Haste misses the way
Joshua and the Gibeonites
The Gibeonites tricked Israel by pretending to be travelers from a distant land — moldy bread, worn-out sandals, cracked wineskins. The leaders examined the evidence, found it convincing, and made a binding treaty. The text records the fatal misstep in one line: they did not ask counsel from the LORD.
They acted fast on what looked obvious, and were deceived. Proverbs warns of exactly this: it is not good to have zeal without knowledge, and the one who is hasty misses the way. Isaiah adds the antidote: he who believes will not act in haste. Speed without inquiry is how even careful leaders get fooled.
“He who believes shall not act hastily.”
— Isaiah — Isaiah 28:16 (WEB)
Haste makes you miss the way. The leader who acts fast without understanding (like Joshua with the Gibeonites) gets deceived — slow down and inquire.
“It isn't good to have zeal without knowledge, nor being hasty and missing the way.”
Joshua's leaders were deceived not by laziness but by haste — deciding without inquiring of God. A leader formed here slows down to inquire and verify before acting on the obvious. He distrusts the pressure to decide fast. The inner work is patience that resists zeal without knowledge.
Slow down on decisions that look obvious, and inquire of God and the facts before committing. Resist the pressure for speed that skips verification. Build inquiry into your process, especially when a convincing surface invites a quick yes. Treat haste as a common path to being deceived.
Leaders act fast on convincing surfaces, mistaking speed for decisiveness, and get deceived as Joshua was. The blind spot is haste — deciding before inquiring — even when you've examined the evidence.
Identify one decision you're tempted to make fast because it looks obvious. This week, slow down — inquire of God and verify the facts — before you commit.
Israel's leaders weren't lazy or careless — they examined the evidence. Their mistake was speed: they decided without inquiring of God, and the convincing surface fooled them. Haste, not stupidity, is often how wise leaders get deceived.
Where are you about to act fast on something that looks obvious — without slowing down to inquire and verify?