Joshua 9

 Read Joshua 9

Who? The Israelites, the Gibeonites, Joshua, the elders of Israel, the representatives from Gibeon

What? Gibeon deceives Joshua and the elders, they make a covenant

Where? Gilgal

When? After the battles of Jericho and Ai, after the time of worship at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal 

Why? The Israelite leaders did not seek God’s counsel

How? The Gibeonites deceive the Israelites into thinking that they are from a far country


In Joshua 9, we begin by reading about the Canaanite kings who form an alliance because they had heard about Israel’s success in Jericho and Ai.  They decide to fight Joshua and Israel together.  Gibeon has also heard about Israel’s victories but decides to use a different tactic.  Gibeon is a strong city (Joshua 10:2) and allied with Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim (Joshua 9:17).  Rather than fight, they decide to trick Israel into making a covenant.  The inhabitants of Gibeon and its allied cities are Hivites or Horites.  They use deception to give the impression that they have been traveling a long time from a great distance (verses 4-6).  They go to Israel, which is back at their original camp at Gilgal (verse 6), and ask to make a covenant with them.  The leaders of Israel know that they have been commanded by God not to make a covenant with anyone in the land of Canaan (Exodus 23:32; Deuteronomy 7:1-2, 20:11-15).  They are momentarily suspicious, but the Gibeonites are great actors.  In their desperation, they use flattery and pretend not to know about Jericho and Ai.  Their “confession” is similar to what Rahab says, but they are being deceitful to Israel, while she was acting in faith (verses 9-10 and Joshua 2).  The leaders of Israel are still suspicious, but they agree to sample the provisions for “proof” (verse 14).  They neglect the most important check, though, and do “not ask for the counsel of the Lord” (verse 15).  Numbers 27:21 tells us that Joshua is to consult Eleazar the priest, who will consult God, but Eleazar isn’t even mentioned here.  Joshua learned from the battle of Ai that it is important to seek God before a battle.  They seek God in the “difficult” battles but not in the “easy” peace treaty.  How often do I neglect to ask God His will in the “easy” and “mundane” of my life?  This always causes problems (see Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 9:23-24).  

The leaders make a covenant with the Gibeonites.  They soon find that they were deceived.  The people grumble against them (verse 18).  They know that their leaders have messed up, but the leaders know that to break the covenant would be yet another wrong.  They fear God and know that He keeps His promises, so they must keep their’s as well.  Joshua keeps the covenant, but chooses to make the Gibeonites the slaves of the Levites.  The Gibeonites chose deception because of their fear of the Lord, perhaps even more fear than the Israelites had.  In God’s mercy, He puts them into the exact place they need to be to draw them to Him.  Their punishment means they will be around the worship of God all the time.  This gives them all an opportunity to know Him and surrender to Him.  


Question 1: What is Joshua’s first and biggest mistake?  Why is it even more important for leaders to not make such a mistake?

He did not seek the Lord.  Leaders seek the Lord for themselves and for those they lead. When they do not seek the Lord first, they lead the people into sin.  We see this in particular with Bible teachers who have gotten off track and are teaching false doctrines.  The leaders are not seeking the Lord and are deceiving the people.  The people are not seeking the Lord and have opened themselves up to deception.  This means that the people are being led astray. 


Question 2: Are the Gibeonites showing saving faith?  Why were they spared?  No, they are deceivers acting out of desperation.  They are spared because a covenant is binding and God is faithful and merciful.


So how do we apply the lessons of this chapter?  We seek the Lord.  We look for His will in every moment of our lives.  We do not become arrogant and overconfident, thinking that we do not need to “bother” God with what we are dealing with in the moment because it is “no big deal”.  God wants us to consult Him about everything, big and small.  He wants us to be humble and to be willing to listen to Him and others who are speaking truth.  We need to be in His Word so that we recognize truth.  We need to let go of our pride and realize that we can’t even handle the little things in life without God.  We are His slaves by choice and He will guide us every moment of every day.  We just need to Trust and Obey.


When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still

And with all who will trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey


Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies

But His smile quickly drives it away

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear

Can abide while we trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey


Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet

Or we'll walk by His side in the way

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go

Never fear, only trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey


“Trust and Obey” By J.H. Sammis and D. B. Towner, verses 1,2 and 5


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Suffering

Letting Go