Do you ever wonder what if? As I read Joshua 9 about the Gibeonites who used deception to not be destroyed as the other cities were destroyed; reading that Joshua didn’t inquire of the Lord, v. 14, what would God have said if they had taken this to Him? We’ll never know. “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan – Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. We are your servants; make a treaty with us.” v. 9-11.

They didn’t fear the Israelites as the other people had done. They feared the Lord their God. That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. v. 27. 4 cities of the Gibeonites now serve for the needs of the altar of the Lord. They will see the worship of God.

Last night we watched Testament which was produced by Angel Studios who also produce The Chosen. The concept was what if Jesus hadn’t come over 2,000 years ago. What if Rome was still in charge in this day and age and Jesus had come recently? It begins in Acts with the Holy Spirit active in people’s lives through the work of the Apostles and Paul…in the setting of today. It was so strange to see “Peter” in a present day industrial city complete with bridges and cars driving on those bridges. What if?

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:24-29. Paul’s powerful testimony of God.

All of this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:25-26. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8. Jesus’s powerful promise to us.

What if? What if we believe God and turn to Him fully? What if we put our hope and trust in Him for all things knowing His great love for us? In The Chosen, they often make reference to “soon” knowing that “soon” is not the same for us as it is for God. We are impatient beings. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross…Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:15-20, 27.

What if we take His hand and let Him guide us to Him? A world of beauty opens up.