And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
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.
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 neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
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 Kirjath-jearim.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
GUILEFUL GIBEONITES
‘Wherefore have ye beguiled us?’
Joshua 9:22
Joshua and the elders, although at first a little in doubt about the Gibeonites’ story, seem to consider this too plain and obvious a matter to consult God about. Surely they are to use their own common sense, and decide some things themselves! So they reason. And so, we read, they ‘asked not counsel of the Lord, and Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them.’ Israel had yet to learn, as each one of us must learn, that in this life of full surrender to God we cannot trust our own judgment or wisdom, any more than we can trust our own strength. Everything must be referred to God. He is our wisdom as well as our strength. This is humbling to pride, but it is necessary, if we would make no mistakes.
Ere three days pass, the people find out what a blunder they have made, and what a tangle they have got themselves into. These pious-talking, innocent-appearing strangers, they find, are their near neighbours, and are some of those desperately wicked people whom God had commanded should be utterly destroyed. But because Israel thought it unnecessary to ask counsel of God, an oath has been made, ‘ in the name of the Lord God of Israel,’ that these Gibeonites shall live! The matter is patched up as well as possible. Because of the oath, and the Name in which it has been given, the Gibeonites cannot be killed, but they are made hewers of wood and drawers of water, thus really becoming helpers in the service of the Tabernacle. This shows how God can overrule even the mistakes of His people, to His glory and to their best good.
I. The personal application and instruction of all this is very plain.—The condemned nations of Canaan furnish a good type of the Christian’s spiritual enemies of various kinds, enemies which surround us on every hand. We have already studied about great Jericho and little Ai; and now, in this section, the Gibeonites represent, not so much the open attacks or opposition, as the miles of the devil. These enemies are none the less deadly because they use deceit and guile instead of open assault. Indeed, they are far more dangerous, because they are not so easily recognised as enemies. Only God’s eye can penetrate their disguise, and reveal their real character. If Israel had consulted God before making any agreement with them, all would have been well. As Christians we are surrounded by Gibeonites, real enemies of God, who, disguised and under assumed friendliness, or in the name of religion, desire to make a league with us. Let us learn the lesson of this story, and before entering into any league—by marriage, business, partnership, social agreement, etc.—however much we may trust the individuals, or however right it may all appear to us, let us not fail to ‘ ask counsel of the Lord.’
II. It is always a bad thing for God’s people to make alliances with the enemies of God.—How often we see Christian women marrying ungodly men, or Christian men entering into business partnership with the thoroughly ungodly, as though there were no such command from the Lord as ‘Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.’ True, sometimes God has overruled such agreements to our good and His own glory, as in the case of the Gibeonites; but it is better not to make such blunders. Sad results are always sure to follow when God’s people join with Satan’s. Look at the history of the Church. During the first centuries of her existence, although much persecuted and assailed, she swept forward, planting the news of salvation in many lands; and we have but to read the book of Acts to see what wonders were accomplished, and what multitudes were won to Christ. Satan saw that he could not prevail by force; and so he resorted to wiles, until, little by little, the Church made a league with the world and the things of Satan, and rapidly lost power.
Illustrations
(1) ‘What mistakes I make, when I “ask not counsel at the mouth of the Lord”! My foes are very crafty. The devil has a thousand wiles. There seem so many reasons why I should make my peace with the world. Many of these reasons will present themselves to-day. Lord, at every such appeal let me turn to Thee, and seek counsel of Thy wisdom alone.’
(2) ‘It is by no means certain, if they had sought the Divine direction, that they would have been commanded to reject the suit of the Gibeonites and show them no mercy. The probability is that upon any of the devoted nations voluntarily coming forward, professing repentance, renouncing idolatry, and embracing the true religion, the Israelites would have been authorised by God to spare their lives. But the circumstance is mentioned here as a severe reflection upon the princes of Israel for neglect of duty, for rashness, credulity, and impolicy. They rushed precipitately into an alliance which they had no right to form without the express sanction of Jehovah, and their “lips became a snare to their souls.” ’
Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.
And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.
And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
