Joshua 9 talks about how the people of Gibeon deceived the Israelites into thinking that the Gibeon delegation was actually a delegation from a far off country, come to seek a treaty with the Israelites.
The Israelites would never have made a treaty with the Gibeonites, because the Israelites were supposed to destroy all the people who lived in Canaan. And that's what the Gibeonites were - people who lived close by, in Canaan.
I hope all that makes sense.
As proof they had come from a distant land, the Gibeonites had put old moldy bread & old wineskins in their saddlebags, saying they were new when they left their land to find the Israelites.
The Israelites signed a treaty before God with the Gibeonites. Then the next day, the Israelites found out they'd been tricked. They had to honor the treaty they had made with the Gibeonites before the Lord, but the Israelites give them menial work to do, which they continued to do up to the writing down of the book of Joshua.
In this whole exchange, there's a very telling verse - verse 14.
Joshua 9:14 So the Israelites examined the Gibeonites bread, but they did not consult the LORD.
This whole thing would have been averted if the Israelites had just asked God about it.
How many times is this you & me? I blush to think how many times in my life I am & do things that I think the Lord wants me to be & do without asking Him about it!!!
Why are we so stupid?! How many times have we gotten our butts in a sling over stuff that we would have been directed away from if we'd just asked the Lord about it, instead of assuming that we (in our holiness?!) are smart enough to know what to be & do w/o asking God about it?!
The Israelites would never have made a treaty with the Gibeonites, because the Israelites were supposed to destroy all the people who lived in Canaan. And that's what the Gibeonites were - people who lived close by, in Canaan.
I hope all that makes sense.
As proof they had come from a distant land, the Gibeonites had put old moldy bread & old wineskins in their saddlebags, saying they were new when they left their land to find the Israelites.
The Israelites signed a treaty before God with the Gibeonites. Then the next day, the Israelites found out they'd been tricked. They had to honor the treaty they had made with the Gibeonites before the Lord, but the Israelites give them menial work to do, which they continued to do up to the writing down of the book of Joshua.
In this whole exchange, there's a very telling verse - verse 14.
Joshua 9:14 So the Israelites examined the Gibeonites bread, but they did not consult the LORD.
This whole thing would have been averted if the Israelites had just asked God about it.
How many times is this you & me? I blush to think how many times in my life I am & do things that I think the Lord wants me to be & do without asking Him about it!!!
Why are we so stupid?! How many times have we gotten our butts in a sling over stuff that we would have been directed away from if we'd just asked the Lord about it, instead of assuming that we (in our holiness?!) are smart enough to know what to be & do w/o asking God about it?!
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