In Joshua 9, a striking tale unfolds where deception alters the course of Israel’s destiny. The chapter and Daily Devotional recounts how the Gibeonites, fearing destruction at Israel’s hands, resort to subterfuge, posing as distant travelers seeking peace. Unwittingly, Israel falls victim to their deceit, entering into a covenant without seeking divine guidance. This critical omission, as highlighted in verse 14, proves pivotal, revealing the consequences of decisions made without consulting the Lord. The narrative underscores a timeless lesson: the peril of relying solely on human judgment when faced with deception, a lesson as relevant today as it was millennia ago. Ponder if you follow God’s battle plan, or you go it alone in the Daily Devotional on Joshua 8.
Delving deeper into the implications, Joshua 9 prompts introspection on the nature of truth and leadership. The Israelites’ decision to honor their oath despite its deceptive origins raises profound ethical questions. It challenges us to consider the weight of our commitments and the integrity of our word in the face of deceit. The aftermath, where Israel chooses to uphold their covenant despite realizing they were misled, illustrates the complexities of moral and divine obedience amid flawed human discernment.
What Is a Short Summary of Joshua Chapter 9?
Moreover, Joshua 9 serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of leadership and the scrutiny that accompanies decisions made in trust. The murmurs among the congregation against their leaders reflect the disillusionment when trust is breached, even unintentionally. It compels leaders, both ancient and contemporary, to tread carefully in their judgments, mindful of the trust placed in them and the enduring impact of their choices. Ultimately, the chapter invites us to reflect on our own decision-making processes, urging us to seek divine counsel and uphold integrity in all our dealings, lest we too fall prey to the snares of deception.
Joshua 9 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
In Joshua 9, lying causes Israel problems. When those around you lie, has it caused you problems too? Please read or listen to Joshua 9.
What is the Gibeonite Deception in Joshua 9?
In 1995, after reading Joshua 9, I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, “When the enemy lies to gain favor, are those of God obligated to their oath or truth? These people deliberately deceived Joshua causing an alliance that violated God’s direction, yet they were obligated to keep their oath. The problem was, they ‘did not ask for the counsel of the Lord’ (v. 14 NASB). And the people complained against poor leadership.”
In 2004, I read Joshua chapters 9-11 on the same day. I am going to save this journal entry for another passage.
What Is the Message of Joshua 9?
In 2013, I wrote, “Deception, lies, are throughout scripture. Why would any people honor a lie? How do we keep from being deceived? Seek the counsel of the Lord,” and I again referred to verse 14. “I guess making an oath in the name of the Lord was more important than defeating lies. And the lies caused disobedience on Israel’s part because they cannot or will not destroy all the inhabitants of the land. Weird passage. Strange way to run a nation.”
Those end my journal entries, so let’s look at chapter 9 of Joshua. How did Israel get in this predicament? The bottom line is the verse I referred to in my two journal entries, verse 14. They “did not ask counsel from the Lord.”
What Does Joshua 9 Teach Us?
I asked in my journal, “How do we keep from being deceived?” How do we keep from being lied to? How do we keep from being set up? I hope we all learn the lesson right here in Joshua 9: always seek the counsel of the Lord. However, we may not be any better at it than the Israelites were.
There are many situations in life we think we should or could handle on our own, and we do. Like the Israelites, we end up in trouble. The practical application from Joshua 9 is to seek the counsel of the Lord in various decisions in our lives.
The other strange thing I find in this chapter is once they made that covenant, they wanted to keep it, and that was more important to do than to follow the instructions God had given them. Surely, we would think if we got deceived, we got hoodwinked, we got set up for something, and we found out it was not true, we would correct it. We would think that would be God honoring. But that is not how the leadership of Israel responded. Look at verses 19 and 20, “But all the leaders said to all the congregation, ‘We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.’”
Application number two is, how good is your word? Though Joshua and the leaders of Israel were absolutely deceived on purpose, they still kept their word. They kept their covenant. Is your word good?
This covenant based on deception did not go well with the people. Look at verse 18, “But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.” I would not blame them, would you? These leaders got hoodwinked. They got deceived. They made a covenant against what the Lord had instructed. Surely these people are saying, “We are following this leadership?”
Application number three is, if you are a leader, be very careful about the covenants you make in the eyes of those you are leading. The people we lead do watch. They observe our leadership decisions. And sometimes we deserve to be murmured against.
Finally, they did make the best out of this situation. Though they let these deceptive people live in the land, they made them woodcutters and water carriers. In other words, servants. That is our last application. When we make a poor decision, when we go the wrong direction, at least make the best of it.
Of course, all this could have been prevented if they would have just sought the counsel of the Lord at the beginning. That, of course, is our most important application from Joshua 9.
Prayer
Father, forgive us when we do not seek Your counsel. Forgive us when we think we can go it alone, when we think we have enough information, when we think we can handle this one on our own. Lord, when we do, we confess, we repent, we are sorry, but oftentimes we may not be able to remedy the situation. So, we ask You, if we have done that in our lives, to make the best out of it. And, Lord, help us to be men and women of our word and, therefore, be very careful when we give our word that we have not been deceived, that we have taken counsel from You.
Lord, we thank You for the life applications from Your Word. Thank You for Joshua 9. Amen.
