“Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly.” – Joshua 9:12
“So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.” – Joshua 9:14-15
“Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to shore.” – Acts 27:13
“But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along….When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.” – Acts 27:14-15, 20
Beware
How subtle Satan can be. Pick up and examine a few bread crumbs one minute, sign a dangerous covenant the next. Feel a gentle wind against your face one day, face a life-threatening tempest the next. If you have seen one bread crumb, you’ve seen them all. If you have sailed long enough you know how to read the weather. Right? Wrong. Satan is most dangerous when we are most comfortable and complacent. The more we think we know, the more we need to know. The best way to avoid that snake in the grass is to shine the light of God’s word. Don’t be too quick to pick up that pen or anchor.
Bread Crumbs
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you….and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.” – Deuteronomy 7:18
Nothing subtle there. God was concerned about the possibility of the pagan nations corrupting His chosen people. No intermarrying, no interacting. Obey God and eliminate the potential of falling into idolatry. Israel was chosen to be a holy people serving a Holy God. Their Holy God made a covenant with them, they didn’t need to make one with an idolatrous people. But they were fooled by mere bread crumbs and disobeyed God’s clear command.
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the earth….Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.” – Deuteronomy 7:6,9
Gentle Winds
Let’s move on from the crumbs to the wind. Like the Israelites, the crew of the boat also had a Divine warning. Their cargo included God’s chosen instrument, the Apostle Paul. Like Israel, Paul was chosen by God to be a witness. Always a good idea to listen to God’s spokesmen!! But with a temporary break in the weather they decided to raise the sail instead of heeding Paul’s advice. The ship would be wrecked in a storm as Paul warned.
“‘Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and of the ship, but also of our lives.’ But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than what Paul said.” – Acts 27:10-11
How dangerous can bread crumbs and gentle winds be? Very if Satan is hiding behind them. The nation of Israel was “poisoned” by bread crumbs. A gentle wind ended in a shipwreck. Be careful of being overconfident. Be careful of presumption. Don’t be too rash. Don’t let your senses be your final authority. Not sure, ask counsel of the Lord. Think you are sure, definitely ask counsel of the Lord. Satan will always play off our pride. God will always reward our humility. Breadcrumbs and gentle winds come in many shapes and forms. Don’t presume. Pray.
“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.” – 1 Samuel 15:23
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6