beirut, and Kurthagiram.

00:18:45.147 --> 00:18:49.426
Continue verse 18. And the children of Israel smote them not because the princes

00:18:49.426 --> 00:18:53.472
of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel.

00:18:53.686 --> 00:18:56.107
And all the congregation murmured against the prince.

00:18:56.484 --> 00:19:00.916
But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them

00:19:00.916 --> 00:19:02.539
by the Lord God of Israel.

00:19:02.812 --> 00:19:05.726
Now, therefore, we may not touch them.

00:19:07.659 --> 00:19:13.246
This we will do to them. We will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us because

00:19:13.246 --> 00:19:15.339
of the oath which we swore unto them.

00:19:15.594 --> 00:19:18.781
And the princess said unto them, Let them live.

00:19:19.025 --> 00:19:24.826
Let them be hewers of wood and draws of water unto all the congregation as the

00:19:24.826 --> 00:19:27.675
princess had promised them.

00:19:27.802 --> 00:19:30.269
So Israel discovered that they were deceived,

00:19:30.838 --> 00:19:36.553
but they refused to break the covenant. We see, we know that the ethnic context we talked about.

00:19:37.493 --> 00:19:40.893
That the land they had covenant with was not just the Gibeonites,

00:19:40.893 --> 00:19:44.218
that the Gibeonites had the Gibeons, this is where they lived,

00:19:44.549 --> 00:19:49.263
the Shapira, the Be-Ruth, and the Kareth-Jerom were African,

00:19:49.263 --> 00:19:50.917
Asian, and Canaanite cities.

00:19:51.149 --> 00:19:55.926
Theological insight shows us that Israel leaders fear God more than public opinion.

00:19:56.292 --> 00:20:00.640
They chose covenant faithfulness over retaliation, out of retaliation.

00:20:00.901 --> 00:20:04.529
And they gave them a job. They made them woodcutters, water carriers,

00:20:04.854 --> 00:20:07.142
and servants for the tabernacle.

00:20:07.275 --> 00:20:14.665
This was not slavery. It was considered tabernacle service, placing them near God's presence.

00:20:14.909 --> 00:20:19.193
Joshua 10 verses 1 through 14. I'm not going to read all of that,

00:20:19.193 --> 00:20:22.356
but we see here that God fights for Gibeon.

00:20:22.711 --> 00:20:27.680
So we have the five Amorite kings attack Gibeon for making peace with Israel.

00:20:27.976 --> 00:20:31.871
The Amorite kings were brown-skinned, Semitic, Afro-Asianic rulers.

00:20:32.283 --> 00:20:35.685
The theological insights showed us that God defended the Gibeonites,

00:20:35.969 --> 00:20:38.245
outsiders who sought covenant protections.

00:20:38.615 --> 00:20:42.943
This is stunning because God fights for people who enter through the covenant,

00:20:42.943 --> 00:20:44.530
even if it's through deception.

00:20:44.826 --> 00:20:52.820
And the miracle was the sun stands still and God protected both Israel and Gibeon. That's powerful.

00:20:53.302 --> 00:21:00.511
Then we go to Joshua 21, 17, and this is about Gibeon becomes a Levitical city. They really love God.

00:21:00.807 --> 00:21:04.784
They knew about God and they found a trickery way so they don't have to fight

00:21:04.784 --> 00:21:07.894
Israel, but they can actually be partners with them.

00:21:08.234 --> 00:21:11.309
And that was deception, but God honored it anyway.

00:21:11.651 --> 00:21:17.741
And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with their suburbs,

00:21:18.013 --> 00:21:23.474
and And it goes on, Anath with her suburbs and Ammon with the suburbs and four

00:21:23.474 --> 00:21:26.535
cities. So they become the Levitical city.

00:21:26.937 --> 00:21:30.161
Canaan city becomes the center of Israel worship.

00:21:30.335 --> 00:21:37.707
Theological insight shows us that God elevated a formerly pagan people into a sacred service.

00:21:37.985 --> 00:21:40.615
Let's go to 2 Samuel 21, 19.

00:21:40.934 --> 00:21:44.957
We were there earlier and it's about Saul's violation of the covenant.

00:21:45.508 --> 00:21:51.592
Let's go to 2 Samuel, verse 21, 1 through 9. Let's see what happens. Then there was a famine.

00:21:51.714 --> 00:21:56.667
Then there was a famine in the days of David, three years after a year.

00:21:56.667 --> 00:21:58.238
And David inquired of the Lord.

00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:02.163
And the Lord answered, Is it for Saul and for his bloody house?

00:22:02.459 --> 00:22:06.967
Because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the Gibeonites and said

00:22:06.967 --> 00:22:10.411
unto them, Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel,

00:22:10.684 --> 00:22:12.403
but of the remnant of the Amorites.

00:22:12.745 --> 00:22:17.732
And the children of Israel had sworn unto them, and Saul sought to slay them

00:22:17.906 --> 00:22:20.901
in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.

00:22:21.058 --> 00:22:24.787
Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What should I do for you,

00:22:24.787 --> 00:22:30.427
and wherewith should I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?

00:22:30.677 --> 00:22:35.185
And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver, nor gold of Saul,

00:22:35.452 --> 00:22:39.353
nor of his house, neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel.

00:22:39.684 --> 00:22:42.708
And he said, What should they say? What should I do for you?

00:22:42.998 --> 00:22:47.417
And they answered the king, the man that consumed us and that divides against

00:22:47.417 --> 00:22:52.292
us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any rites of the coast of Israel.

00:22:52.548 --> 00:22:57.907
Let seven men of his son be delivered unto us, and we shall hang them up to the Lord, and.

00:23:00.287 --> 00:23:03.310
Giveth of Saul, whom the Lord did choose.

00:23:03.629 --> 00:23:07.693
And the king said, I will give them. Wow. He said, let me hang the people.

00:23:07.954 --> 00:23:13.718
And the king spirit, Meshavavish, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul.

00:23:14.590 --> 00:23:19.583
And Jonathan, the son of Saul, because the Lord's oath was between them,

00:23:19.891 --> 00:23:22.502
between David and Jonathan and the son of Saul.

00:23:22.631 --> 00:23:28.024
But the king took two sons of Risba, the daughter of Ai, whom she bare unto

00:23:28.024 --> 00:23:34.994
Saul, Armani, Mishbisbeth, and the survived sons of Micah, the daughters of Saul, whom,

00:23:35.554 --> 00:23:40.154
she brought up for Adriel, the son of Berezillah and the Methalite.

00:23:40.671 --> 00:23:44.284
He delivered them unto the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in

00:23:44.284 --> 00:23:48.728
the hills before the Lord, and they all fell, all seven together,

00:23:49.047 --> 00:23:54.167
and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days of the beginning of the barley harvest.

00:23:54.440 --> 00:24:01.014
Wow, we see here that since they killed some Gibeonites, they had to kill some

00:24:01.014 --> 00:24:04.576
of Saul's family, and look like Michael, the daughter of Saul.

00:24:04.866 --> 00:24:11.704
Wow, so that's how she died, From the zeal of her dad who killed the Gibeonites,

00:24:11.704 --> 00:24:15.574
who was uncovered with God, some of the family of Saul was killed.

00:24:15.874 --> 00:24:20.294
Interesting. So Saul tried to wipe out the Gibeonites, and God sends famine

00:24:20.294 --> 00:24:22.066
because Israel broke the covenant.

00:24:22.403 --> 00:24:27.656
The Gibeonites remain a distinct Afro-Azianic group within Israel for centuries.

00:24:27.790 --> 00:24:32.824
And theological insight shows us that God defends covenant outsiders who hold

00:24:32.824 --> 00:24:35.550
Israel accountable for injustice.

00:24:36.205 --> 00:24:41.098
And the Gibbonites helped rebuild Israel. The covenant was so deep, God honors it.

00:24:41.203 --> 00:24:45.731
And we see how the death of back in the day, they didn't play those games.

00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:52.662
Chapter Nehemiah 3, verse 7 says, And next unto them repaired Mattiah the Gibbonite.

00:24:52.900 --> 00:24:58.688
So Mattiah the Gibbonite and Jadon the Marathite, the men of Gibeon,

00:24:58.988 --> 00:25:03.442
and Mishpah unto the throne of the governor on the side of the river.

00:25:03.662 --> 00:25:07.523
Centuries later, Gibbonites helped rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.

00:25:07.778 --> 00:25:10.919
They are fully integrated into Israel's kingdom.

00:25:11.232 --> 00:25:15.888
Theologic insight says that the people once destined for destruction became

00:25:15.888 --> 00:25:19.916
builders of God's city, and God honored that.

00:25:20.183 --> 00:25:24.537
So the Gibbonites were Hivites, the Hurrian-Canaanite blend,

00:25:24.717 --> 00:25:29.728
Afro-Asiatic, brown-skinned Near Eastern people, descendants of Ham through

00:25:29.728 --> 00:25:34.335
Canaan and culturally tied to Egypt, Phoenicia, and Levin.

00:25:34.788 --> 00:25:40.111
Their integration to Israel shows that God's covenant is open to all nations.

00:25:40.418 --> 00:25:44.588
When we do the comparison of the world versus the Bible, the world treats the

00:25:44.588 --> 00:25:51.105
givenites as a myth, depicts them as European, and ignores their Afro-Asianic identity.

00:25:51.396 --> 00:25:55.006
That's why it's so important to read your Bible.

00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:59.318
And also have study guides. I haven't mentioned this study guide in a while,

00:25:59.318 --> 00:26:02.248
so I want to mention it now as we come to the end of this episode.

00:26:02.248 --> 00:26:05.768
Do not forget to get the Complete History of Blacks in the Bible.

00:26:05.768 --> 00:26:08.768
It's by James and Opal Warner.

00:26:09.128 --> 00:26:15.939
It's going to blow your mind. The Bible names their cities. They record their covenant.

00:26:16.439 --> 00:26:21.669
And shows God defending them, places them in Israel's worship and rebuilding.

00:26:21.669 --> 00:26:23.707
Where do they place in Jesus' lineage?

00:26:24.084 --> 00:26:30.119
The givenites are not directly in Jesus' genealogy, but their story protects

00:26:30.119 --> 00:26:33.685
Israel, the tribe of Judah, and the line of David.

00:26:34.004 --> 00:26:39.588
Their covenant with Israel ensures Israel's survival, Judah's preservation,

00:26:39.925 --> 00:26:43.663
David's rise, and Jesus' eventual birth.

00:26:43.768 --> 00:26:49.805
Let's pray. Father God, in the name of Jesus, teach us the power of covenant faithfulness.

00:26:50.055 --> 00:26:55.471
Help us to see your mercy towards outsiders and your justice towards those who break covenant.

00:26:55.686 --> 00:27:03.371
Show us how you protect your people and welcome them who seek you. In Jesus' name we pray.

00:27:03.609 --> 00:27:08.399
And I thank you for joining me on this episode. And it's been a great time.

00:27:08.770 --> 00:27:12.276
And so I definitely will see you on the next episode.

00:27:12.584 --> 00:27:16.419
Goodbye. Before we close today, I don't want to take for granted that everyone

00:27:16.419 --> 00:27:18.644
listening knows Jesus personally.

00:27:19.027 --> 00:27:24.426
If you have listened to this episode or any other episodes and felt something stirring in your heart.

00:27:24.827 --> 00:27:28.563
Maybe you know about God, but you're not sure you truly know him.

00:27:28.754 --> 00:27:32.934
Maybe you grew up in church, walked away, got hurt, became tired,

00:27:33.323 --> 00:27:35.670
and never fully surrendered your life to Jesus.

00:27:36.050 --> 00:27:40.480
I want you to know this. God loves you. He has not forgotten you.

00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:42.425
He is not waiting to shame you.

00:27:42.588 --> 00:27:45.566
He is calling you home.

00:27:45.734 --> 00:27:49.734
The Bible says in Romans 10, 9, if you declare with your mouth,

00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:57.228
Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

00:27:57.425 --> 00:27:59.846
Salvation is not about being perfect.

00:28:00.061 --> 00:28:02.975
It's about surrendering to the one who is perfect.

00:28:03.288 --> 00:28:10.701
Jesus died for your sins, rose again, and made a way for you to be forgiven, restored, and made new.

00:28:10.829 --> 00:28:14.329
So right where you are, you can pray this prayer with me.

00:28:14.492 --> 00:28:19.658
Lord Jesus, I come to you today with an open heart. I believe you are the Son of God.

00:28:20.041 --> 00:28:26.495
I believe you died on the cross for my sins. And I believe that God raised you from the dead.

00:28:26.664 --> 00:28:30.810
Today, I confess that I need you. I repent of my sins.

00:28:31.130 --> 00:28:37.583
I ask you to forgive me, cleanse me, and make me brand new. Jesus, come into my heart.

00:28:37.908 --> 00:28:41.710
Be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my King.

00:28:42.090 --> 00:28:47.051
I surrender my life to you. I give you my past, my present, and my future.

00:28:47.324 --> 00:28:51.259
Teach me how to walk with you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.

00:28:51.532 --> 00:28:55.470
Lead me in truth, healing, obedience, and love.

00:28:55.790 --> 00:28:58.350
From this day forward, I belong to you.

00:28:58.730 --> 00:29:02.736
In Jesus' name, amen. If you pray that prayer from your heart,

00:29:02.893 --> 00:29:07.223
I want you to know that heaven has heard you. This is not the end.

00:29:07.554 --> 00:29:12.436
This is only the beginning of your walk with Jesus. Find a Bible-believing church.

00:29:12.610 --> 00:29:14.450
Begin reading the Word of God.

00:29:14.706 --> 00:29:17.788
Pray daily and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow.

00:29:18.061 --> 00:29:22.826
God is not looking for perfection from you. He is inviting you into relationship,

00:29:23.133 --> 00:29:26.686
transformation, and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

00:29:26.895 --> 00:29:28.799
And remember, you are loved.

00:29:29.043 --> 00:29:32.961
You are not forgotten. And God still has a purpose for your life.

00:29:33.292 --> 00:29:36.177
Thank you for listening to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:29:36.375 --> 00:29:40.839
Until next time, keep walking in truth, faith, and freedom.

00:29:51.818 --> 00:29:54.988
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

00:29:55.271 --> 00:29:58.928
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

00:29:58.928 --> 00:30:01.478
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

00:30:01.652 --> 00:30:06.191
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

00:30:06.592 --> 00:30:11.345
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,

00:30:11.770 --> 00:30:16.198
because someone out there needs this reminder today.

00:30:16.465 --> 00:30:20.454
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14.

00:30:20.889 --> 00:30:25.738
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you

00:30:25.738 --> 00:30:29.637
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

00:30:29.933 --> 00:30:34.682
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you,

00:30:34.937 --> 00:30:40.258
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

00:30:40.258 --> 00:30:46.314
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

00:30:46.687 --> 00:30:52.658
Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

00:30:52.803 --> 00:30:57.858
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

00:30:57.858 --> 00:31:00.756
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

00:31:01.046 --> 00:31:05.348
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

00:31:05.574 --> 00:31:09.283
When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

00:31:09.568 --> 00:31:14.810
When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

00:31:15.135 --> 00:31:17.341
remind us you are still working.

00:31:17.625 --> 00:31:20.783
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen.

00:31:21.120 --> 00:31:24.312
So we call on you now. Hear us. Strengthen us.

00:31:24.562 --> 00:31:28.898
Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart, not halfway,

00:31:29.090 --> 00:31:31.052
not sometimes, but fully.

00:31:31.302 --> 00:31:35.719
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

00:31:36.241 --> 00:31:41.459
Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:46.196
and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

00:31:46.597 --> 00:31:52.784
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:31:53.103 --> 00:31:57.172
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

00:31:57.445 --> 00:32:00.191
and I'll see you on the next episode.