May it please God to bless us
together this morning as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the
book of Joshua chapter 9 and we'll read verse 14. Joshua chapter
9 and reading verse 14. And the men took of their vittles
and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. Well, this is quite an interesting
account as we read it through, and we see that what happened,
and I hope you younger people followed it through, as we read
it this morning, there were these people from Gibeon, and they
heard the news of Israel, how they'd attacked certain towns
and had destroyed them, and they were worried about it. So what
they decided to do was to pretend they'd come from a long way away
and therefore would Joshua and his people have an agreement
with them that they would not attack them. And what happened
of course was that Joshua and his men, they did agree that
they would have this command that they would not attack them,
they would let them live. And it wasn't until a few days
afterwards they realised in actual fact they'd been hoodwinked.
Because these people only lived virtually next door. It was literally
only a few miles away. So it was a very sad and serious
situation. Now they'd agreed that these
people could not be attacked and yet there they were right
alongside them. And we read in this 14th verse
the reason, really, why this came to pass. And the men took their vitals,
that means their food, and they took it just to receive it, if
you like, from them to give them access. But the great point is
this, that Israel, Joshua and his men, they had not asked counsel
at the mouth of the Lord that really is the significant phrase
in this whole chapter really that they had forgotten or ignored
to ask anything of God they just carried on themselves using what
they thought was the right way and therefore they got themselves
into a difficulty that they couldn't reverse because they had sworn
to these people they'd sworn an oath which means they couldn't
take it back but they would allow them to be with them and they
would not fight with them and the great solemn position was
they had not asked God you may think well that's a sad situation
but it's very easy for all of us today in our lives to forget
to ask God forget to ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord as to
what we should do there are many things in our lives which we
just make up our own minds and carry on and do them and we haven't
asked counsel of God you may remember in the case of David
David was a mighty king and he fought many battles And as you
read through the book of Samuel, you will note that when these
situations faced him, he prayed to God, he asked God whether
they should pursue or whether they should fight. And God graciously
gave them an answer. It wasn't always yes. Sometimes
it was no. But the good thing was that they
were walking with God. because God was hearing their
prayer. And it's important for us today,
many years after this, the case of Joshua, to realize that is
relevant to us today as it was in the days of Joshua. As he
said, they asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And of course this is a very
comprehensive statement And we shouldn't think it only relates
to this particular incident. It really relates to everything
throughout the Word of God. And there are many, many accounts
and many, many occasions where it was very clear that the people
did ask of God. Ezra, as you may know, was a
man who lived during the captivity and was one of those who was
ordained to bring Israel back to Jerusalem. And he was raised
up to do it and to do it properly and rightly. But in so doing,
with a concern to know what to do, we're told how he acted. And this is what we're told in
the 8th chapter of Ezra and the 21st verse. We're told then I
proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava that we might
afflict ourselves before our God. That means to submit themselves
before God, afflict ourselves before our God to seek of him
a right way for us and for our little ones and for all our substance. He didn't just make an assumption,
well, he was going to walk this way and go to this place and
do this building, etc. No, he wanted God to be with
him. And therefore, he proclaimed
a fast. We don't do much fasting nowadays,
although I know young people had a Bible study on fasting
recently. So I'm sure you'll appreciate
that fasting can be beneficial sometimes. That means when we
turn away from all the things which perhaps occupy us day by
day that doesn't mean to say we stop work but it means we
give up a lot of things that perhaps have entered into our
lives and have separated between us and our God and we fast and
that we afflict ourselves we bow down before God and then
we pray to him that he will give us right direction and a right
way this is the way the Lord would have us to walk to commit
ourselves to the Lord to pray to Him that He would direct us
and not to make any assumptions of our own volition to think
this is the way no what a blessing is when God says this is the
way walk ye in it when you turn to the right or when you turn
to the left you know we do want God to be with us. We don't want
to go in a way which is not a way where God will bless us. We want
to be found in a way that God will bless us. And here you see
Israel and the men with Joshua, they had given these people a
license and they were really a thorn in the flesh because
they weren't able then to go and to conquer them as God had
told them they should do. As Moses had been instructed,
as Joshua had been instructed, what they'd done, they'd fallen
into a trap. Well, we need today to be careful
we don't fall into a trap. And that trap can sometimes be
that it leads us away from the things of God. We want to be
found walking in a right way which leads us into the things
of God, into the truth of God. It needs us to be concerned that
God will come and bless us, bless us with his presence, bless us
with his direction, and wonderfully bless us with union and communion
and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, these people,
they asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. You can read
this chapter, and probably you may have read it, I've definitely
read it a number of times, and never really noticed this very
relevant little statement here, asked not counsel at the mouth
of the Lord. How important it is, for us today
in our lives. And whatever that means, small
things, great things, to be constantly concerned that the Lord would
direct us and the Lord would indeed bless us. It's a good
thing to be concerned about that, isn't it? And to realise that
we do need God to be with us and direct us. Nehemiah tells us which of course
is a book following on from Ezra he tells us something about this
situation and in the ninth chapter he tells us the 26th verse nevertheless
they were disobedient and rebelled against thee that doesn't mean
they were doing God's will does it? it means they were walking
contrary and cast thy law behind their backs and slew thy prophets
which testified against them, to turn them to thee, and they
wrought great provocations. Well, it's easy for us to do
similar things, perhaps not so violently, but nonetheless to
be disobedient to God and to rebel against God. The devil
wants us to do that all the time. He never wants us to be obedient. always wants us to rebel against
God and what we find ourselves in is a situation where Solomon
says in the Proverbs that there is a way that seemeth right unto
a man but the end thereof for the ways of death well Nehemiah
goes on therefore thou deliverest them into the hand of their enemies
who vexed them, and in the time of their trouble, when they cried
unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven, when they turned
and sought the Lord. The Lord was very merciful. He
didn't cut them off. He didn't say, well, there's
no hope for you at all now. No, they turned to the Lord.
And according to thy manifold mercies, thou gavest them saviors,
who saved them out of the hand of their enemies what a mercy
it is that we have today the same merciful God who doesn't
deal with us as our sins deserve but is gracious to us and what
good instruction is that we are not amongst those who forget
to ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord we may not do it deliberately
we may just forget and I suppose if we just forget it really shows
that we're not really living very closely we're not living
very near to the Lord because the things of the Lord His will,
His purpose for us is not the most important thing it's not
uppermost in our minds now you want to continue we want to pursue
our own way what a blessing therefore if we are found in a healthy
state spiritually so we don't forget we don't forget and we're
not like these people who ask not counsel at the mouth of the
Lord and we have some wonderful encouragement to come to God
in the epistle of James we're told these Simple words. If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth
not. It's in the first chapter, I
think, of James. It's a very encouraging statement. We do
lack wisdom, very, very often. And we need to understand we
lack wisdom. And it's good when God tells
us we lack wisdom. But we don't have to stop there.
We can come to our God. and we can ask Him that He will
give us wisdom and He said He will give it to us and not to
be found therefore forgetting to ask counsel at the mouth of
the Lord it is significant these words, a phrase like this ask
not counsel at the mouth of the Lord that means that God does
come and He speaks and He directs us What a kind and gracious God
we have as we travel on through this world. A God who doesn't
ignore us. We deserve to be ignored, don't
we? How many times have we come to
God and truly confessed our sins? How often have we forgotten to
do it? How often have we done it just
in a casual way? In just a way of tradition? It's a great blessing when God
gives us grace to come to Him and to confess our sins and to
seek for His forgiveness and to seek for His blessing and
to have the wonderful evidence that the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanseth from all sin. This is really coming to God
and asking counsel and asking Him to direct us and to speak
to us and to confirm that He has taken us in hand and He hasn't
left us and He hasn't forsaken us although we did so deserve. The 31st Psalm is I suppose one
of the more familiar Psalms. We should be very thankful for
all the Psalms, but the 31st Psalm is perhaps one of the more
familiar ones. And in that 31st Psalm, we read
what David said. This is what David said in the
31st Psalm. He said in verse 4, I sought
the Lord. That means he sought counsel
of God. I sought the Lord and he heard
me and delivered me from all my fears. It's a wonderful God,
isn't it? And we're thankful that we have
such a word recorded. As David comes and says this,
I sought the Lord and this is his testimony. Because he starts
off this 34th Psalm with these words. I will bless the Lord
at all times. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth. And the reason for that, he comes
down to you see, in these words. But first of all he says in verse
2, My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall
hear thereof and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me. and
let us exalt his name together that's a wonderful verse I often
think for the Church of God to desire that God might be magnified
that he might be so great so wonderful so powerful and that
the Church of God we may exalt his name together and knowledge
what a great God we have what a wonderful God who doesn't deal
with us as we deserve but is wonderfully merciful and kind
and gracious. And therefore we can can confirm
then, as David was able to confirm for the honour and glory of God,
I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all
my fears. Well, what a blessing it was. He didn't forget to ask counsel
at the mouth of the Lord. No, he prayed. to his God sought
for that counsel at the mouth of the Lord and the Lord heard
him and the Lord answered him and the Lord granted him that
wonderful deliverance well there are many words in the Psalms
to encourage us and Psalm 127 also is a Psalm of encouragement
a Psalm that we should be thankful for And we're told, it is vain
for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread
of sorrows, for so giveth his beloved sleep. And it's a good
blessing if we come to our God, realizing that we have a God
who does hear and answer prayer, and a God who does not leave
us, nor forsaketh. And another Psalm is Psalm 142,
where again, David tells us he cried unto the Lord with his
voice. He sought counsel of God. He
didn't ignore the Lord. He hadn't forgotten. I cried
unto the Lord with my voice. Unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before
Him. I showed before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed
within me, then there knewest my path. In the way wherein I
walked have they privately laid a snare for me. Yes, the devil
lays snares for us, but what a blessing it is when we seek
counsel of God. David sought counsel of God. He said, I looked on my right
hand and behold, there was no man that would know me. Refuge
failed me. No man cared for my soul. He was lonely, wasn't he? He
was lonely. But what does he do? He seeks
counsel of God. I cried unto thee, O Lord, I
said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the
living. Yes, his confidence was in his
God. Attend unto my cry, for I am
brought very low. We might think, well, is this
really David? Yes, it is. David had a real
religion. He didn't live on the mountaintop. He was often brought very low.
and he was brought very low so he could write such words as
this to encourage you and me today to recognise that we have
a God who hasn't changed and so he says attend unto my cry
yes he wasn't like this was he he hadn't forgotten to take counsel
at the mouth of the Lord God he sought the Lord he told him
brought very low, deliver me from my persecutors, for they
are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison,
that I may praise thy name. The righteous shall encompass
me about, for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Well, the
Lord did deal bountifully with David, didn't he? He did bless
him very wonderfully. And what a mercy it is therefore
if you and I come in every time of need and ask counsel at the
mouth of the Lord and not like Joshua in his day with his people
and they asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord it's a
very sad thing isn't it when we forget God and yet the Lord
tells us my people have forgotten me days without number it's a
very solemn statement isn't it and if we recognise how true
it is may we be concerned that we may not forget God but we
may remember the Lord I remembered the Lord it's a good thing if
you and I come and remember the Lord because if we remember the
Lord we shall then take counsel of the Lord and we won't forget
to take counsel of the Lord if God enables us to come to that
good place and to remember Him. When we hear the good news of
the Gospel they ask not counsel at the mouth
of the Lord. In the early days of the church
when the apostles were directed and instructed to preach and
proclaim the glorious gospel. It was wonderful how they did
preach the word and what wonderful effect it had. And you may remember
that Peter, on that day of Pentecost, he stood up and he preached the
great and glorious gospel the Lord Jesus Christ and many of
the people were blessed and we're told now when they heard this
and what was it they heard well the Apostle had instructed the
people of the situation which had existed about the Lord Jesus
Christ because he tells us this Jesus hath God raised up and
whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right
hand of God exalted and having received the father, the promise
of the Holy Ghost is shed forth this that ye now see and hear. And then he goes on. Therefore,
let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made
that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.'
Now this was a wonderful day in the history of the world when
the Lord came and poured forth the blessing and the people had
come to hear what God the Lord would speak unto them. They desired
to hear the counsel that Peter was able to bring to them. And
the effect was this. Now when they heard this, they
were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest
of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? What shall
we do? Well, what were they to do? Sometimes
perhaps we may wonder, what shall we do? Well, Peter, under the
blessed influence of the Holy Spirit, tells them in verse 38,
he says this, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And you shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promise is unto you and to
your children and to all that are far off. even as many as
the Lord our God shall call so here was the question they were
asking counsel of Peter men and brethren what shall we do what
a good thing it is that we have a word like this what a blessing
it would be if there was a wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit
of God which caused men and women boys and girls to come and to
cry out what shall we do? see what happened they had offended
God they hadn't obeyed God they hadn't listened to the truth
of the words of the Saviour they'd ignored them, they'd passed them
by but now God in his great love and mercy had brought the Apostle
Peter to come and proclaim these great and glorious truths and
what a good effect it was because we're told then they that gladly
received his word were baptized and the same day they were added
unto them about 3,000 souls and the effect was wonderful because
this is what occurred and they continued steadfastly in the
Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and
in prayers there was a continuance in the things of God they had
sought counsel of God through the Apostle Peter as to what
they should do and the Lord had directed them and the Lord had
blessed them it was a time of great blessing my friends now
you and I need that again we need the blessed power of the
Holy Spirit to descend upon us so that we are truly faithful
in the things of God and perhaps we have to all cry out what shall
we do what occurred in that case I'll tell you what occurred they
were convinced of their sin they were convinced that they were
the ones that have crucified the Lord of life and glory the
Lord Jesus Christ not perhaps physically but it was because
of their sins that they had crucified the Lord of life and glory. And
that was the reason why they cried out, what shall we do?
They were guilty before our holy God. And they sought mercy. And the Lord came and wonderfully
blessed them. Well, they'd asked counsel. They
weren't those who had asked not counsel, like these people on
this occasion. It's a very necessary word to
us today. to remember to constantly ask
counsel of God because as the hymn writer tells us the door
of thy mercy stands open all day to the poor and the needy
that not by the way my friends God's door is always open as
we may come and pray unto him and seek his face and seek for
his mercy and to seek for his blessing well That's a wonderful
favour that we are able to read in the Acts of the Apostles.
Wonderful account of God's mercy and wonderful account of God's
blessing. And so we should be very, very
thankful that it is so. And then just one more psalm
I wanted to refer to, which is a well-known psalm, that's the
107th psalm, where, again, they cried unto the Lord. They sought
the Lord. They took counsel of the Lord. It's a blessing for us today
if we take counsel of the Lord. And they were in a desperate
condition, a very difficult situation, not like these people, these
Israelites, but here they were in a difficult situation. And
what did they do? They cried unto the Lord. They sought the Lord. They sought
counsel of God. They cried unto the Lord. And
did God ignore them? No, He did not ignore them. Does
God ignore us today? He does not ignore us. But you
see, we do need to cry unto the Lord. They cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And then we're told, He led them
forth by the right way. God does lead us. in the right
way his way his way is the best way his way is the way that leads
to eternal life for walking in his way led by him the end will
have a good result he led them forth by the right way that they
might go to a city of habitation well we should be very thankful
that we have these references in the Word of God to encourage
us to seek counsel of Him. Isaiah, as we well know, was
a man of God and he tells us about what occurred to Israel
when they were walking contrary to God. And in the 30th chapter
he says, Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that
take counsel, but not of me. Now that's an important consideration,
isn't it? We may perhaps want advice, we
may want direction, we may go here, we may go there, we may
take advice, take counsel, but is it from the Lord? Is it from
the Lord? He's speaking here about these
Israelites, especially the people in Judah, who were rebellious,
And they took counsel, but not of God. And that cover with a
covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. And then he says, that walk to
go down into Egypt and have not asked of my mouth. What that means really is they're
going in a wrong direction. Egypt was not a place where God
was. And these people wanted to go
down to Egypt. And they asked, not at the mouth
of God, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and
to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Well, what a sad state that was. They hadn't taken counsel of
God. No, they looked to their flesh.
They looked around to Egypt and they thought they were strong
and Pharaoh can help them. No, they hadn't asked of God.
We have so many evidences, so many statements, so many truths
in the Word of God to direct us to look, to not look anywhere
else other than to the Lord God. The Lord God omnipotent reigns. The Lord God reigns over everything. the Lord God knows everything
about your life and my life He knows the smallest detail He
knows where we are He knows what we need and what a blessing it
is therefore if we come and take counsel of our God and to not
forget like these people did and ask not counsel at the mouth
of the Lord it's a very sad position and if you think Israel how they've
been blessed all those years out of Egypt over the Red Sea
through the wilderness into Canaan you would have thought that faced
with any question they would automatically have sought counsel
of God but it shows how very easily you and I can forget God
how very easily you can rely can rely on our own counsel our
own thoughts rely on our own skill rather than coming and
seeking unto our God well these people they asked not counsel
at the mouth of the Lord and just the same here as the people
of Judah in Isaiah's day they didn't seek counsel of the Lord
God and today many people operate just the same and we do so very
easily ourselves if we forget sometimes we ought to perhaps
just stop and think well did I ask God's counsel for that? did I ask God to guide me in
that? did I just do what I thought
was right? well we're thankful the Lord
is a merciful God and we're thankful that God doesn't deal with us
as we deserve. But it is important to realize
that God will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do
these things for them. He will be inquired of because
if we inquire of God and God gives us the answer, the result
will be that we shall thank God and we shall praise God. And
if we've never sought God, then why should we praise God? and
why should we thank Him? we'll just carry on assuming
it was our own ability that we'd done the right things that we'd
done this and we'd done that well it's good to know that God
is with us because the Word of God tells us if God be for us
who can be against us? nothing will fail if God is with
us if God be for us who can be against us? so let us remember
these various words that I brought before you this morning to direct
us to the importance of never forgetting our God never forgetting
the Lord God reigns and never forgetting the Lord God waits
to be gracious He waits to be gracious but we're told He will
be inquired of by the house of Israel to do these things for
them He will be inquired of. We are to pray. Sometimes God
brings us into situations which makes us pray. Hezekiah was brought
into a situation, wasn't he? He was faced with death. Faced
with death, God had told him, or at least the prophet had told
him, he'd just have 50, he was going to die. And he cried unto
God. And God told him through the
prophet that he would add to his life 15 years but he'd been
brought very low he'd had to seek counsel of God and what
did he say? he said this by these things
men live yes and all these things are the life of my soul, life
of my spirit God had brought him to that position to make
him realise that he had to commit his way unto the Lord he had
to seek counsel of his God and it's good that he was able
to say then yes I know the Lord showed me by these things men
live by these things I live God is gracious God doesn't deal
with us as our sins deserve and the great issue is this the Lord leads his people by
the right way and that way is to show them themselves direct
them to seek counsel of God direct them to the Lord Jesus Christ
as their only way of salvation to make them realise we cannot
obtain salvation by our own works We cannot obtain salvation of
what we've done, of what we've thought, but it comes through
the mercy of God. And therefore we're a favour
if the Lord gives us that true concern to pray unto God, to
seek counsel of Him, that He will come and to show us the
great and glorious way of salvation. And that way is only through
the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way that our
sins will be removed. Sin may be a real burden. I hope it is. I hope you've had
to come seeking counsel of God. How can this burden be removed? It can only be removed by casting
all your care upon God. He will then show He cares for
us. He will come and Revealed Himself
unto us as He does not unto the world. He will show us Himself. He will show us the power, the
cleansing power of the blood of the Saviour. Well, this is
asking counsel at the mouth of the Lord. What a mercy it is
that we do so. We will need to do so. My friends,
we're all passing through life, aren't we? If you and I pass
through life, and have never asked counsel of the Lord with
regard to our salvation with regard to the eternal state of
our soul there will never be any eternal hope for us of eternal
life in glory but what a great blessing if the Holy Spirit has
drawn us to the Lord Jesus Christ to seek unto Him that He will
reveal to us that He has died for us upon the cross at Calvary,
that he has taken away all our sins and cast them behind his
back to be seen no more for ever. Well, these men then, they asked
not counsel of the mouth of the Lord. May you and I today not
be numbered amongst those who forget God. And if we do, and
we may, to pray to God that he will forgive us of our forgetfulness
and enable us from this time forward to not forget God but
to ever come to him and to ask counsel at his mouth knowing
that he is a God who does hear and answer prayer for his honour
and for his glory. Amen.