Joshua 9:19
This is from a story where the people in the land where the Israelites are headed dress up like people from far away, wearing old clothes and bringing moldy bread, and get the Israelites to agree to peace through deception (although it is pointed out also that they should have asked God about making peace with them). In any case, I find it impressive that they stuck to their oath despite having been deceived. When they swore in the name of the Lord, it meant something to them and they felt honor-bound to live up to that.
This story makes me wonder how lightly we take our oaths in our own lives, and whether we could make the world better by being more honest and more honorable, even when other people aren't... because how else do we uphold standards? If we lower ours because other people are lowering theirs, then we just end up in a world that has been made worse overall, not in Paradise.
Today, let's work on being honest and honorable--treating people with respect even when they don't return the favor. Let's be an example of the believers (1 Timothy 4:12).
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