Joshua 9 – The Gibeonite Deception

A. Two different strategies of attack against Israel.

1. (1-2) Canaanite kings gather against Israel.

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.

a. When all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan…heard about it: When the Canaanite kings heard how the LORD had delivered Jericho to Israel, they had reason to be troubled. When they heard how the LORD gave them victory in the second battle of Ai, they had more reason to be concerned.

b. They gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord: Their plan was a classic, frontal attack, with armies battling one another. These kings hoped to unite and defeat Israel on the field of battle, in head-to-head confrontation.

i. The confederation of the Canaanite tribes was prompted by at least two factors. The first was desperation; they banded together for survival. The second was hearing the news of Israel’s defeat at the first battle of Ai. They knew it was at least possible for Israel to lose a battle. This was another part of the terrible effect of Achan’s sin.

2. (3-6) The Gibeonites approach Joshua and Israel in another way.

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. 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.”

a. When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard: The Gibeonites heard what Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, had done through Joshua and Israel, just as all the Canaanites had heard (Joshua 9:1-2). The other Canaanites gathered for war, but the Gibeonites used a different strategy.

i. “The rest of the Canaanites had heard as much, but made not so good a use of it. Some hear and fear; others hear and are hardened.” (Trapp)

b. They worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors: The Gibeonites did not try open warfare against the armies of Israel. They hoped to deceive Israel into making a peace treaty with them, though Israel was forbidden to make peace with any of the tribes of Canaan (Exodus 23:31-33).

i. “The Gibeonites came from the region north of Jerusalem, the Palestinian town of el-Jib. The identification seems assured, based on later Israelite wine-jar handles found there with the name Gibeon stamped on them.” (Hess)

c. They worked craftily: The Gibeonites carefully planned their trick. They were clever (working craftily), they misrepresented themselves (pretended), and they even gave false evidence as part of their deception (old sacks…old wineskins…old and patched sandals…dry and moldy bread).

i. This is an example of the principle that old things (or things that appear old) are not inherently better or worthy of trust. Appeals to age without the support of truth are unreliable.

d. From a far country: Beyond their deceptive appearance, the Gibeonites simply lied. They claimed to have come from a far country when they had not. All their other tricks were in support of this lie.

B. How Joshua and the leaders of Israel were deceived.

1. (7-13) The Gibeonites explain their story to Joshua and the leaders of Israel.

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.”

a. Perhaps you dwell among us: The men of Israel understood they could not make a covenant of peace with the people of Canaan. They understood the possibility of being deceived by those who lived among them. Yet, they didn’t take their skepticism far enough, and they didn’t seek the LORD about the matter.

i. We are your servants: “When the Gibeonites said, ‘We are your servants,’ they were offering to become Israel’s vassals. In return they expected Israel, the stronger party, to protect them from their enemies (cf. Joshua 10:6).” (Madvig)

b. From a very far country your servants have come: Plainly, the Gibeonites lied to Israel. But despite their lies, they had a proper admiration and honor for the God of Israel. They had heard of His fame, and they knew they would be conquered just as Jericho and Ai were. In some ways, their deception was a kind of tribute to Israel and to Israel’s God.

2. (14-15) Joshua and the leaders of Israel accept the deception of the Gibeonites.

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.

a. The men of Israel took some of their provisions: They looked at the torn wineskins and moldy bread and were convinced. The Gibeonites were good liars, but the men of Israel were too easily convinced and didn’t think this through. They trusted their senses instead of the LORD. “Look at this bread. Feel and taste how stale it is. Surely, they must have come a long way.” They walked by sight, not by faith. They didn’t consider that there are many possible explanations for stale bread.

b. They did not ask counsel of the LORD: The Gibeonite deception was clever and therefore powerful. But the real problem was that Joshua and the leaders of Israel never sought the Lord. God’s people will often find trouble when they fail to ask counsel of the LORD, who has revealed His wisdom in His word.

i. The great error of Joshua and Israel with the Gibeonites was that they relied only on what they could see, hear, and touch from the Gibeonites. The material evidence said, “they come from a long distance.” Convinced by the material, they didn’t seek God. Relying only on the material and neglecting the spiritual led Israel to deception.

ii. “The mistake on Israel’s and Joshua’s part was not that they were deceived per se, but that they did not ask for the Lord’s counsel. This is certainly a warning to all who read this passage: God is there to be consulted, and we ignore him at our peril.” (Howard)

iii. Meyer warned about how believers today are often deceived: “So the children of God are imposed upon still! Women get married to unconverted husbands, supposing all the while that they are converted. Ministers of churches admit ravening wolves into their midst, deceived by the device of the sheepskin. Young converts get seduced from the simplicity and purity of the faith by lying spirits, that seem as lovely as God’s angels. This is due to their relying on their own judgment, and not asking counsel of God. We must try the spirits, whether they be of God, for many false spirits are gone out into the world.”

c. So Joshua made peace with them: Because they believed that the Gibeonites were from a distant land, they made the treaty with them. God permitted Israel to make treaties with distant nations, but not with the Canaanites.

C. The deception of the Gibeonites uncovered and dealt with.

1. (16-20) Joshua and the leaders of Israel discover they have been deceived, yet they abide by their sworn oath to the Gibeonites.

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.
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.”

a. The children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day: This was the proper test of the Gibeonite claims, not merely looking at their bread and sandals. This test came too late, and the Israelites discovered the deception of the Gibeonites.

i. “Some of the cities mentioned here were afterwards in great repute among the Israelites; and God chose to make one of them, Kirjath-jearim, the residence of the ark of the covenant for twenty years, in the reigns of Saul and David.” (Clarke)

b. All the congregation complained against the rulers: Even though they complained against them, the rulers still knew they had to do what was right and honorable before God: keep their oath, even if it was a bad oath.

i. The rulers of Israel were wise in not allowing a second sin (wiping out the Gibeonites) to follow their previous sin (making the oath without seeking the LORD). This was especially admirable considering the public pressure to do otherwise.

ii. “Possibly ‘the whole assembly grumbled’ because they were resentful of the plunder that had been denied them. On the other hand, they may have been fearful of another judgment like that at Ai, because they had failed to keep God’s command.” (Madvig)

c. 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”: The leaders of Israel would not go back on their oath, even though it caused difficulty to keep it. Keeping one’s promises is a mark of godliness: But he honors those who fear the LORD; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change. (Psalm 15:4)

i. Because the oath was made in the name of the Lord, Israel was obliged to keep it. Breaking their promise would be a sin against God more than a sin against the Gibeonites.

d. Because of the oath which we swore to them: Later, King Saul broke this promise to the Gibeonites and his sin brought famine upon Israel in the days of David (2 Samuel 21:1-9).

2. (21-27) A glorious punishment for the Gibeonites: Joshua makes them servants to the LORD.

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.”
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.” 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.

a. Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation: Joshua could not kill the Gibeonites, but he could control them by making them perpetual workmen for the service of the tabernacle. They would serve in lowly ways such as cutting wood for the sacrificial fires of the tabernacle and carrying water used in its service.

i. Deuteronomy 20:10-11 gives the provision that when Israel fought against a city, they could offer peace, and if it was accepted, the people of the city would be placed under servitude. This was the result of Israel’s dealings with the deceptive Gibeonites.

ii. “All these circumstances laid together, prove that the command to destroy the Canaanites was not so absolute as is generally supposed: and should be understood as rather referring to the destruction of the political existence of the Canaanitish nations, than to the destruction of their lives.” (Clarke)

b. Your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land: The Gibeonites knew what all the Canaanite tribes understood. They knew that the God of Israel sent Israel to take the land from the Canaanites as judgment against them. The Canaanites who willingly remained in the land, knowing the judgment of God was coming, would receive that coming judgment. They could have fled and spared their lives.

c. So they answered Joshua and said: Significantly, there seemed to be no complaint from the Gibeonites. They simply said, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us. They were happy with being brought into Israel, and being made servants of the LORD, even if it was in lowly service.

i. In this, the Gibeonites expressed the same heart that the Psalmist later did in Psalm 84:10: For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

ii. The Gibeonites did this out of respect and honor to the God of Israel, not out of weakness. It was said of Gibeon that all its men were mighty (Joshua 10:2).

iii. “It is interesting to observe that in subsequent history the binding nature of this treaty was recognized and the Gibeonites do not appear anywhere to have made any attempt to corrupt the children of Israel with idolatry.” (Morgan)

iv. The Gibeonites found salvation in the God of Israel as Rahab did in Joshua 2. Both Rahab and the Gibeonites:

· Were sinners.

· Heard about the LORD God of Israel.

· Heard about Yahweh’s great works.

· Heard that God was with Israel, leading them to great victories.

· Heard that the judgment of Yahweh was coming against the Canaanites.

· Were afraid of the coming judgment of Yahweh.

· Affirmed their faith in the God of Israel.

· Received a promise of protection among God’s people.

· Trusted in their alliance with the people of God.

· Left their people to ally themselves with the people of God.

· Found their place among the people of God.

· Gained a privileged standing among the people of God.

v. The story of the Gibeonites after Joshua 9 shows what God can do with sinners who come to Him in humility and honor, seeking mercy.

· The Gibeonites became servants at the tabernacle, just as Joshua had commanded.

· Gibeon became a priestly city. The ark of the covenant stayed at Gibeon often in the days of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 16:39-40, 21:29).

· At least one of David’s mighty men was a Gibeonite (1 Chronicles 12:4).

· God appeared and spoke to Solomon at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4-5).

· Gibeonites were among those who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:7, 7:25).

· Prophets such as Hananiah the son of Azur came from Gibeon (Jeremiah 28:1).

© 2024 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – [email protected]