Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
In the Gibeonite deception, the rulers “took some of their provisions, but they did not inquire of the Lord,” yet the teacher notes that “God remains silent”; what does God’s silence here suggest about His willingness to let leaders bear consequences of decisions made with limited information?
Another way to ask: The leaders didn’t ask God for guidance with the Gibeonites, and God stayed silent. What does this suggest about God letting leaders live with the results of choices they make without enough information?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The speaker suggests God may sometimes allow leaders to make decisions with the information they have and then live with the consequences, rather than always intervening to prevent mistakes. God’s silence here implies a kind of permission for human responsibility within covenant life.
- The text is highlighted: “*they did not inquire of the Lord,*” and the speaker says, “*we could say that that was a mistake on Joshua’s part.*”
- Yet he observes, “*God doesn’t call him out for it. God remains silent on it.*”
- He imagines what God does not say: God does not respond, “*I could have told you what was going on… who these guys were.*”
- He offers a cautious inference: “*It’s possible that God saw something about Gibeon that kept him from intervening. We don’t know.*”
- He broadens the principle: “*God sometimes just lets us make decisions based on what we know, what the information that we have.*”
- Even so, God honored the outcome: “*God honored the covenant that Joshua made with Gibeon for many years to come.*”