Joshua 9:14-22
(14) And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and
the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
16 And it came to pass at the end of
three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their
neighbors, and that they dwelt among them.
17 And the children of Israel journeyed,
and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah,
and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because
the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all
the congregation murmured against the princes.
19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the
LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath
be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
21 And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood
and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye
beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
The Gibeonites misrepresented themselves to Joshua and the Israelites to procure a covenant
of peace. Israel’s leaders failed to do their due diligence in verifying the Gibeonites’
claim, and they became a protected people in Israel. As the story unfolds, the Israelites
discover the Gibeonites’ deception, yet the oath they swore tied their hands.
The Israelites, fearing God’s wrath if they reneged on the agreement, make the Gibeonites
their slaves. The Gibeonites, consigned to cut wood and carry water, have no hope of freedom.
We use a similar saying even today: If somebody “carries water” for a person of higher rank,
it indicates the water carrier is a servant—his life is not his own. The agreement spared the
Gibeonites’ lives but also significantly constrained them.
Verse 14 is the critical point in this story: “Then the men of Israel took some of their
provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD” (emphasis ours). The Gibeonites’
subterfuge succeeded because Israel, apparently even Joshua, did not seek God’s counsel.
They knew His will overall: to drive the people completely out of the land. But Israel’s
leaders failed to consult with God when this decision came before them, and in time, that
failure cost them dearly. This error is particularly surprising regarding Joshua, who was
a very faithful leader. This incident appears to be a low point in an otherwise outstanding
record of following God.
The Bible contains no record of the Israelites, even after discovering the deception, either
repenting of missing the mark or seeking God about what to do. Israel’s hands may have been
tied, but God’s certainly were not. As verse 22 indicates, Joshua and the Israelites were more
upset over the Gibeonites’ deception than their mistake of failing to seek God. They had the means
to avoid this deception, to see through the disguises, but instead, they acted on their own
understanding.
Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Despite thinking they controlled the Gibeonites, they were still
susceptible to their deceptive influence, and over time, it resulted in idolatry. The Gibeonites
may have been mere water carriers, but their influence helped topple the nation.
What were the fruits—the effects—of this incident? The account in Joshua 9 records what the Gibeonites
reaped. They had life but not fulfillment. Paul has good reason to link sin with slavery. A sinner is
a slave of sin, a state the Gibeonites experienced literally.
Romans 6:16
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
In not guarding against deception with God’s help, Joshua and the Israelite leaders established a
precedent that unwittingly unleashed great calamity on their nation. What had been an absolute, divine
imperative to wipe out the inhabitants of Canaan now included an exception, turning aside God’s clear
command.
The fruit, however, took time to ripen and spoil. After this lapse, Joshua faithfully destroyed every
other city and nation he came against, not showing any mercy, just as God had said. The fruit ripened
after Joshua died. For a time, the Israelites continued their conquest of the land, but cracks developed
in their resolve. Nobody could stand against them, but after a while, they abandoned the conquest, despite
God’s assurance of victory.
To compound the problem, even among the peoples they did conquer, the Israelites did not finish the job
God gave them. Instead, they leaned on Joshua’s exception and opted to enslave the descendants of Canaan
rather than drive them out. They chose mercy when, in this matter, God had said not to show mercy. Yet
Israel could point to Joshua’s regrettable precedent and say, “Well, he did it, and it worked out.”
Except it did not work out—not over the long term. The fruit of being deceived and allowing evil to endure
was horrible, but there was no going back. The very thing God had warned Israel about, time and again, came
to pass:
Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the
Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to
their sons; and they served their gods.
Judges 3:5-6
5 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites,
and Hivites, and Jebusites:
6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons,
and served their gods.
Israel had a perpetual problem with recognizing evil and taking appropriate action. Their apostasy began
with the Hivites from Gibeon, and in time, the leaven slowly spread.
There is no such thing as a little sin or, in this case, a little deception. The Gibeonites’ instinct for
self-preservation enslaved them, and Israel’s failure to seek the truth resulted in a corrosive precedent,
creating a spiritual snare that sprang on Israel exactly as God predicted.
“Only one life to live and soon is past
Only what’s done for Christ will last!”
Hoping to make the time I have left count for the glory of God.
Joshua 9:14-22