Sunday Morning Service

Joshua 9

“The Saving Of The Gibeonites” • 1.5.14 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- As we've journeyed through Joshua, we've noted on several occasions that we are witnessing both literal and typical history.

- These were real people in a real place. God was keeping His promise to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants. They were physically taking the land.

- At the same time, their experiences mirrors or typifies our experience as Christians, as the Promised land is an Old Testament picture of the Christian life.

- In the first five chapters, God displays the value that He places on Christian character. He makes them wait at the overflowing, flood stage Jordan River.

- Then, after they have crossed the Jordan, He has them commit to circumcision, an act that reflects a rejection of the power of their flesh, just 2 miles from their enemy!

- They are to be a people who wait on the Lord, trusting Him with their every move.

- In chapter 6, we move from their character, to their conflict. There are enemies to displace, a people in time who had allowed great wickedness to corrupt their society.

- Now, we lack the time for a full retrospective. For our purposes this morning, I would point out that there have been victories and there have been defeats, the very story of our Christian lives.

- The first victory at Jericho was so great, that it actually led to a great defeat at this little town called Ai. After God exposed the reason for their loss, they went back and defeated Ai.

- They are on an upswing, back in the high life again, which brings us to this present chapter.

- We'll take it in three sections, which look like this.

I. The Ruse (v.1-13)

II. The Response (v.14-18)

III. The Resolve (v.19-27)

Text

I. The Ruse (v.1-13)

• Joshua 9:1-5 : "And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard about it, that they gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord. But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended,  old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy." : The victory at Ai caused two responses among the people of Canaan. On the one hand, there was a unified attempt at force, a coalition intent on Israel's destruction.

- Up to this point, Israel has simply walked forward in obedience to God's program and He has won their battles. Essentially, these city states have arranged themselves against the Lord!

- This bloc was believed to be the best offensive strategy only because it hadn't been attempted. It's also probable that their hatred of God's people was all that united these nations!

- We'll see how their strategy pans out next week, but exempted from this strategy were the Gibeonites who were Hivites by nationality, but who had come to a different conclusion.

- They chose to work craftily or shrewdly. They had come to believe that the only people who could defeat God's people were in fact, God's people!

- In the book of Numbers, when Balaam failed to curse God's people with so much as a headache, he left Balak with the key to their defeat: Entice them to compromise themselves!

- In the same way, Gibeon knew that force was a useless weapon against the Lord. Instead, they would attempt to deceive the people of God into believing a lie.

• Joshua 9:6-13 : "And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, 'We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.' Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, 'Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?' But they said to Joshua, 'We are your servants.' And Joshua said to them, 'Who are you, and where do you come from?' So they said to him: 'From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. Therefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, 'We are your servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us.' This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.'" : Twice the Gibeonites mention that they have come from a far, undisclosed country. Twice there is a question about the veracity of their word.

- They got past the elders and received an audience from Joshua. Both times, the nagging question came to the surface. "Who are you and where do you come from!?"

- As Christians, we would do well to listen to our hearts in this moment. God has called us to peace and when that peace is not present, then the decision at hand is not a clear one.

- Sadly, they ignored that first line of defense and listened to them spin a tale that was very flattering. "We've heard what your God has done in Egypt, to Sihon and Og."

- They left out Jericho and Ai, furthering the flattering con with a supposed lack of knowledge regarding current events. For their final act, they presented their tattered clothes as evidence.

- "Listen to us! We know about your God's victories! Look at us! You can see we're telling you the truth by the old clothes and our moldy bread!!"

- They have played all their cards. Their existence depends upon the people of Israel believing the story of their distant homeland. Why?

- Deuteronomy 20:10ff provides Israel with it's rules for engagement. Some cities could offer themselves as servants to the people of Israel. Moses explains.

• Deuteronomy 20:15-18 : "Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God."

- This is why the Hivites from Gibeon were bent on deceiving Joshua and the people of Israel.

- Thankfully they have the Lord right!? Thankfully, they have the Priests and the High Priest, with the Urim and the Thummin! Look at what the word of God reports next.

II. The Response (v.14-18)

• Joshua 9:14-18 : "Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them. And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. But the children of Israel did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers." : The men of Israel took some of their provisions. The KJV says that they "took of their victuals." The NLT says it best when it says that they "examined their food."

- They had listened to their story, looked at their clothes and touched their food. They employed each of their senses but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.

- They did not stop to consider that which was written, nor did they stop to consider what light the Lord might shine upon their conundrum.

- They could have and should have consulted the Lord, asking Him for His wisdom. They had people who heard directly from the Lord, but they chose their own senses instead.

- How often do we trust what it is that we see and what our gut perceives, but how foolish it is not to bring our decisions before the Lord!

- What is at stake? The aggresive taking of territory for God's people to advance in! Their full cooperation with the Lord and His subsequent blessing! How could they be so careless!?

- You and I have even less justification. We have His completed Word, we have His Holy Spirit and we have a culture of mature Christians that surround us.

- Yet, we are at time reckless with our pursuits and careless in choosing who will influence us! We move around often without His wisdom and we need it desperately in this hour!

- He wants to give us wisdom, not sparingly, but graciously, generously! All we need to do is ask Him and it's ours!

- Unfortunately for Israel, this was turning into a tendency as this was not their first miscue.

- When they went into Ai the first time, they didn't consult the Lord for His battle plan. They assumed that a 1/10th of their effort would be enough to vanquish that little city.

- Here, with nothing but a limited interview, the enemy pulls the wool over Israel's and Joshua's eyes! After they swore and made a binding covenant, it became clear that they were neighbors.

- It took three days, but the lie was exposed and the people of Israel realized that they had been duped. Herein is another lesson: When you lack the wisdom to decide, simply wait to decide!

- Our carnal pride often demands that we act swiftly. Sometimes it's the pressure from our peers and sometimes it's our hatred of being indecisive.

- The answer "I don't know" or "I need to wait on the Lord" is just as good an answer as any!

- If Israel had only asked God and waited for an answer, they wouldn't be in this predicament! I wonder how many of us will heed that warning and remember the wisdom that they gained in failure.

- To make matters worse, they inhabited 4 cities that were now under the protection of their oaths! These cities were now off limits to them and would be mixed with heathen influence.

- Predictably and with justified anger, the people complained against the rulers. The peace and unity that had marked their community was gone just like that, a further consequence to their action.

III. The Resolve (v.19-27)

• Joshua 9:19-21 : "Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, 'We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them. This we will do to them: We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.' And the rulers said to them, 'Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the rulers had promised them.'" : The rulers answered to the people. They stood up and acknowledged their mistake and their responsibility to their oath! They made a bad decision and took ownership of it.

- We're not sure of all that this oath entailed, but it was certainly first a pact of non-aggression that had been ratified by swearing to the Gibeonites by the Lord God of Israel!

- God requires that His people live by what they have vowed, even In spite of the dubious circumstances! There is no worse affront to God than when His people misrepresent Him.

- It's better not to vow than to vow and not to act on what you have vowed!

- The Hivites would be safe from the Israelis, as God Himself would deal severely with the people of Israel if they broke their word to them.

- They resolved to turn the Gibeonites into their own labor force, serving as woodcutters and water carriers.

- This is an interesting consideration. They could not physically come against them, but they could give them enough work so as to limit their influence.

- Don't make a bad decision worse by giving in further to it's influence!

- "Oh well, since I'm already this far along, I might as well keep sinning!"

- No! You might be in a bad situation. but don't make it worse by letting your decision run free!

- Additionally, they made their mistake count toward building a better future. Wood was necessary for fuel and for building, while water was necessary for cooking and washing.

- We'll see that they were consigned to the work of the tabernacle, which would require wood for building and burning, water for washing and cleaning.

- The people of Israel redeemed this mistake, using it as fuel and as a cleansing agent.

- "I'm never going to let myself be in that predicament again." "I remember what it was like to suffer through that situation. I don't even want to get close to it again!"

- Perhaps your past mistake provides a washing or cleansing experience for someone else.

- You see a person failing in an area and it's a cool drink of water when a brother shares their same story! That water cleanses us and gives us hope that we'll see a better day.

• Joshua 9:22-25 : "Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, 'Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell near us? Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.' So they answered Joshua and said, 'Because your servants were clearly told that the Lord your 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 very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us.': At the end of the story, Joshua just wanted to know why the Hivites did this?

- Joshua tells them that they are cursed from that day forward to the menial labor of the tabernacle. That will be their future.

- Notice their response. They lied because the servants of the Lord were clearly told what to do to the citizens of Canaan! There was no ambiguity.

- It's interesting that the Hivites knew exactly what God had spoken to them and used that against them. They knew that if they left things alone, that they would be dead.

- Since they were dead already, why not take a chance and be slaves! They replied, "Do whatever you feel is right."

- They knew God's Word to them. They knew it would save them, even if they were now slaves. That was a good alternative to being exterminated!

• Joshua 9:26,27 : "So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them. And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, in the place which He would choose, even to this day." : Joshua effectively assigned them to their work as a labor force for the people, as well as the altar.

- At this point, God had not assigned where He would place His Altar. We know from history that the Altar would reside in Shechem and then later in Jerusalem.

- Whereever it was, it was the Gibeonites that would bring the supplies needed for it.

- Now, this is incredible because as we look at this chapter, a distaste fills our proverbial mouths at the deception that these people were capable of.

- We might even loathe their lack of "freedom fighting spirit!" We might reason, "They wouldn't take me without a fight!"

- Think about it like this: They are the first people group to have a future in Israel. Rahab was the first Canaanite person to come into the promise of God and the Hivites from Gibeon join her.

- They came in as liars, deceivers and generally poor human beings. But because of God, their future is much more bright.

- They went from being doomed to destruction to being an integral part of the service of God's house! I'd say that's a pretty good turn of events!

- It began with their faith. We can't win against God. That belief led them to their only hope, which was to be accepted as slaves, so they came.

- Does that sound familiar? You and I knew that we were doomed without God, so we came hoping only to be His slaves.

- But God's grace made us more than slaves. He made us His Sons and Daughters because of the saving work of His Son Jesus Christ!

Conclusion

- Yes, the rouse was effective and the response was wrong! We've been there. We've made decisions that left us in a bad way.

- We can resolve today to let it work for us. Let it fuel our fire to walk forward and refresh others who might be in a similar position.

- Thankfully, because we are God's people, He will turn it to our good, because He is the God of Redemption.