Joshua 9:9-15 - They
answered: "Your servants have come from a very distant country
because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports
of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the
Amorites east of the Jordan--Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king
of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those living in our
country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say
to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us." ' This bread of ours was warm when we packed it
at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is.
And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how
cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long
journey." The men of Israel sampled
their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace
with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly
ratified it by oath.
The people of Gibeon were clever. They saw the alliances
being made by all the other kings in Canaan.
But they were so afraid…for their very life…that they wove a set of lies…even
created costumes to make them believable…and performed their great deception
with flawless skill. Joshua and the
leaders of Israel were so convinced that they forgot to ask God what to do…and
they made a treaty of peace with them…a binding vow that they would not kill
them. A vow they would have to keep…even
when they learned 3 days later the truth.
Joshua should have asked God…but he allowed Satan to hide
his eyes from the truth…and his compassion for these people swelled in his
heart…and somehow prevented him from remembering to take the matter to God
before he made such a binding decision. He
had to swallow his pride as he admitted to the people that he had made a
serious mistake….and further remind the Israelites how God felt about the vow
they had ratified with these people…even though they were proven liars. Moses had told them in Numbers 30:1-2…. “Moses
said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the
LORD commands: When a man makes a vow to
the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break
his word but must do everything he said.”
There are really two lessons for us in this story. One is that we always…always…always…need to
ask God what to do…with every decision we are faced with...great or small. I struggle so much with this...because I mirror
Joshua’s deep compassion… and I just let the situation ….quickly make the call
for me. Sometimes I see the truth and do the right thing…but sometimes I make
the wrong one and pay a heavy price. My friend says that I should pray for the
ability to discern situations as I see them...to see through the fake stories
of hurt…to use God’s eyes every time I am asked for help. Discernment is a sort of prepaid card of
prayer to God…to help us size up a seemingly serious situation….but I have to
at least learn to glance heavenward and shoot a quick “God…help me know what to
do with this”…when I clearly have no clue.
The story also reminds me that my word is binding. If I make a promise…and later realize that I
made it without asking God…I am still bound by my word...and he will hold me accountable. Joshua was right to keep his promise…he knew
what Moses had said was right….even if he had to swallow his pride and admit
that he had made a mistake. He had
promised not to kill them…so he chose to command a life of slavery for them…water
carriers and wood cutters…for the remainder of their life.
Maybe there are three lessons…if we stop and really think
about the Gibeons part in this story. They
did not know the Lord…they knew of him…and that was scary…for knowing the
promise God had made to the Israelites meant they had to die. I guess I would spin a creative web of
deception to try and save my life too…if I had no protection from the God of Yahweh. I mean think about it…they were not under his
protection…a sort of ‘unsaved’ person in our terms today. Maybe God used Joshua’s
mistake to teach his love to these people…as they walked among the Israelites and
watched them. I know it is a stretch
here…but maybe a few of those Gibeons became followers of God…because they were
spared...even though it was under a curse of slavery.
Father…I thank you for the way you work your love into every
situation...even when we get so busy or taken by the tricks of Satan. I pray for a double dose of that discernment
father…and a little extra memory in my old age to remember to always glance up
at heaven and whisper the question… “what do you want me to do?” Help me to learn to ask your will in every
situation…small or large. I thank you for reminding me that when I have spoken
a promise…it is binding…even when it was made without thoughts of how you feel.
Help me to be honest and truthful and always do what I have spoken to others…especially
when I realize it may not have been the right thing to do. Amen.
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