Day 64: Joshua 7, 8 and 9

Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. (Joshua 9:16)

Here is the story of the Gibeonite deception. The Israelites, under Joshua’s leadership, were taking Canaan city by city. Whether it was primarily a military conquest, a simple process of assimilating into Canaanite culture, or a mixture of the two is debated by Old Testament scholars. Nevertheless, knowing it was just a matter of time before their number came up, and 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. They came before Joshua, misrepresented themselves, and negotiated 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, it was too late. He had given his word and refused to go back on it, but he did press the people of Gibeon into forced servitude, in which they would perform menial and difficult labor.

From Joshua and the Gibeonites we learn two valuable lessons: First, another’s deception does not legitimize dishonorable behavior on our part. Second, it’s never a good idea to sign a contract without reading the fine print.

Have you ever committed to something without getting all the facts first?