Our time on earth is short, that is a universal problem… Therefore, we must focus on things that are eternal. Psalm 49 equips us with practical wisdom for living and dealing with even the things that we cannot control.

Outline—Joshua 9

1. Senses: common and otherwise (v. 14)
   1. Living by sight produces an error.
   2. We are equipped with wisdom for the asking.
2. Surprises (vv. 16–23)
3. Sovereignty (vv. 24–27)

Take Home Points

• As the Gibeonites, though you are unworthy to live—count yourself privileged to serve in the courts of the Most High God.
• Recommit to being identified with His people and "stick by the stuff."
• Challenge your kids to move beyond the material realities (common, fleshy sense) to the other realities (good sense, moral sense, and spiritual sense).
• The higher in accumulated and observed wisdom we go, the further divorced from dependence on common, fleshy sense we are.

Special Notes

1 Corinthians 2:14 teaches:

• The natural man has a natural nature and natural actions.
• The spiritual man has a spiritual nature and spiritual actions.
• The carnal man has a spiritual nature and natural actions.

From this we recognize that there is a sliding scale to wisdom and sense.  The more "common" sense (sense shared in common), the more close fellowship which we can enjoy.  Babies start with the five senses shared in common with humanity—taste, touch, feel, see, hear.  This is common fleshy sense.  The parent’s role is to use this common fleshy sense to draw the child from fleshy sense reality to the realities which one cannot experience with fleshy sense.

Observe the following scale:

Fleshy Sense  —>  "Horse" Sense —>  Moral Sense  —>  Spiritual Sense.

Observations:

• Of course spiritual sense cannot be had without regeneration by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 2:14), but that does not keep us from pursuing a recognition of the reality of the spiritual when witnessing, even with our kids.
• You may experience common sense with someone else that only goes so far as fleshy sense (like your baby), but does not extend to horse sense realities (like how to do some task successfully or with wise application of knowledge).
• Babies must be raised to maturity to appreciate realities that you cannot see, but are enforced by realities that they have attained.  (Teach wisdom in horse sense and show the horse sense of valuing moral sense.)

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