THE VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY

Intro: Some time ago, Hilary Clinton was asked on TV about the charges against her husband concerning Monica Lewinsky, and her answer was that a "vast right wing conspiracy" had made it all up, and was out to get the President. We now know, and Mrs. Clinton has admitted it, that the charges were true. But it is also true that there really is a vast right wing conspiracy. There is also a vast left wing conspiracy. And behind it all, there is a vast Satanic conspiracy. Note the evidence of it here in Joshua 9.

I. There is a political/governmental alliance, a United Nations of Canaan, that is against Joshua and against Israel (Joshua 9:1-2).

A. Joshua is the old Hebrew spelling for "Jesus." Joshua is a type of Jesus, and Israel is the Church of the Old Testament. Even as there was a conspiracy against Joshua and Israel, there is today a conspiracy against King Jesus and the Church.
(See Psalm 2:1-3; Ephesians 6:10-12 and Revelation 12:13-17).

B. Israel's commission was to conquer the Holy Land. Our Commission is to make disciples in all the nations. Jesus is God's King. He has all authority. He has sent us.

II. We also see that the enemies of God work by clever schemes.

A. Ephesians 6:11 says that Satan "schemes" against us. The word is "wiles" in the King James, and in Greek is methodia = "craft, deceit, or cunning." Satan's followers are also crafty (same Greek word in Ephesians 4:14 about false teachers.)

B. Sometimes temptations are plain and straightforward: Remember the man a few years ago in Chattanooga who found a grocery bag at the end of his driveway containing $200,000? The temptation was clearly to steal, but he wisely turned it in. Or consider the blatant temptations to adultery that exist in the workplace or in the schools. Or consider the temptation to lie to escape consequences of doing something wrong. These are difficult temptations, but at least they are plain and evident!

C. The Gibeonites were deceitful, and fooled Joshua and the Israelites. Or consider Eve. She was "beguiled by the serpent," who was crafty. Eve actually thought she was doing the right thing to eat the forbidden fruit. Or consider the modern issue of gambling and the lottery. We all know that gambling is wrong. But those who want the lottery cloud our minds by emphasizing how good the extra money will be for our children's schools. There is deceit and trickery being brought to bear, and it is easy to be fooled.

D. How can we know the right thing to do? Israel goofed. Joshua forgot to inquire of the Lord (Joshua 9:14). They had the "Urim and Thummim" to tell them God's will. We don't have that, but we have the Bible. If we will study it regularly, we will know God's will about tricky questions. Jesus answered Satan's deceitful temptations by quoting the Bible to him.

III. Finally, this passage emphasizes to us the extreme importance of keeping an oath made in the name of God.

A. The third commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." The 10 commandments are the ultimate moral law.

B. Joshua and the Israelites were in a dilemma. They had been commanded by God to exterminate the Gibeonites (Deut. 7:1-6). Now they had sworn an oath by the name of God to preserve the lives of the Gibeonites! What to do? Either you disobey God, or you break a holy oath. Two bad choices. They made the right choice when they decided to honor an oath in God's name. (See 2 Samuel 21:1 and Saul's error.)

C. This underlines for us that we MUST keep the solemn oaths we make before God, and we have several: The marriage vows (read them). Vows taken by elders and deacons (read them). Vows made by parents as they baptize their children (read them). Vows made in a court of law: "I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God," with your hand on the Bible. The single most terrible thing Clinton did in all his sinning a year ago was to violate the oath he took in God's name. But if we break the oaths WE have made before God, we are no better than He is.

Conclusion: There IS a vast conspiracy. It encompasses right wing and left wing, Republican and Democrat and Independent, America and all the other nations, and Satan is behind it all. We are at war with him. He tempts us, and he deceives us, and sometimes we fail, like Joshua and the Israelites. But we have a merciful and forgiving God. Jesus is not only our King, He is our Savior. So, let us stand against Satan, and against the spiritual wickedness of our age, in the strength of God. Jesus Christ is the rightful King of all the earth, and as we rely on Him, and serve Him, He will give us the victory.

Prayer
*Hymn #340 "I Lay My Sins on Jesus."