【Original Audio Bible Study Recording - Mandarin - Theme: Those Who Do Not Resist God Will Survive - Shared on August 7, 2019】

Reading the Bible to Discern God's Intentions

When we read the Bible, we must discern God's intentions. I have repeatedly emphasized that we must discern God's intentions. As we read Joshua Chapter 9, I ask you, were the Gibeonites those whom God intended to kill? The answer is clear: God did not intend to kill the Gibeonites. Although the Gibeonites chose a different path from Rahab, they nevertheless survived. What can we see through the Book of Joshua? We can see that God is full of grace and mercy.

However, many people do not see God's grace or God's mercy. I dare to boldly tell you that if everyone in the land of Canaan had sought God like Rahab, what would have happened? God would never have killed them. But you will find that the people of Canaan were all hard-hearted and united in fighting against Joshua and the Israelites. However, there were some, like the Gibeonites, who were not so hard-hearted.

What category did the Gibeonites belong to? They were a tribe of the Amorites. The Gibeonites deceived the Israelites and made a covenant with them, yet they survived. I ask you, if the Israelites had sought Jehovah at that time, what answer do you think Jehovah God would have given them? Of course, the Israelites were deceived, and they forgot to seek God. However, the later results proved that the Israelites allowed them to live, and God did not allow them to be defeated like at Ai because the Israelites allowed the Gibeonites to live. Do you understand?

I think we must discern God's intentions. What is this chapter about? Is it about keeping covenants? It doesn't seem quite right. Is it about the Israelites being deceived? It doesn't seem so either. So what exactly is it about? After much contemplation, I discovered that this passage is about how anyone who does not resist God can actually survive.

God Reveals Miracles Through the Book of Joshua

Our God gradually begins to reveal miracles to us through the Book of Joshua. God declared a death sentence in Jericho:

So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. (Joshua 6:20-21)

Everything in Jericho, including livestock, women, children, and animals, everything that breathed, was to be killed. However, Rahab was an exception. Rahab was not only saved in Jericho but also appeared in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This is very miraculous. Rahab was a very intelligent person, but let's look at the Gibeonites. They did not resist God, so they chose a less desirable way. The Gibeonites are very interesting; their words are somewhat similar to Rahab's.

And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. (Joshua 9:9-11)

This is a very interesting phenomenon. The Gibeonites were actually among those sentenced to death, yet they escaped the death penalty and were spared. After being spared, they became part of the Israelites. Do you know why this happened? Let me explain its history to you: From this time onward, as history progressed, many years later, a king named Saul arose in Israel. He was zealous for Israel and killed many Gibeonites. As a result, during David's reign, Israel experienced three years of natural disasters.

After these three years, David sought God. What did God say to David? These three years of disaster were because King Saul was zealous for Israel and killed many Gibeonites, violating the covenant made by the Israelites. Actually, the Gibeonites were not supposed to be killed; they had not actually done anything. During David's reign, because the previous king had done something that was not in accordance with God's will, a curse came upon that place.

After David sought God, he came to the Gibeonites and said, What should we do? The Gibeonites said that the Israelites should hand over seven of Saul's descendants to them. As a result, all seven were killed and hung in that place. This happened during David's reign.

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD? And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What will ye that I shall do for you? And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them. (2 Samuel 21:1-6)

If You Do Not Resist God, God Will Surely Have Abundant Grace and Mercy

This shows us a very clear idea. It is not only because the Gibeonites made a covenant with the Israelites, but also because the Gibeonites sought God, although their method of seeking God was questionable. Actually, their story is a little different from Rahab's. Rahab sought God, but the Gibeonites sought to make a covenant with the Israelites. What can we see through this? Those who do not resist God can survive. So as long as we do not resist God, God has abundant grace and mercy, let alone those who obey God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, begin to have a new understanding of our God. Our God does not want to exterminate these people, but rather to allow them to know God and to know that not resisting God allows them to survive. You may think that God does not keep His word. Actually, our God would rather not keep His word than kill someone who obeys God's will or does not resist God's plan. Who are those who are killed? They are those who are hard-hearted and self-righteous.

Some brothers and sisters, who have just come among us, receive grace, are saved, and see the power of God manifested in them, is it because they really know God? No, it is because they hear what God has done among us, they come to seek God, and then they experience God among us.

And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valley, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. (Joshua 9:1-2)

We must know that God is full of grace and mercy. God does not actually want to kill these people, but these people are hard-hearted, that is, they are enemies of God. They want to fight against the Israelites, but some of them do not want to fight against the Israelites. Those who did not fight against the Israelites survived. Not only did they survive, but they also became enemies of those local people. Later, those local people even attacked these Gibeonites. Look how bad these people are! Have these people heard the story of Rahab? Surely they have. Have they heard the story of the Gibeonites? They have also heard it. But they just do not turn to God.

In the process of serving God, we find that many people are very hard-hearted and ultimately become enemies of God. If you meet some people who say, Oh, the God in the Bible is so cruel, killing people indiscriminately, then you can quote the story of Rahab and the story of the Gibeonites to tell them that it is actually not like that at all. So we must begin to see God's grace and mercy, and to see God's blessings and curses. If these people were handed over to the Israelites, what would the Israelites do? They would kill them. Why do I say that?

And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. (Joshua 9:15)

From this verse, we can see that the people below wanted to kill these Gibeonites. These people's understanding of God was actually very far off. If we carefully think about the things that happen in this world, you will find many strange and absurd things, absurd to what extent? For example, people in a certain city beat someone up in the airport. You say, what does this person in the airport have to do with you? It is simply让人匪夷所思，unfathomable.

Actually, many times, what people have in their hearts is very deadly, especially the common people below. The Israelites were no exception. Joshua saved the Gibeonites from the hands of the Israelites. Why? Because Joshua knew God better, and the Gibeonites also understood God relatively well. We must all know clearly in our hearts that our God is full of grace and mercy.

The Gibeonites were among these people to be killed, but they turned to God, not even seeking God, but simply seeking to make a covenant with Joshua and the Israelites. They said that they had heard the name of Jehovah God and what He had done in Egypt. Then they said, We want to be your servants. God actually allowed them to survive. If we turn to God properly, how great will the grace we receive be!

Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)

Therefore, repentance is a crucial step. We must know God, we must repent, and know that we were wrong in the past. We must come out of wrong theological concepts. A few days ago, I ministered to a sister whose child had depression, which was very serious. Although this sister had personally experienced many graces from God, she used either religious ways or worldly systems to minister to her child. As a result, I scolded her.

Does our God kill us? No. Does God have mercy? Yes. Even if we still have many things that have not been corrected, and many problems that have not been corrected, as long as we turn to God, grow step by step, and know God step by step, we will receive great grace. I think we may not be doing many things right today, but it is because our God is full of grace and mercy that we can survive to this day. What is the reason? It is because we are only seeking God.

Our God is such a wonderful God! Recently, another group of people have come among us, a bit like the Gibeonites. They were originally among the people who were incurring God's wrath, but they began not to resist God, so God still favored them. Our God is full of grace and mercy. If this word can be imprinted in your mind, it will be very wonderful!

You Get What You Believe

Never resist God's plan. What happened to the Israelites, especially the Pharisees and chief priests, who resisted God in the days of Jesus? They became models of curse. Later, the Israelites experienced the history of national subjugation, being tossed around among all nations, which was extremely cruel. What did the Gibeonites believe? We must all understand that we get what we believe. Do not assume that we can only receive grace if we believe in everything. That is not the case.

For example, the Gibeonites believed that God is a covenant-keeping God. They had heard that Jehovah God made a covenant with the Jewish people and the Israelites' ancestor Abraham, keeping His covenant and showing loving-kindness to the Israelites, and bringing them out of Egypt, not because those Israelites were good, but because of the covenant God made with Abraham.

Even if those Israelites in Egypt were terrible, God still rescued them. Even if they provoked God's wrath in the wilderness, that generation died, but God still brought this new generation of Israelites into the land of Canaan. In other words, the Gibeonites, after studying and researching, discovered that God is a covenant-keeping God. Good! Then let us make a covenant with the Israelites! They believed in this established covenant.

Then Joshua summoned them and said, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you live among us? Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants who cut wood and carry water for the house of my God.” They answered Joshua, “Because your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.” (Joshua 9:22-25)

They believed that as long as they made a covenant with the Israelites, the God of the Israelites would surely protect them and save them from death. As a result, they obtained what they believed. So, I want to challenge everyone. We get what we believe. Why not believe a little more? If these Gibeonites had believed a little more, they would have become like Rahab, wouldn't they?

Brothers and sisters, the lesson of faith is truly wonderful! You get what you believe, but many people do not believe. This actually explains a phenomenon. There are many churches now that, although they cannot be said to be victorious, they have obtained what they believe in, and they have not obtained what they do not believe in. For example, many people are very zealous in serving God, and they have paid a heavy price for God, but they do not believe that God is a God of healing, so they do not receive healing.

On the road of faith, we get what we believe. So, I ask, why didn't these Gibeonites believe a little more? They only believed that God is a covenant-keeping God. If they, like Rahab, knew that God is full of grace and mercy, and believed that standing on God's side would surely be saved, wouldn't they have obtained even more?

In fact, God does not declare His judgment based on whether you are an Israelite or a Canaanite, but judges according to what people believe in their hearts. If we can believe in God a little more, if these Gibeonites can believe in God a little more, what a wonderful story it would be! But these Gibeonites did not seek God more deeply.

Are there some Gibeonites among us? After coming among us, all they want is, Please pray for me. I can pray for you, but why don't you desire to be like us? There are still many newcomers among us, brothers and sisters who came in through activities. Can these people begin to desire to be like them?

Why not seek God, and then more earnestly enter into God's will, more earnestly enter into God's plan, more earnestly obtain Mingding Destiny? Instead of just staying like the Gibeonites, just seeking to survive, and then becoming water carriers and firewood cutters. Why be someone who only receives second-hand grace? Rahab obtained a very wonderful promise and became a person in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

In fact, there are many people like the Gibeonites among us. I have met many Christians, and these Christians are very interesting. Oh, I just need to be able to go to heaven, even if it's just cleaning! This kind of mentality is probably the mentality of the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites' mentality is to cut wood and carry water in the house of God, which is a kind of curse.

For all who seek God, can we believe that God has more promises, grace, and wonderful deeds? If we know God a little more, if we begin to desire to live out God's glory, if we begin to desire to become God's people, if we begin to desire to obtain God's promise, and be able to say like Paul: For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. How wonderful would that be!

Today, we must know that God is a God full of grace and mercy, and all who seek Him and trust in Him will never be put to shame. All who believe in His promises will surely obtain His promises. We can obtain as much as we believe in God!

Among us, you will clearly see that before Bible study, our brothers lead in prayer, and how many people receive healing! Why didn't these people receive healing in their original churches, but received healing when they came among us? Because when you come among us, if you believe that you will receive, you will surely receive. We believe that God is a God of healing, so there is constant healing among us, which is what God's word says. Those who do not resist God will survive, and those who stand with God and follow God closely will obtain what abundant grace!

Seek God's Will, Live Out Destiny

Our requirements are indeed a bit high. Yesterday, one of our sisters had some conflicts with her mother, because her mother felt that following us in this way of believing in the Lord was too hard. This sister hoped that her mother could receive more grace among us, but her mother couldn't stand it and felt that our requirements were too high.

Is what we are doing good or bad? Brothers and sisters must know for sure, because we believe, so we receive, and we also hope that more people can receive. Sometimes, we really cry out to heaven and earth, pouring out our hearts to tell everyone that God is faithful, and God's promises are really very wonderful, but many people do not believe it! If you don't believe, can you receive it? You cannot receive it.

We must begin to learn to believe in God. In fact, the Israelites did not seek God in this matter. Later, they did not kill these people. Did they seek God? Not necessarily. But God did not blame them. You will see that Joshua's leadership of the Israelites in handling this matter actually entered into God's heart.

Then we begin to take another step up from this Gibeonite mentality, no longer being someone who seeks second-hand grace, but beginning to desire to be someone with Destiny, like Rahab's choice, hoping to establish a deeper relationship with God, to enter more deeply into God's heart, not just seeking to survive, but seeking to obtain abundant life, seeking to live in God's plan, and taking on God's mission in this generation. I tell you, you will surely receive it.

So, these Gibeonites among us must know that only seeking to survive is not God's most beautiful will. Our God actually hopes that we can live out His glorious image. Then I encourage these brothers and sisters who have come to us not long ago, can you come out of this slave mentality and begin to become children of God?

In fact, God has clear regulations in the law of Moses. If you want to become an Israelite, it is not difficult at all. No matter where you are from, you can seek God. Our God is not only the God of the Israelites, but the God of all the earth, the God of all people. All who seek Him and trust in Him will lack no good thing.

In fact, if the Gibeonites had taken a few more steps forward, they would have truly become Israelites, truly become people who know God, people who inherit the promise of Abraham. It doesn't matter whether our physical body is Gibeonite or not, as long as we inherit the faith of Abraham in our hearts, we will obtain the covenant of Abraham! God's grace has what abundant glory, and His beautiful plan for us is truly amazing! I encourage all of us to begin to make a choice between blessing and curse.

There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and those born in the land stood there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, to pronounce the blessings on the people of Israel, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded. Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as they are written in the Book of the Law. (Joshua 8:32-34)

Are blessings and curses predetermined by God? No, it is your choice and mine. If you read the Bible carefully, you will find that the choice of these Gibeonites actually allowed them to escape death, while those Canaanites who resisted the Israelites were really wiped out by Joshua.

Blessings and curses are placed before us, the key is how you choose. I encourage brothers and sisters to start coming out of the curse, and then start trusting in God's promises, trusting in God's covenant, and then entering into the covenant we have made with God. The most beautiful things written in the Bible will be fulfilled in us.

Summary

I will read these words again:

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the offspring of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods to serve them. (Deuteronomy 28:1-4,6-14)

What wonderful things these are, are they not all closely related to our lives? May all the brothers and sisters among us experience what we are experiencing, may God bless everyone.

Joshua List