My Church

20: Lies And Oaths

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Can the world get along without making oaths? How powerful an oath is; how destructive is a lie.  As we saw earlier, Rahab had sold her body in exchange for her soul. Not the best deal to make to put food in ones stomach. When she heard the awe-inspiring news about what God had done for Israel, she relented and found her way back to God. Now the Gibeonites respond to similar news and are spared. This saga involves deception and oath keeping. These two things remind me to do the truth at all costs. To keep promises and not lie are very much a part of God. Think about that – truth and faithfulness - are very much a part of God. Remember that as your read this section from Schaeffer.

What follows are fragmentary pieces of Francis Schaeffer’s commentary Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History picked out for my own edification and direction. I am interested most in finding the conditions God gave for taking and possessing His land. Also, what can we learn from this story of conquest? To go to the start of these lessons click here.

The Gibeonites

After the reading of the blessings and the curses, the conquest of the land continued. The Israelites were now on top of the mountains; the wedge had been driven in. From this time on the wedge was expanded, first to the south, then to the north.

The Israelites’ opponents banded together to oppose this campaign:

“And it came to pass, when all the kings who 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 [literally, with one mouth]” (Josh. 9:1, 2).

The leaders mounted a united campaign against the people that now stood in such an advantageous position on the mountains. Part of the warfare itself is described in Joshua 10. It can be easily summarized: in a short span of time all the strongholds of the south fell.

The Defeat of the Southern Confederation

The first battle began this way. Jerusalem was the key city in a confederation of five southern city-states. The king of Jerusalem called together the other four kings to attack Gibeon, a city related to the confederation:

“Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, sent unto Hoham, king of Hebron, and unto Piram, king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia, king of Lachish, and unto Debir, king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon; for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel” (Josh. 10:3, 4).

As the confederation moved against Gibeon, the Gibeonites gave a call for help to the Israelites. (Why Joshua had made peace with Gibeon we will see in a moment.) They sent to Gilgal, the Israelites’ permanent base in the valley, to which the women, children and animals had probably returned while the soldiers fought in the highlands, and said, “Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered against us” (Josh. 10:6). So Joshua departed quickly from Gilgal, and the war was on.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not; for I have delivered them into thine hand. There shall not a man of them stand before thee” (Josh. 10:8). The Israelites had the Word of the Lord with them. They were not functioning on their own without listening to God, as they had in the case of Ai. God said, “This is of Me; so go forward without fear and with courage.”

They fought a great pitched battle against the confederacy of the five nations, broke the strength of this united army, and put the Amorites to flight. Joshua 10:10 speaks of their fleeing by a way that “goeth up to Beth-horon,” while Joshua 10:11 talks about the Amorites’ going “down to Beth-horon.” At first sight this might seem to be contradiction, but we know from archaeological studies that there were two Beth-horons, an upper and a lower.

The battle was not won only by the Israelites’ valiant fighting. God had said He would be with the people, and, as we pointed out earlier, there should be no stereotypes about how God will act. The fall of Jericho was different from the fall of Ai. The fall of the five kings was again different. God intervened directly through two acts of nature. First, hailstones fell upon the enemy. This added to their confusion in the midst of battle. Second, Joshua spoke to the Lord “in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still [literally, be silent] upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the peoples had avenged themselves upon their enemies” (Josh. 10:12, 13). Joshua spoke and God heard him.

“Is not this written in the book of Jasher?” the text then asks. The “book of Jasher” is not part of the inspired Bible, though this portion of it was put into the Bible. The rest of the book is lost. It was apparently not named for a man. As best we can tell, it was a book of poetry that recounted the great acts of God and informed the Jewish people about their heroes. The book of Jasher was mentioned again about 400 years later, at the time of David [2 Sam 1:18]. So though not inspired, it continued to be popular.

When the Israelites came out of Egypt, another poem, the song of Moses,” was recited. “I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously,” it began (Ex. 15:1). In Exodus 4:21–29, as in Joshua 10:13, the message is given in prose as well as in poetry. There is no conflict in this. Both texts are talking about a historic event, whether in poetry or prose.

What the text from Joshua is actually saying is that there was a long day. We cannot use the phrase “the sun stood still” to prove that the Jews were ignorant cosmologically. Whether they were or not, the use of this term does not demonstrate that the text is inaccurate, for the simple reason that we today use the same kind of expression. I have never heard a twentieth-century person say when the sun came up in the morning, “The earth has turned far enough to allow me to see the sun.” If you said, “The sun is rising” and someone suddenly responded, “How ignorant you are! The earth has turned far enough for you to see the sun,” everyone would laugh. The comment would be ridiculous because it is outside the forms in which we normally speak.

I find it strange that some people are upset by the long day. It is not difficult to visualize it. In Switzerland during the summer I can count on light till 9:00 at night. In the middle of winter, however, I must be out of the forest by 6:00, or I am in trouble. In Norway on the longest day of the year, the sun does not go down at all! In the North, for days the sun never sets. So we know that the lengths of daylight vary.

How did God do it? We do not know. We might visualize it either of two ways: the earth could have slowed or the earth could have tilted, making the conditions in Israel like those in the North where the sun does not set. There could be other ways that we might not be able to visualize. However it was accomplished, the Bible says that God worked into space-time history to fight for the Israelites.

After the main resistance was broken, the Israelite forces swept on. Throughout the day, one after another of the small city-states fell: Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron and Debir. The whole south fell in one united campaign. The armies were broken, the cities overthrown, and the five major kings killed.

So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. (Josh. 10:40–43).

The wedge was now spread in one direction. The whole southern portion of the land had fallen. This does not mean that all these cities were permanently occupied, but the confederacy was broken and the south was in the hand of the Israelites.

The Deception of the Gibeonites

Having seen the southern campaign successfully completed, let us turn our attention back to Joshua 9. As the Amorite confederacy had prepared for its fight against the Israelites, the inhabitants of Gibeon had taken a drastic step:

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 moldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We have 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 where come ye? And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants have 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, who was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke 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 moldy; and these bottles of wine which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are rent; and these our garments and our shoes have 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 swore 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 neighbors, 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 Kiriath-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 swore 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 spoke unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? 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 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. (Josh. 9:3–27)

The Gibeonites performed an act of deception. The “wine bottles,” of course, were skins, and the Gibeonites said, “They are torn. The bread which we took from the oven is now old and dried.” They knew very well what had happened to Jericho and Ai, but they never mentioned it. They only mentioned what they would have heard about had they left home a long time ago—that is, they only mentioned what had happened on the east side of the Jordan. And Joshua made a league with them.

The text specifically says that the Israelites did not ask God’s counsel. “They received the men by reason of their food” is actually a better translation of the Hebrew; in other words, the Israelites looked at the Gibeonites’ food. We can hear the Israelites buzzing among themselves, “Of course, they’re telling the truth. Look how old the food is. Look at the bread.” We can picture somebody going up and feeling the hard loaves. They did not bother talking to God about the situation, and so they were fooled.

Three days later they found out that they had been taken in, that instead of coming from a far country the Gibeonites lived nearby. So the congregation murmured against the princes: “Why did you do this? You made the oath, and you shouldn’t have.” Joshua and the other leaders responded that though it was made in deception, the oath nevertheless held, because it had been made in the name of the Lord. Then Joshua turned to the Gibeonites and said, “There shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” “You have asked to be servants; now you will be servants,” Joshua told them. They were indeed made servants, but in a special capacity—in the house of God.

The end of this narrative explains the reason for the Gibeonites’ action: “It was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant, Moses, to give you all the land” (Josh. 9:24). The Gibeonites had understood that God had made a promise to Moses. We can see the force of this when we connect it with the fact that they came “because of the name of the LORD thy God; for we have heard the fame of him” (Josh. 9:9). They had heard about God and what He had done.

Let us quickly put all this together. The Gibeonites sought the Israelites’ protection. The Israelites made a league with them without consulting God. Nevertheless, once the oath was made in God’s name, it had to be kept. The five-member confederacy said, “Now we’re in real trouble. Jericho has fallen; Ai has fallen; and Gibeon, one of the great royal cities, has gone over to the other side.” So the confederacy tried to destroy the Gibeonites in order to warn everyone else not to desert to the enemy. The people of Gibeon cried to the Israelites, “You’ve made a promise to us. This is the moment to fulfill it. Come quickly, or we will be destroyed!” They must have held their breath as they waited to see if the Israelites would honor the oath which had been given because of their own duplicity. But the Israelites did honor the oath (Josh. 10:2–7).

And this was completely right with God. Once the oath was made, God expected the people to keep it. And Joshua did. Many years later, however, the oath was broken. In the days of David there was a three-year famine, and David asked the Lord why. The Lord answered: “It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites” (2 Sam. 21:1). When Saul killed the Gibeonites, thereby transgressing the oath made by Joshua about 400 years before, God responded, “This is serious. Saul broke an oath made in My name, and I hold him accountable.”

In the time of Ezekiel, God’s people swore in the name of the Lord that they would serve the king of Babylon. Later, because it seemed expedient, they broke their oath. Through the prophet Ezekiel God spoke into the situation:

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.… Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. Therefore, thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. (Ezek. 17:16, 18–20)

The king despised an oath made in God’s name. In so doing, he did not transgress against the king of Babylon (though that is what the king of Babylon said), but he transgressed against God. God said, “I don’t take lightly a king of the Jews making an oath in My name and then breaking it.” What was done in the book of Joshua fits into the whole structure of Scripture: an oath made in the name of the God of holiness is to be kept with holy hands.

Psalm 15 states this as a universal principle: “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?… He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not” (Psa. 15:1, 4). One who swears in the name of God, even if he swears to his own hurt, must keep the oath in order to represent God’s character. God is a holy God, and to break an oath made in His name is to transgress, to blaspheme, to caricature the God in whose name the oath is made. Because the Jews were the people of God, they were to have a morality that was not only individual but national. The nation itself was required to keep oaths made in God’s name. In light of this principle, we can understand Jesus’ warning: “Don’t swear lightly, because when you swear in the name of God God expects you to be faithful” (Matt. 5:33–37).

Rahab and the Gibeonites

Rahab was a harlot. The Gibeonites were liars. As far as we can tell, they dealt in duplicity without any motion of conscience at all. Bringing their heathen heritage with them, they lied with ease. Why did the Gibeonites come to Joshua? Because they had heard about the Lord and what He had done. And this fact alerts us to the truly important parallels between Rahab and the Gibeonites.

Rahab said this to the spies: “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you” (Josh. 2:10, 11). The inhabitants of Gibeon, too, were fearful when they heard “what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai … 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, who was at Ashtaroth” (Josh. 9:3, 10).

In the midst of pagan Jericho, Rahab believed on the living God: “And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land” (Josh. 2:9). Strikingly, she affirmed, “For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Josh. 2:11). When she heard what had happened in Egypt and on the other side of Jordan, she said, “This is the living, universal God!” She made a decision on what to her was an adequate testimony. This high and holy expression was something one would never have heard in the heathen world, for there the gods were limited. It does not strike our ears as a surprise because this is the way we think about God, but she was making a declaration of faith which was startling: “I know He isn’t a limited god. He’s a different kind of a god. He is the LORD your God” She used the Tetragrammaton—God’s high and holy name.

Though the Gibeonites’ testimony was not as clear as Rahab’s. it is apparent that they did believe what they had heard. They said they came “because of the name of the LORD thy God.” In Semitic usage a name is a verbalization which represents one’s entire character. What the Gibeonites were really saying was, “We came because of who the LORD your God is.” Similarly, they spoke of “how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant, Moses” (Josh. 9:24). So in the cases of both Rahab and the Gibeonites, what they had heard was sufficient to convince them.

Rahab left the kingdom of the enemies of God for the kingdom of the Jews. In making her decision, she pitted herself against her king and her culture. The Gibeonites did likewise. They broke with the confederacy and came over to the people of God. Further, Rahab’s act meant that if her old king had found out what she had done, he would undoubtedly have killed her. The Gibeonites were actually caught in their defection. The confederacy knew well what they had done. The confederacy, therefore, did in fact come against the Gibeonites to exterminate them.

Rahab the harlot became a part of the people of God: “And Joshua saved Rahab, the harlot, alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day” (Josh. 6:25). The whole group of Gibeonites stood in a like circumstance: “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” (Josh. 9:27).

Both Rahab and the Gibeonites proved their loyalty. Rahab helped the spies escape and hung out the scarlet cord. The Gibeonites were faithful to their oath. The Gibeonites were Hivites, a people who remained the enemies of the Israelites, fighting them throughout the period of the judges. And though the Hivites fought against the Israelites, we find no note that the Gibeonites were unfaithful. So the Gibeonites not only left the confederacy, they broke their normal line. They joined neither their former allies nor their blood relations in the wars that followed. They remained, by an act of choice, in the midst of the people of Israel.

Rahab not only remained a part of the people of God; she married a son of a prince of Judah and became an ancestor of Christ. The Gibeonites, too, had a special place. They remained close to the altar of God. Though they were only hewers of wood and drawers of water, their activity was on behalf of worship of the living God, and it led gradually to a place of religious privilege. When the land was divided, Gibeon was one of the cities given to the line of Aaron. It became a special place where God was known. Approximately 400 years later, David put the tabernacle in that city. This meant that the altar and the priest were in Gibeon as well. At least one of David’s mighty men, those who were closest to him in battle, was a Gibeonite. At that important and solemn moment when Solomon, David’s son, ascended the throne, Solomon made burnt offerings at Gibeon. It was there he had his vision, when God spoke to him about his coming rule. Much later still, about 500 years before Christ, in the time of Zerubbabel, the genealogies of those Jews who returned from captivity under the Babylonians included a list of the Gibeonites. This is especially striking because the names of some who claimed to be Jews were not found in the registry, and they were not allowed to be a part of the Jewish nation. In the days of Nehemiah, the Gibeonites were mentioned as being among the people who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. The Gibeonites had come in among the people of God, and hundreds of years later they were still there.

Both Rahab and the Gibeonites stood under the spiritual portion of the covenant of grace. We know from the book of Hebrews that Rahab had salvation. Whether these people who came to Joshua as a group all had individual salvation, we have no way of knowing. But the way God honored these people’s faith suggests a tremendous implication: if God, on the basis of the spiritual portion of the covenant of grace, so dealt with Rahab and the Gibeonites when they believed, what would have happened if others had believed? We can also think about the judgment of Nineveh being lifted when its people repented through the preaching of Jonah.

So there really are exact parallels between Rahab (the individual) and the Gibeonites (the corporate unit). Rahab (plus her family) was the only individual saved out of Jericho. The Gibeonites were the only people saved out of the land. Rahab believed, left Jericho, and came among the people of God. The Gibeonites were the only people in the land who turned to God, and they flowed on through all the years of Jewish history.

Rahab, the Gibeonites, and Us

Every Christian, no matter who he is, was once, like Rahab (a prostitute) and the Gibeonites (liars), under the wrath and judgment of, God. We were all rebels. Not one of us was born good. Not one of us who was raised a Christian automatically became a Christian.

Those who are not Christians remain where Rahab and the Gibeonites stood prior to their identification with the people of God. But Rahab and the Gibeonites believed, and they were accepted. If it is true that God accepted them, how much more true can it be for us who have an open invitation from God. Jesus said, “Whosoever will may come” (see, for instance, John 3:15, 16). Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,” Jesus invited, “and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Let us remember that God insisted that the Israelites keep their oath, even though it was made because of the Gibeonites’ deception. If God will not tolerate the breaking of an oath made in His name, how much more will He never break His own oath and covenant made to us on the basis of the shed blood and infinite value of Jesus Christ. How secure are we who have cast ourselves upon Christ as our Savior!

For God has made an oath:

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely, blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Heb. 6:13–20)

Here is described the establishment of the Abrahamic covenant, both its natural and spiritual sides. When men make an oath, they swear by God. When God made His promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself. There is no one else by whom God can swear because there is no one greater. He “confirmed it by an oath,” the Authorized Version translates, but the Greek is much stronger: “He interposed Himself by an oath.” His oath was Himself. It rested upon His existence and character. Therefore, to the heirs of the promise he brought two things to bear: the unchangeableness of the act of His will (His counsel), and the fact that He interposed Himself by an oath in His own name. And God will not lie. Why? Because God is a holy God. Men may draw back from the idea of judgment, but if God is going to be worth anything He must be holy. Therefore, the very justice of God should reassure us. He never break His oath and word. Never!

Notice the word we: “… we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.” The book of Hebrews is not just talking about the Jews. It is talking about believers of all ages, going back to the time of Abel and flowing on to all who will come under the promises of God. I love this picture—“we who have fled”—for it carries us back to the Gibeonites and Rahab. Rahab fled from her place in the kingdom of Jericho to the name of God. The Gibeonites fled from their race, the Hivites, and they fled from the confederacy. And we who have come to Christ have done the same thing; we have fled from Satan and the world to lay hold of the hope that is set before us.

Like a boat with an anchor wedged in a rock, we have an anchor who already stands in the presence of God within the veil. Who is this anchor? Jesus Himself. He is the forerunner. We will follow Him because we have believed in Him. He is within the veil, so we will be within the veil.

If the Gibeonites could rely on an oath the Israelites made in the adverse circumstance of the Gibeonites’ deception, when the Israelites did not even ask God’s counsel, how much more confident can we be in God’s oath to us. May we rely upon it. May we cast ourselves upon Christ and be those of a completely quiet heart.

Image Credit: woodstreamchurch.org

Click on the “Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History” tag below to see all the posts in this series. To go to the start of this series click here.

My Church, My Government

How To Feel Exempt From Accountability

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This post explores the nature of political power of The Jews.  When I say "The Jews" I am thinking of the same thing Jesus and John meant in John 7:1.
My Church

Joshua 10: 12 Kings Fall Before A Well-Oiled Machine

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Here in chapter 10 of Joshua we see people, leader, and God working in harmony. Even nature gets bent to serve them as they bring much evil to an end.

• Five Kings War Against Gibeon. (1-6)
• Joshua Succors Gibeon The Sun And Moon Stand Still. (7-14)
• The Kings Are Taken, Their Armies Defeated, And They Are Put To Death. (15-27)
• Seven Other Kings Defeated And Slain. (28-43)

Five Kings War Against Gibeon

Joshua 10:1-6 Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, 2 that he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.” 5 So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.”

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When sinners leave the service of Satan and the friendship of the world, that they make peace with God and join Israel, they must not marvel if the world hate them, if their former friends become foes. By such methods Satan discourages many who are convinced of their danger, and almost persuaded to be Christians, but fear the cross. These things should quicken us to apply to God for protection, help, and deliverance.

Joshua Succors Gibeon The Sun And Moon Stand Still

Joshua 10:7-14 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.

The meanest and most feeble, who have just begun to trust the Lord, are as much entitled to be protected as those who have long and faithfully been his servants. It is our duty to defend the afflicted, who, like the Gibeonites, are brought into trouble on our account, or for the sake of the gospel. Joshua would not forsake his new vassals. How much less shall our true Joshua fail those who trust in Him! We may be wanting in our trust, but our trust never can want success. Yet God’s promises are not to slacken and do away, but to quicken and encourage our endeavours. Notice the great faith of Joshua, and the power of God answering it by the miraculous staying of the sun, that the day of Israel’s victories might be made longer. Joshua acted on this occasion by impulse on his mind from the Spirit of God. It was not necessary that Joshua should speak, or the miracle be recorded, according to the modern terms of astronomy. The sun appeared to the Israelites over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, and there they appeared to be stopped on their course for one whole day. Is any thing too hard for the Lord? forms a sufficient answer to ten thousand difficulties, which objectors have in every age started against the truth of God as revealed in his written word. Proclamation was hereby made to the neighbouring nations, Behold the works of the Lord, and say, What nation is there so great as Israel, who has God so nigh unto them?

The Kings Are Taken, Their Armies Defeated, And They Are Put To Death

Joshua 10:15-27 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp to Gilgal.

16 Now these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them, 19 but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand.” 20 It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities, 21 that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.” 23 They did so, and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.” 26 So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening. 27 It came about at sunset that Joshua gave a command, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day.

None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. This shows their perfect safety. The kings were called to an account, as rebels against the Israel of God. Refuges of lies will but secure for God’s judgment. God punished the abominable wickedness of these kings, the measure of whose iniquity was now full. And by this public act of justice, done upon these ringleaders of the Canaanites in sin, he would possess his people with the greater dread and detestation of the sins of the nations that God cast out from before them. Here is a type and figure of Christ’s victories over the powers of darkness, and of believers’ victories through him. In our spiritual conflicts we must not be satisfied with obtaining some important victory. We must pursue our scattered enemies, searching out the remains of sin as they rise up in our hearts, and thus pursue the conquest. In so doing, the Lord will afford light until the warfare be accomplished.

Seven Other Kings Defeated And Slain

Joshua 10:28-43 Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; he utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it. He left no survivor. Thus he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to Libnah, and fought against Libnah. 30 The Lord gave it also with its king into the hands of Israel, and he struck it and every person who was in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor in it. Thus he did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 And Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish, and they camped by it and fought against it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into the hands of Israel; and he captured it on the second day, and struck it and every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua defeated him and his people until he had left him no survivor.

34 And Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon, and they camped by it and fought against it. 35 They captured it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword; and he utterly destroyed that day every person who was in it, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they fought against it. 37 They captured it and struck it and its king and all its cities and all the persons who were in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor, according to all that he had done to Eglon. And he utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to Debir, and they fought against it. 39 He captured it and its king and all its cities, and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed every person who was in it. He left no survivor. Just as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, as he had also done to Libnah and its king.

40 Thus Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen even as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43 So Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua made speed in taking these cities. See what a great deal of work may be done in a little time, if we will be diligent, and improve our opportunities. God here showed his hatred of the idolatries and other abominations of which the Canaanites had been guilty, and shows us how great the provocation was, by the greatness of the destruction brought upon them. Here also was typified the destruction of all the enemies of the Lord Jesus, who, having slighted the riches of his grace, must for ever feel the weight of his wrath. The Lord fought for Israel. They could not have gotten the victory, if God had not undertaken the battle. We conquer when God fights for us; if he be for us, who can be against us?

Questions & Notes

These questions are from The NIV Serendipity Bible.

A.If you had a 30 hour day at your disposal tomorrow, how would you spend it?
B.Who are these people that attack Gibeon and why do they do so?
C.Can you think of possible explanations for the miracle in Josh 10:13?
D.Who in your group [circle of influence] do you feel you could call on for help in a tough spot?

My Answers

A. I don't think I would change much in what I would do. I try to set the first part of my day to reading and reflecting on God's Word. Some days I have so much going on that that time gets infringed upon, but that is rare thank God. I don't like to miss that time with God, so on those days the extra hours would be put to use in that way.

B. These are people "the measure of whose iniquity was now full." God repeatedly stressed that back in Deut 9:4-7.

Deut 9:4 “Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. 5 “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

6 “Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people. 

C. I count 12 kings Joshua defeated in this chapter. That is a lot of fighting. A lot is compressed into this one chapter. The thought, when will it end, must have come across the people's mind more than once. I think the miracle was a reflection of the trouble these people must have felt. It was a great miracle that encouraged the people to go on fighting valiantly. When John wrote his Gospel account of the life of Christ he did so in the midst of much persecution. He explained the role of miracles. They foster hope and belief.

John 20:30-31 Therefore many other signs [attesting miracles] Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these [attesting miracles] have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

D. I would like to think I have many family and friends that I could turn to, but this ordeal that I see with Gibeon in this chapter makes me think that until the need arises, I may not know who stands by me and would support me. Gibeon at first lied to Israel. So how do you trust a people like that enough to come to their aid? I think this underscores the importance of walking with God and trusting Him above all else.

This also makes me want to be someone who can come to the aid of others at the drop of a hat. I must remember my priorities: God first, people second, myself last.

Click on the “MHCC-Joshua” tag below to see all the posts in this series. To go to the start of this series click here.

My Government

Lincoln’s Erroneous Position

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My Church

Joshua 9: Joshua Saves The Gibeonites From Israel!

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This may sound a bit odd in our day, but one approach to ending strife is repentance. What do I mean by this? Follow the Gibeonites here in Joshua 9. Unlike the other Canaanites that will fight to their own demise, the Gibeonites avoid battle with Israel. Israel at this time (unlike today) represents God. The Gibeonites have enough sense to see this. So, they are not so much turning away from some enemy like a coward to avoid conflict, but they are turning instead to fight a real enemy within called evil. They value their life; they see what Rahab saw earlier when she sought to save herself and her family. They choose to fight a different battle that is equally, if not more, threatening – that evil within. And they make peace with Israel.

And might I mention one of the oddest verses in the Bible? Let me fill in the referents so you don't miss it. Joshua saves the Gibeonites from Israel!

Joshua 9:26 Thus he [Joshua] did to them [the Gibeonites], and delivered them from the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them.

• The Kings Combine Against Israel. (1,2)
• The Gibeonites Apply For Peace. (3-13)
• They Obtain Peace, But Are Soon Detected. (14-21)
• The Gibeonites Are To Be Bondmen. (22-27)

The Kings Combine Against Israel

Joshua 9:1-2 Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, 2 that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

Hitherto the Canaanites had defended themselves, but here they consult to attack Israel. Their minds were blinded, and their hearts hardened to their destruction. Though often at enmity with each other, yet they united against Israel. Oh that Israel would learn of Canaanites, to sacrifice private interests to the public welfare, and to lay aside all quarrels among themselves, that they may unite against the enemies of God’s kingdom!

The Gibeonites Apply For Peace

Joshua 9:3-13 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they also acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended, 5 and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled. 6 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.” 7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?” 8 But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the Lord your God; for we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt, 10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. 11 “So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.”‘ 12 “This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. 13 “These wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.”

Other people heard these tidings, and were driven thereby to make war upon Israel; but the Gibeonites were led to make peace with them. Thus the discovery of the glory and the grace of God in the gospel, is to some a savour of life unto life, but (2 Corinthians. 2:16) softens wax and hardens clay. The falsehood of the Gibeonites cannot be justified. We must not do evil that good may come. Had they been open about themselves to the God of Israel, we have reason to think Joshua would have been directed by the oracle of God to spare their lives. But when they had once said, “We are come from a far country,” and they continued to tell falsehoods about themselves. Yet their faith and prudence are to be commended. In submitting to Israel they submitted to the God of Israel, which implied forsaking their idolatries. And how can we do better than cast ourselves upon the mercy of a God of all goodness? The way to avoid judgment is to meet it by repentance. Let us do like these Gibeonites, seek peace with God in the rags of abasement, and godly sorrow; so our sin shall not be our ruin. Let us be servants to Jesus, our blessed Joshua, and we shall live.

They Obtain Peace, But Are Soon Detected

Joshua 9:14-21 So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. 15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

16 It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land. 17 Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim.

18 The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. 19 But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 “This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.” 21 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them.

The Israelites, having examined the provisions of the Gibeonites, hastily concluded that they confirmed their account. We make more haste than good speed, when we stay not to take God with us, and do not consult him by the word and prayer. The fraud was soon found out. A lying tongue is but for a moment. Had the oath been in itself unlawful, it would not have been binding; for no obligation can render it our duty to commit a sin. But it was not unlawful to spare the Canaanites who submitted, and turned from idolatry, desiring only that their lives might be spared. A citizen of Zion swears to his own hurt, and changes not, (Psalm 15:4). Joshua and the princes, when they found that they had been deceived, did not apply to Eleazar the high priest to be freed from their engagement, much less did they pretend that no faith is to be kept with those to whom they had sworn. Let this convince us how we ought to keep our promises, and make good our bargains; and what conscience we ought to make of our words.

The Gibeonites Are To Be Bondmen

Joshua 9:22-27 Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living within our land? 23 “Now therefore, you are cursed, and you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24 So they answered Joshua and said, “Because it was certainly told your servants that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you; therefore we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25 “Now behold, we are in your hands; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.” 26 Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27 But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place which He would choose.

The Gibeonites do not justify their lie, but plead that they did it to save their lives. And the fear was not merely of the power of man; one might flee from that to the Divine protection; but of the power of God himself, which they saw engaged against them. Joshua sentences them to perpetual bondage. They must be servants, but any work becomes honourable, when it is done for the house of the Lord, and the offices thereof. Let us, in like manner, submit to our Lord Jesus, saying, We are in thy hand, do unto us as seemeth good and right unto thee, only save our souls; and we shall not regret it. If He appoints us to bear his cross, and serve him, that shall be neither shame nor grief to us, while the meanest office in God’s service will entitle us to a dwelling in the house of the Lord all the days of our life. And in coming to the Saviour, we do not proceed upon a peradventure. We are invited to draw nigh, and are assured that him that cometh to Him, he will in nowise cast out. Even those things which sound harsh, and are humbling, and form sharp trials of our sincerity, will prove of real advantage.

Questions & Notes

These questions are from The NIV Serendipity Bible.

A.How would you have reacted if you had been a king in that area?
B.What was the ruse used by the people of Gibeon to trick Joshua and the Israelites?
C.Why do you suppose it worked?
D.In this regard, what is the significance of the Israelites sampling, but not inquiring?
A. I would have sought to make peace. I would not want me and my people to be laid waste. I mean, there were some extraordinary miracles (the exodus) that I would not have been able to sweep under the rug and ignore. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence; extraordinary evidence was provided.

B. They pretended to be from a far country and not part of the Promise Land.

C. Israel understood there were limitations to God's grant of land to them.

D. They sought proof. There is nothing wrong with that. When doubting Thomas refused to believe Jesus had rose from the dead, Jesus offered him more evidence by asking him to investigate His scars. There are good detectives and bad detectives. Bad detectives don't follow all the leads or draw false conclusions. In addition, they were learning as a new nation the importance of the role of God in their collective lives. God was in the process of saving them from the consequences of sin; they ought to consult with Him along the way and not act like they know the way.

Click on the “MHCC-Joshua” tag below to see all the posts in this series. To go to the start of this series click here.

My Government

“Just Shoot” Said Israel

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The Best of My Brain

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