Joshua 9:16 – 27 “Three days after they had made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors, living among them. So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.
Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were told clearly that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this. Now we are in your hands. Do to us as it seems good and right to you.”
So Joshua did this and delivered them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill the Gibeonites. On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers, as they are to this day, for the congregation of the LORD and for the altar at the place He would choose.”
Joshua and the elders of Israel have created a terrible mess! When the Gibeonites showed up, fawning on the elders and describing the long journey they had taken and offering moldy bread as evidence of that journey, NONE of the elders or Joshua thought to ask the Lord if these people were telling the truth. Now it’s three days later, and the Israelites have just learned that the Gibeonites are near neighbors and should have been annihilated along with the other Amorite tribes.
This is not Joshua’s finest hour; his people are thoroughly disgusted. But a treaty has already been made, and Joshua and the elders must abide by that treaty. All they can do is to subjugate the Gibeonites and make them servants. The Gibeonites are vastly relieved; they have feared that Joshua would go back on his word and they would be wiped out. Centuries later, there are still Gibeonites living around Jerusalem as a result of this hastily – conceived treaty.
The story of Joshua’s hasty treaty with the Gibeonites is surprising, given the fact that Joshua generally did seek God’s will. But this story illustrates the fact that any one of us can make a major mistake, no matter how devout we are.
One of the amazing things is that the Gibeonite clearly had heard all about God’s commands to the Israelites. The word had evidently gone out throughout Canaan that God had marked the Canaanites for destruction. Once more, we realize that the pagans demonstrated more respect for God than did the Israelites. Throughout the forty years of wandering in the Wilderness, the Israelites came to take things for granted; meanwhile, the pagans watched as God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptian army and then miraculously supplied them with manna, water, and meat. The Gibeonites were wise enough to realize that they couldn’t possibly win against such a God, and the only way they could save themselves was by deception. Far better to be a servant to Israelites than to die.
Joshua was a man of his word. Having once made a treaty with the Gibeonites, Joshua and most of the subsequent leaders stuck to that treaty. The exception was King Saul, who attacked the Gibeonites in an attempt to protect Israel. The circumstances are only alluded to in 2 Samuel 21; however, Saul’s failure to honor this covenant eventually brought about a three – year drought that was only assuaged when King David delivered seven of Saul’s descendants to the Gibeonites for them to hang in an act of sacrificial revenge.
APPLICATION: There is an old saying, “Act in haste. Repent at leisure.” Many times, we choose to believe that we are only acting for ourselves, forgetting that our decisions today can have repercussions that echo down centuries. The biggest mistake Joshua made was not asking God about the Gibeonites; on the other hand, the Gibeonites were coming begging for peace and that was a powerful request.
Parents, group leaders, heads of institutions – we can all take decisions that seem so simple at the time but that can result in major complications. One of the challenges of working in poorly – resourced situations is sustainability. Aid groups may offer to pay supplements for workers in deprived areas for a certain number of years; however, the underlying assumption is that during that period of time, the institution will find alternate sources of funding. Unfortunately, this assumption is frequently erroneous! What happens if, at the end of the stated period, the institution has no more sources of funding than it did in the beginning? Now there is a new problem, because workers have gotten used to the extra money. When the grant ends and the money stops, the workers may strike, refuse to work properly, or even leave.
Parents who grant one child special privileges at an early age rapidly realize this is a mistake when their other children demand the same privileges, regardless of the circumstances. Owners of companies may enter into agreements, counting on the good will of their fellow establishment. But what happens if the paperwork is not handled properly and new owners take over the second company? At that point, those in charge of the first company may find themselves in danger of bankruptcy. Gentlemen’s agreements only work as long as both parties remain gentlemen!
How do we avoid the kind of mess that Joshua created for the Israelites and himself? God promises that if we ask Him, he will give us wisdom. Sometimes the very decisions we think are “no – brainers” are the ones for which we need the most divine guidance!
PRAYER: Father God, help us to ask You for Your guidance, even when we are sure that we know what we are about. Help us to listen and then to obey, rather than trusting only to our own judgement. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
February 22, 2022 at 12:04 am
Really good, I remembered the story well about being fooled by the sandals and bread, but I forgot they basically were enslaved after for their deception Super good point that the pagans feared God more than Israel. Good way to bring it forward to into daily life, the child more privileged part. Thank you.