The Snare of Gibeon
Joshua 9
Joshua 9
Joshua 9. In this chapter we have another aspect of the opposition of the enemy to Israel’s progress in possessing their inheritance. We have seen the strength of the enemy represented in the walls of Jericho, and now we have the strategies of the enemy represented in the deception of the Gibeonites. In a spiritual application of these things, we are to be prepared for those attacks of the enemy which aim to flatter and deceive us by first putting on “the whole armor of God” and, just as importantly, also “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance” (Eph. 6:13, 18).
Confederation of Israel’s Enemies (9:1-2)
CHAPTER 9
1 And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and along all the coast of the great sea as far as opposite to Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it, 2 that they assembled together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
vv.1-2 Israel’s Enemies Gather. The enemy opposes progress. The forces of opposition gather together as a confederacy to combine their strength in battle against Joshua. This is the world’s recourse. A system of independence turns to confederacy when threatened. In fact, the principle of confederacy is really a worldly principle. Whenever Israel entered a confederacy it had a bad end (Asa rebuked), even in cases where it lead to short term survival (Ahaz). We have this principle in Isaiah 8, which deals historically with the confederacy that Israel made with Syria to fight against Judah, and rather than trust Jehovah, king Ahaz made a confederacy with Assyria, which later led to their subjugation to that nation; “Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel” (Isaiah 8:12-14). This passage also has prophetic application to the confederacy that the apostate nation of Israel will seek for their own protection from the King of the North, and will come to ruin. The remnant will trust in the Lord, and be preserved from the overflowing scourge. This is the great lesson: dependance on God is the only sure path. Israel had learned this lesson in the face of the enemies power, but they fail again in the face of the enemies strategies.
The Deception of the Gibeonites (9:3-13)
3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 then they also acted with craft, and they went prepared as on a journey, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-flasks, old and rent and tied up; 5 and old and patched sandals upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. 6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, From a far country are we come; and now make a covenant with us.
vv.3-6 The Deception. The Gibeonites deception was very simple but very compelling. The old sacks, old wine skins, patched sandals, old garments, and moldy bread was a convincing act. In addition, claiming to be from a “far country” and seeking a covenant of peace meant that they respected and feared Israel, which was also a way of flattering them. “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet” (Prov. 29:5). The Gibeonites and Rahab both sought to avoid destruction by Israel, but their approaches were quite different. The Gibeonites, fearing destruction, deceived Joshua and the Israelites by pretending to be from a distant land. Their lives were spared but they were forced to be servants (woodcutters and water carriers) for Israel. Rahab was a harlot in Jericho, but she acknowledged Israel’s God as the true God and acted in faith. She hid the spies, helped them escape, and deceived her own people rather than turn them over to the king of Jericho. Rahab asked for mercy for herself and her family. Because of her faith, not only was she spared death, but she was brought into Israel and into the royal line of the Messiah Himself!
7 And the men of Israel said to the Hivite, Perhaps thou dwellest in the midst of us, and how should I make a covenant with thee? 8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? 9 And they said to him, From a very far country are thy servants come, because of the name of Jehovah thy God; for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og the king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. 11 And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take victuals in your hand for the way, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us. 12 This our bread we took warm for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; and now, behold, it is dry, and is become mouldy. 13 And these flasks of wine which we filled new, behold, they are rent; and these our garments and our sandals are become old by reason of the very long journey.
vv.7-13 The Deception Confirmed. The “men of Israel” at least seemed more cautious than their leaders. The men of Gibeon responded to the query by addressing not the men of Israel, but Joshua. The called themselves “thy servants”. This was a form of flattery, and it was effective! The deception was confirmed, and Israel was persuaded. The old garments and moldy bread was a pretense. Israel little suspected that these were the very people that they had come to drive out. The Gibeonites speak to us of a particular kind of Satan’s wiles. The enemy seeks to bring the Church into fellowship with the world through a religious pretense: an outward appearance of religiosity without the inward reality; “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). Much of Christendom is really that: the world cloaked under the name of Christ. The careless believer engages with religious Christianity, and becomes yoked with a version of the world.
The Failure of Israel: Lack of Dependence (9:14-15)
14 And the men took of their victuals, but they did not inquire at the mouth of Jehovah. 15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the princes of the assembly swore unto them.
vv.14-15 The Failure of Israel. Failure of Israel this plainly stated that “they did not inquire at the mouth of Jehovah”. The lesson is that of dependence. Satan is far superior to us in craftiness and deception. The believer, in his own strength, is no match for the enemy. But “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). If we ask of God, He will give wisdom, and we will be spared the heartache of regret. What need did Israel have of allies in Canaan when they had Jehovah! The combination of seeing the enemies confederate together (vv.1-2) and being offered an alliance (vv.3-13) was a perfect recipe for deception, and it worked!
The Deception Discovered (9:16-27)
16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt in their midst.
v.16 The Deception Discovered. In only three days’ time, Israel discovered their mistake: the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living in the midst of the promised land!
17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day; and their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim. 18 And the children of Israel did not smite them, because the princes of the assembly had sworn unto them by Jehovah the God of Israel. Then all the assembly murmured against the princes. 19 And all the princes said to all the assembly, We have sworn unto them by Jehovah the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. 20 This we will do to them, and let them live, lest wrath come upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them. 21 And the princes said to them, Let them live. And they were hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly; as the princes had said to them.
vv.17-21 The Oath Upheld. It was right for Israel to uphold their oath, even though they were wrong to make it in the first place. Later on, Saul tried to exterminate the Gibeonites, violating Israel’s oath. As a result, God sent a famine upon Israel; “It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites” (2 Sam. 21:1). However, having made the mistake of not inquiring at the mouth of Jehovah, they could have spread the matter before Him as to what to do now that they knew they had been deceived. But they did not consult the Lord.1
22 And Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, Why have ye deceived us, saying, We are very far from you; whereas ye dwell in our midst? 23 And now ye are cursed, and ye shall never cease to be bondmen, and hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the house of my God. 24 And they answered Joshua and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants how that Jehovah thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and did this thing. 25 And now behold, we are in thy hand: as it is good and right in thine eyes to do to us, do. 26 And he did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, and they did not slay them. 27 And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the assembly, and for the altar of Jehovah, to this day, in the place which he should choose.
vv.22-27 The Gibeonites Subjugated. The result of the Gibeonites deception was that Israel would have to live with them, but the Gibeonites would be cursed. By making peace with the Gibeonites, Israel allowed a perpetual snare in their midst, weakening their moral and spiritual integrity. True reliance on God means avoiding unnecessary alliances and trusting in His power alone. The Gibeonites lives were spared, but they were made a servant-people, woodchoppers and water-drawers for them. It is interesting that Joshua says “for the house of my God… for the assembly, and for the altar of Jehovah”, which may suggest that they were incorporated into the Nethinim – temple servants – set up by David to assist the Levites in the service of the temple (Ezra 8:20). Their main city (Gibeon) became a prominent city in Israel. In the book of Nehemiah we find that a small number of Gibeonites (ninety-five) returned from the Babylonian captivity (Neh. 7:25), and men from Gibeon helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the exile (Neh. 3:7).
- There they bound themselves by the name of Jehovah, and it is a very striking thing for us also to see that at this time there was no trifling with the honor of that name. They felt that they had been beguiled. This was true; but they did not therefore consider that it was open to them to break the oath of Jehovah because they had been deceived into it. We too must take care how, where we have committed ourselves to that which is wrong, we lightly deal with that name. No; the thing was done: it could not be undone. They could have asked counsel of the Lord again; we are not told that they did so. They had made a double error: they entered into it without the Lord, and when the thing was done, we do not find that they spread the difficulty before Him. Thus it is most manifest the enemy gained an immense advantage over the host of Jehovah on that day. – W. Kelly. Lectures Introductory to the Earlier Historical Books.