ADULT STS LESSON 160 DECEPTION OF THE GIBEONITES
MEMORY VERSE: “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” (Joshua 9:23).
TEXT: Joshua 9:1-27
The exploits of Israel over the enemies on their way to Canaan had instilled fear in their potential adversaries. In this study, two different responses by the Canaanites are recorded. One, the kings of the southern region opted for armed conflict by forming a confederacy to fight the children of Israel. Two, the Gibeonites resorted to a non-violent approach. Not willing to surrender their lands by force or fair means, they concocted a strategy to counter any offensive attack the children of Israel may launch against them.
Unknown to Joshua, emissaries were dispatched to negotiate a peace treaty with them; it was a carefully planned deceptive plot. Joshua was caught off guard and gave an unholy consent to them. Thus, this study focuses on the confederacy of the heathen kings, the craftiness of the Gibeonites and the consequences of Joshua’s treaty with Gibeon.
CONFEDERACY OF THE HEATHEN KINGS AGAINST ISRAEL (Joshua 9:1,2; 10:5; Psalm
83:1-5; Isaiah 8:12; Acts 4:26; Deuteronomy 28:7; Genesis 11:6)
“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” (Joshua 9:1,2). As the children of Israel marched to their next target, the heathen kings determined not to surrender any part of their land without a fight. They put aside their differences and formed a confederacy to resist and halt the Israelites’ advancement to Canaan.
They were united in fighting a common cause. Unity is a powerful tool in achieving great success in the family, nation and the church of God. “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be retrained from them, which they have imagined to do” (Genesis 11:6). The body of Christ has a common foe and we should be united in waging war against this enemy. However, God abhors unity that is motivated by evil; especially, if it is aimed at fighting against God and His people. No matter how united the powers of darkness may be, the allpowerful God can frustrate every evil against His people (Isaiah 54:17). It is futile for any human to consider the thought of resisting God because He is the omnipotent One.
The Scripture says, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker…” (Isaiah 45:9). During Christ’s earthly ministry, Satan inspired the religious leaders – the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees – to unite against Him. The enemies’ attack on the body of Christ these days is no less intense. We must be united to fight Satan and his agents who are bent on extinguishing the light of the gospel. All sections of the church must rise together for aggressive evangelisation of the world.
CRAFTINESS AND DECEPTION OF THE GIBEONITES (Joshua 9:3-14; Deuteronomy 7:1,2; James 3:15; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Matthew 26:41)
The Gibeonites were the inhabitants of Gibeon and remnants of the Amorites. They were neighbours with the heathen nations that would have been destroyed if not for their deceptive and carnal wisdom. Their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah, Beeroth and Kirjath-jearim. On hearing that Jericho and Ai had fallen, they resorted to a deceptive plot to avoid suffering the same fate. “They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their old, and rent, and bound up” asses, and wine bottles, (Joshua 9:4).
They came as ambassadors who had come from a far country. They had patched shoes, threadbare clothes, weather-worn bags, stale bread and old wineskins.
This was a camouflage to deceive Joshua to believe their report. Upon arrival, the Gibeonites persuaded Joshua to make a peaceful treaty. Their web of deceit was so carefully spun that it caught even that great man God. They did not hesitate to explain the reason for their request for a peace treaty: “…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…” (verses 9,10). They did not refer to Jericho and Ai so that they would not be suspected to be citizens of Canaan.
Unfortunately, Joshua was carried away with their wile. “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 swore unto them” (Joshua 9:14,15). This happened because Joshua did not seek the face of God concerning the matter. As Christians, we should be careful of the human agents of deception, like the Gibeonites who were very diplomatic, crafty and deceptive in character.
CONSEQUENCE OF JOSHUA’S TREATY WITH THE GIBEONITES (Joshua 9:15-27;
Deuteronomy 20:15; 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Samuel 21:1-9; Proverbs 12:19; Matthew 10:26)
The shabby appearance of the Gibeonites and their concocted story would not have deceived Joshua and the princes but for their failure to seek God’s face in prayer. This is the second time Joshua took a decision without consulting the Lord. The first was his assault on Ai without asking God for necessary strategy. And Israel was defeated because of Achan’s secret sin (Joshua 7:2-5). Therefore, his hasty decision in making a league with the Gibeonites posed both short term and long term consequences for the nation.
The Lord had commanded that all the heathens within and around the Promised Land should be destroyed. One reason was to prevent the negative influence of the idolatrous practices of these nations. Another was to preserve the lineage of Israel from pollution through unequal yoke in marriage. Many years later, the children of Israel suffered three years of famine because Saul destroyed some of the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21:1-3). It was important for Joshua and present-day believers to seek God’s mind on issues through prayer. Also, we should walk by faith rather than by sight.
We should not judge people only by their outward appearance, titles and their claims. Although the deception of the Gibeonites was uncovered after three days, the situation could not be reversed without bringing some unpleasant consequences to both parties.
First, it served as deliverance to the Gibeonites who eventually escaped the sword of Joshua. However, on a negative side, they were cursed for their deception and reduced to a servile status in connection with the altar of the Lord. “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” (Joshua 9:23).
Second, it brought mixed reactions in the camp of Israel. The congregation murmured against the princes.
Third, the treaty created loopholes for strangers to come into the congregation of the people of God which was a great threat to true worship in Israel.
Fourth, the action of Joshua contradicted God’s earlier commandment and warning: “…if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell” (Numbers 33:55).
Fifth, though the Gibeonites adduced reasons for their deception, it did not in any way negate or mitigate the curse that had been placed on them.
The consequence of their deception worked against them and their descendants. In summary, believers must realise that they need divine guidance every step of the way as they journey to heaven. No day looks exactly like the other, hence the need to depend on the Lord and his Spirit for guidance.
The victory of yesteryears is not sufficient to make us self-reliant without needing to consult heaven regularly. Self-confidence ends with dire consequences. However, we must shun the deceptive approach of the Gibeonites so as not to bring curses and judgment upon ourselves and our offspring.
Questions for review:
- Why did the kings of Canaan form alliance against Israel?
- What are the dangers in opposing the will of God?
- What led to the deception concocted by the Gibeonites?
- Why did the Gibeonites succeed in their plot against Joshua and the princes?
- As believers and ministers of the gospel, how can we avoid the mistake Joshua made?
- Mention the consequences of Joshua’s peace treaty with the Gibeonites.
- What was the consequence of the Gibeonites’ deception?
