By Pastor Brandon Young
We live in a time of constant scams, and we must be aware at all times that we don’t become the next victims. A scam is a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation. Wikipedia defines deception as an act of beguilement, deceit or bluff to propagate things that are not true. Some forms of deception include:
Lies — when you make up information or give an information that is opposite or very different from the truth.
Crookedness — when you make an indirect, vague or contradictory statement.
Concealments — when you omit information that is important or relevant to the given context.
Exaggerations — when you stretch or overstate the truth to a degree.
Understatements — when you minimize or downplay aspects of the truth.
The first and the very best scammer is Satan. To be a scammer, one must be deceptive, and you cannot be deceptive without telling lies. Jesus says in John 8:44 speaking about Satan, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Satan speaks out of his character and identity, and he convinces himself that what he says is truth. How can we ensure that we are not scammed by Satan? We will reveal that answer a bit later in the column.
In the book of Joshua, we read of the perfect scam. God has declared that all neighboring nations of Israel be destroyed. The Gibeonites lived nearby, in the territory of Canaan, designated for destruction according to the Word of God, because of their wickedness. The Gibeonites are enemies of Israel, not to be friends of Israel, but they came disguising themselves as folks from a far distance and seeking to make peace. The Gibeonites put together a highly deceptive plan, and all of Israel falls for it. They are deceived into thinking these people come from a far country. It wasn’t just Joshua being fooled. The Bible says all men of Israel were there, and agreed upon a covenant with the Gibeonites. Let’s take a closer look at their plan, and how Israel was convinced that the Gibeonites spoke truth.
The Message says, “The people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai and cooked up a ruse. They posed as travelers: their donkeys loaded with patched sacks and mended wineskins, threadbare sandals on their feet, tattered clothes on their bodies, nothing but dry crusts and crumbs for food. They came to Joshua at Gilgal and spoke to the men of Israel, ‘We’ve come from a far-off country; make a covenant with us.’ The men of Israel said to these Hivites, ‘How do we know you aren’t local people? How could we then make a covenant with you?’ They said to Joshua, ‘We’ll be your servants.’ Joshua said, ‘Who are you now? Where did you come from?’ They said, ‘From a far-off country, very far away. Your servants came because we’d heard such great things about God, your God — all those things he did in Egypt! And the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth! Our leaders and everybody else in our country told us, ‘Pack up some food for the road and go meet them. Tell them, We’re your servants; make a covenant with us.’ “This bread was warm from the oven when we packed it and left to come and see you. Now look at it — crusts and crumbs. And our cracked and mended wineskins, good as new when we filled them. And our clothes and sandals, in tatters from the long, hard traveling.” The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence….”
The Gibeonites devised a plan that made them look as if they had journeyed for miles, and the evidence was so convincing that Israel made a covenant with them, and did not conquer them as God as commanded. Satan can make the evidence he presents to us extremely believable as well. He can scam us out of our joy, peace, and contentment. How can we ensure this does not happen to us? The answer can be found in Joshua 9:14, “And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.” They never once consulted with the Lord, but rather took the evidence presented as the truth. We must not look at the evidence that Satan is presenting, but we must look to Christ for the truth. God knows all things and will reveal the truth of the matter if we will only ask.
Why was Israel scammed?
1. Lack of prayer: “They did not ask counsel of the Lord” (Joshua 9:14).
2. They didn’t want the pressure of war. It is easier to believe Satan than to combat his lies in battle!
3. They didn’t believe or follow God’s promise to fight and conquer all the land.
For these same reasons, we are often scammed by Satan. We must do all things in prayer while combating the lies of Satan with the truth of God’s word while following the commands of Christ.
(The Solution Column is provided by Pastor Brandon Young of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church and his associate, Hunter Greene)