Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard they were neighbors, living near them. (Joshua 9:16)
Here we have the story of the Gibeonite deception. In order to spare their own lives, the Gibeonites dressed in old clothes and disguised their belongings to make them appear as if they had traveled a long distance to come and seek a peace treaty with Israel. Had Joshua known they were Canaanites, he would have been compelled to destroy them. Only after he covenanted with them to spare their lives did he find out they had deceived him and were really neighbors.
When Joshua learned the truth, he refused to go back on his word, but did press the people of Gibeon into forced servitude, in which they would perform menial and difficult labor.
Have you ever committed to something without getting all the facts first?
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