Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living within our land? Now therefore, you are cursed, and you will never cease to be slaves, both gatherers of firewood and labor to draw water for the house of my God.”

We naturally feel a sigh of relief when evildoers get what they deserve. When the punishment is handed down, we say that justice is served. For the Gibeonites, justice was served, they were cursed to a life of servitude, yet because of the commitment the people of God had made to them, they were not cast away. They were punished, according to the commitment they had made to God’s people, not based on what they deserved.

As followers of Jesus, when we sin, we do not receive justice as we deserve it; we receive justice based on our identity in Christ. First John 2:1-2 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Because of Jesus, we have an advocate, one to speak on our behalf, who has taken the payment for our sins on the cross. Even as we suffer the consequences of our actions, we can have joy in the light of grace. These consequences can be painful but even in those consequences, we are not cut off from the presence of God. Because of who He is, we don’t get what we deserve.

• When have you received an earthly punishment that was less than what you deserved?
• When was the last time you thanked Jesus for His atoning sacrifice for your sin?
• Pray and thank God for covering your sin and judging you based on your identity in Christ, not on what you deserve.