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We'll just begin reading in Joshua 
9 at verse 1 as we continue to work our way through this particular 
book. When we get to the division of 
the land, we're probably not going to go chapter by chapter 
because a lot of it says the same thing. put the particular 
tribe in and the allotment of the place that they inherit. 
So we'll probably move quicker when we get there. But we're 
still in that portion dealing with the actual conquest. They've 
entered the land, they're conquering the land, and then they will 
divide the land. And the book ends with an exhortation 
to retain the land. So that's predominantly how the 
book goes. So beginning in chapter 9 at 
verse 1, 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 in Israel with one accord. 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. 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 Ashteroth. 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. And 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. 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, 
Jephra, Beroth, and Kiriath-Jerom. 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. 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. Amen. Well, a pretty straightforward 
story there. Basically, what we have is a 
treaty with the Gibeonites. And as we look at this particular 
narrative, at least as I understand it, we have four major sections. The first is the coalition of 
kings in verses 1 and 2, the deception of the Gibeonites in 
verses 3 to 13, the indiscretion of Israel in verses 14 to 21, and then the investigation of 
the Gibeonites in verses 22 to 27. So basically what we have, 
the key verse obviously is in chapter 9, verse 14b, they did 
not seek counsel of the Lord, the Lord God when he is with 
them. blesses when the Lord God is 
present in battle. They are victorious when God 
withdraws his presence. They are defeated at Ai. And here specifically, when these 
Gibeonites come along and try and make a treaty with them, 
the people of Israel succumb. They engage in this particular 
treaty. And the reason for it is that 
they did not inquire of, they did not seek counsel from the 
Lord God Almighty. Well let's look first at this 
coalition of kings as it sets the stage or foundation or background 
for what we find with reference to the Gibeonites. We notice 
the identification. It came to pass when all the 
kings were on this side of the Jordan. Now this side of the 
Jordan is the west side. They've already conquered The 
Transjordan area, the tribes have settled there. They've crossed 
the River Jordan. Now they've battled in Jericho 
and Ai. They're on the west side of the 
Jordan where they are going to engage in the wars in Canaan. 
And here it says that the kings in the hills and in the lowland 
and in all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon." And then 
it names the specific nations, the Hittite, the Amorite, the 
Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. They heard about what God had 
done or what Israel had done with reference to Ai and with 
reference to Jericho. Already the fame of Yahweh is 
spreading throughout the nations. The people of the land are starting 
to hear and understand what Israel is all about. And so they gather 
together, verse 2, to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord. So they form this coalition. 
We'll see that later in chapter 10 in the Southern Campaign. 
We'll see it in chapter 11 in the Northern Campaign. The kings 
of the land gather together, they engage in this confederacy 
so that they can collectively seek to stop and thwart and destroy 
Israel as they continue to spread through the nations of Canaan. And when we look at this particular 
instance, we remember that the nations had heard according to 
chapter 2 and verse 10. Remember Rahab says we have heard 
and we were faint hearted as a result of this. In chapter 
5 verse 1 there's a similar sort of a statement. The peoples have 
heard and they're growing fainthearted. But notice here the peoples have 
heard and they're not growing fainthearted, but rather they're 
banding together in order to fight and stop Israel on their 
movement through Canaan. Remember back in chapter 7 when 
they are defeated at Ai, when Joshua goes to prayer, one of 
the things he mentions in verse 9 of chapter 7 He says, for the 
Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it and 
surround us and cut off our name from the earth, then what will 
you do for your great name? So the implication is that what 
we have here in chapter 9 in this coalition of kings is because 
of Israel's sin in Jericho, because of their subsequent defeat in 
Ai, the nations now have learned that Israel can't be defeated. If Israel is unfaithful to her 
God, if Israel is defecting from her God, when she goes out to 
battle, she may be bested on the battlefield. So the nations 
now are emboldened because of, or as a result, or as a consequent, 
consequence of that past sin. And so what we have here is this 
conspiracy and it makes one think of Psalm 2. At verse 2 it says, 
they gather together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one 
accord. That's precisely what we find 
in Psalm 2. The nations of the earth, the 
kings, they set themselves together, they take counsel together against 
the Lord and against his Christ. It's amazing. I would imagine 
that these Hittites and Amorites and Canaanites and Perizzites 
and Hivites and Jebusites were not the most peaceable peoples 
with one another. But when the target is the living 
and the true God, the people that oppose will join themselves 
together in this conspiracy or confederacy to stop and oppose 
the Lord God Almighty. You see that in the gospel accounts. Remember that Pilate and Herod 
were not friendly. In fact, they did not like each 
other. But when it came time to deal with the Lord Jesus Christ, 
Pilate and Herod work in concert together to try and appease the 
bloodthirsty mob and to try and get rid of the Lord Jesus Christ. So here we have this confederacy 
or this coalition of kings banding together to try and stop Joshua 
and Israel. which does indicate the nature 
of the success of their mission. In other words, the peoples are 
afraid. The peoples rally together. The 
peoples see them and perceive them as a threat. I often think 
about that when we read these prayer letters from various countries, 
especially Voice of the Martyrs, the way these Muslim-dominated 
societies are so anti-Christianity. Well, if Christianity is so false 
and it's so untrue and it's such a non-threat, why do we put all 
of this concerted effort in to trying to stop it? Because deep 
down inside they know it is a threat, they know that it will continue 
to march forward, and maybe they don't know Matthew 16, but we 
do. Jesus says, I will build my church 
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So the fact 
that these kings formed this coalition tell us that Israel, 
as small as they may have been, was a formidable force and someone 
or something to be reckoned with. So that sets the backdrop for 
what we now find with reference to the Gibeonites. So we have 
this coalition of kings. Secondly, the deception of the 
Gibeonites. Verses 3 to 13. Notice their 
motivation. Verse 3, but when the inhabitants 
of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. They too heard of the invasion 
and they too implemented a plan to avoid destruction at the hand 
of Israel. Now this coalition of kings, 
they band together to form a policy of war. Not Gibeon. They band together to form a 
policy of peace. They don't want to battle Israel. They don't want to go toe-to-toe 
with the living and true God. Rather, they cook up this idea, 
casting themselves on the mercy of Israel, at least by all intents 
and appearances, so that they can be spared from falling prey 
to their sword. Woodstra says, contrasted with 
the activities of most of Canaan's kings who prepare for war is 
the conduct of Gibeon, which prepares for peace. Now notice their plan, verses 
4 to 13. Their preparation, they worked 
craftily. Remember back in AI, they worked 
by a ruse. Joshua worked craftily. Remember, they put the ambush 
at the rear of the city. And then the larger force, I'm 
convinced it was the larger force, that went to the front because 
it would be very hard to hide 30,000 people at the rear of 
AI. So what they do is they go, they 
retreat, they get the people to follow them, then the ambush 
takes place and then they're caught in a crossfire. So they 
work by this particular ruse. Now the Gibeonites are doing 
such a thing to Israel. They take old sacks, old wineskins, 
old sandals, old garments, and moldy bread for the ruse. This 
is masterful storytelling. The details, the way it flows, 
the way it moves, it truly is an amazing picture. of God's 
dealings with his people. It's just wonderful to read. 
The author puts things in certain places and gets our appetites 
whetted and just brings us into the very story itself. So they 
prepare. Notice, they've got all this 
stuff. They work craftily. Verse 4, they pretend to be ambassadors. 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." That's all you need to 
do to fool the Israelites is just bring the right props. If they don't seek counsel of 
the Lord, moldy bread will work in your favor. I mean, it really 
does show the ignorance or just how foolish we can be. We don't 
seek after God, and we're prey to such a simple ruse. I mean, 
this is not mastermind. This is just, hey, we'll take 
this stuff, we'll tell them we're from a far country, we'll produce 
these props, and they'll believe us, and we can cast ourselves 
on their mercy. So verse 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. If you look at your map, Gibeon 
is not a far country. Gibeon is about a stone's throw 
from Jericho and Ai, just north of Jerusalem. It is not a far 
country. Now, they didn't have maps in 
the back of their Bible, so we'll grant them that. They didn't 
have Google Maps on their phone. They couldn't take their GPS 
out and say, oh, Gibeon is right here, right there. And when they 
mention far country, it helps us as the reader to understand 
why Israel would even entertain the thought of entering into 
a treaty with them. Remember, God the Lord commands 
in Deuteronomy 7, when you go into Canaan, and he names these 
specific nations, this coalition in chapter 9, verses 1 and 2. When you go there, you utterly 
destroy them. You destroy their places of worship, 
you destroy their idols, you destroy everything. You make 
no political alliance, you make no social alliance, you don't 
have wives or you don't take their women as wives, you don't 
want to do that, and you certainly don't have any religious alliance. 
You utterly destroy, you utterly dispossess, you rid them from 
the land. Why? Because God knows your heart. The moment that you take lightly 
those particular people, you will be bowing with them at their 
altars to Baal. Because you have this sin issue, 
you need to rid yourselves of these temptations. So when we 
read here that the Gibeonites say they are from a far country, 
we ought to think Deuteronomy 20. In fact, you can go to Deuteronomy 
chapter 20. These are particular rules, particular 
ordinances, statutes, commandments, judgments for when they go into 
the land, specifically when they engage in holy war. In Deuteronomy 20, verses 10 
to 15 envision peace treaties with nations that 
are afar off. Verses 16 to 20 is the specification 
that you take no prisoner, that you have no truck whatsoever 
with those particular cities that are mentioned. So notice 
in chapter 20 at verse 10, when you go near a city to fight against 
it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. And it shall be 
that if they accept your offer of peace and open to you, then 
all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute 
to you and serve you. Now if the city will not make 
peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it. 
And when the Lord your God delivers it into your hands, you shall 
strike every male in it with the edge of the sword. But the 
women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, 
all its spoil you shall plunder for yourself. And you shall eat 
the enemy's plunder, which the Lord your God gives you. Thus 
you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, 
which are not the cities of these nations." So you see, provided 
you have that in your mind, you won't stumble at the thought 
that Israel's actually looking favorably on making this peace 
treaty with the Gibeonites. This was not unheard of. This 
was dealt with in the law. They could not make peace treaties 
with this coalition. of kings listed in chapter 9 
verses 1 and 2, but in terms of this group that came from 
a very far country, it shouldn't surprise us that they entertain 
the notion of making a treaty or covenant with them. So back 
to 9.6, 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. Verse 7 indicates that 
they were rightly suspicious. Verse 7 indicates that they were 
rightly cautious. Verse 7 says, then the men of 
Israel said to the Hivites, perhaps you dwell among us, so how can 
we make a covenant with you? You see, they don't just jump 
in. They want to vet these people. They want to make sure these 
people are telling the truth that they have in fact come from 
a very far country. If it is the case that they are 
neighbors, if it is the case that they are Hivites, if it 
is the case that they are close associates in terms of their 
place in the land, well then Israel cannot for a moment entertain 
any thought whatsoever of a treaty or covenant with that. They must 
engage the enemy and dispossess them from the land. Again, it's 
all building here for us. Verse 8, they said to Joshua, 
we are your servants. And Joshua said to them, who 
are you and where do you come from? And here's the ruse, verses 
9 to 13. The Gibeonites stick to the story. They say they're from a very 
far country. Whether they knew about Deuteronomy 
20, 15 and following or not, it certainly indicates it. They 
knew certain things. They knew the power and the formidableness 
of Israel. They knew that God had commanded 
Moses that Israel was to go in and dispossess the land. They 
knew certain things. They had done their research 
in terms of intel and gathering information concerning Israel. 
So the Gibeon stick to the story. From a very far country your 
servants have come. Notice the Gibeonites then refer 
to the God of Israel. Verse 9. 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 Ashteroth. So they refer to the mighty acts 
of the God of Israel. Rahab does this too, doesn't 
she? Rahab does it in Joshua chapter 2 and verse 10. In Rahab's 
case though, it's a confession of faith. Here, it doesn't seem 
that way. They are seeking to employ this 
data to try and get their way. That seems to be more of the 
way that this narrative flows. Isn't it interesting as well? 
When they rehearse the mighty acts of God, they rehearse some 
of the mighty acts of God. Don't miss this, OK? They knew 
all too well that Israel had conquered Jericho and Ahab. Right? But when they speak to Joshua, 
they don't mention Jericho and Ai. They mention Egypt and Sihon 
and On. Why is that? To help the Roos. You see, if they're from a very 
far country, and they don't have internet access, or they don't 
have Google News, they shouldn't know about Jericho and Ai. If 
they're coming from a far country having all of this difficulty 
with all their moldy bread and their shoes with holes in them 
and their garments wearing out, they wouldn't have heard about 
Jericho and AI. They conveniently leave that 
bit of the pie out. They are manipulating. This is 
a ruse. This is deception. Davis makes 
this comment. He says, perhaps the most deceptive 
of all was the spiritual testimony they offered. Verses 9 to 11 
sound good. We have heard of your God. We 
have heard of his fame. We have heard of his mighty power. We have heard of his conquering 
arm. He says, it was the reputation 
of Yahweh earned in his mighty acts that drew them to come, 
so they say. One might compare their words 
with Rahab's confession of faith in 2.10 to 13. He then makes 
this very perceptive statement, how difficult to tell the difference 
between faith, like Rahab's, and flattery, like Gibeon's, 
especially when that flattery is so spiritual and pious. It is all very subtle because 
there is always something heartwarming for most of us when we hear that 
God's dealings with us are being spoken of by people at a distance. Please read that again. You need 
to get this. How difficult to tell the difference 
between faith like Rahab's and flattery like Gibeon's, especially 
when that flattery is so spiritual and pious. It is all very subtle 
because there is always something heartwarming for most of us when 
we hear that God's dealings with us are being spoken of by people 
at a distance. In other words, if you want to 
trick a Christian, Commend them on their spirituality. Commend 
them on God's dealings with that. Yes, that's right. The Lord has 
been favorable to us. They disarm Israel. It's as if 
they've taken the sword right off their sides. They maintain 
this ruse. They refer to the mighty acts 
of the God of Israel. They do not refer to the recent 
mighty acts of the God of Israel at Jericho and Ai. And then the 
Gibeonites detail their journey in verses 11 to 13. Therefore 
our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us saying, 
and here it is, take provisions. Journey to Israel. Offer yourselves 
as their servants. Make peace with that. to spare 
you from the wrath of their God. We are your servants, now therefore 
make a covenant with us." Verse 12, 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. 
Have you ever realized that people lie and people deceive? This always amazes me. Christians 
just get so perplexed that people take advantage of them. Are you 
kidding me? This is a sin-sick world. People deceive, people lie, and 
people will take advantage of you. It is the reality. And I'm not saying we've got 
to be ultra suspicious of everybody and always suspect an ulterior 
motive. But man, as Cromwell says, pray 
and keep your powder dry. Never underestimate flattery. Never underestimate deception. Never underestimate the tools 
the devil will use in and through people to try and usurp the church 
of the living God Almighty. They offer the props. And they 
set those things forth as proof that they are telling the truth. 
I wonder if later on, as they reflect upon this, they said, 
man. a bit of moldy bread and some 
holes in sandals and we were taken by that? God forgive us. The Lord oftentimes brings us 
through these sorts of things so that we will learn, so that 
we will cast ourselves upon him and depend upon him for his guidance 
and for his direction. So that's the deception of the 
Gibeonites. Let's look thirdly at the indiscretion 
of Israel, verses 14 to 21. Verse 14a, they verify the story. Then the men of Israel took some 
of their provisions. Now some see here a covenantal 
meal, a covenantal meal. That's not uncommon. When you 
cut a covenant, to engage in a meal with one another. I'm 
with John Gil, though. Why would the Israelites want 
to eat moldy bread? They weren't any more in tune 
with eating moldy bread than you or I would be. I think they 
took the provisions to examine that. They took the provisions 
to check the mold themselves. They took the provisions to check 
the holes in the sandals. Did it not dawn on them that 
people could deceive in this way as well? People could manufacture 
these particular props, but they were satisfied. The story checked 
out. It was verified as far as they 
were concerned, because verse 15 says, 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. So these props 
and this story offered by the Gibeonites was accepted by Joshua, 
was accepted by the leadership, and they then cut a covenant 
and swore to them that they would not kill them, they would not 
destroy them, they would not eradicate them. But of course, 
as we've already referenced, verse 14b gives us the issue. But they did not ask counsel 
of the Lord. They did not ask counsel of the 
Lord, which they most certainly could have. They had the Urim 
and the Thummim that the priest used in order to seek answers 
from the Lord God concerning particular issues. Now in a matter 
this grave, in a matter this serious, of course you seek the 
Lord. If you open up your cupboard 
in the morning and there's a box of Wheaties and a box of Cocoa 
Puffs, I do not believe that you need to sit at your kitchen 
table and seek the Lord as to whether you should have the Wheaties 
or the Cocoa Puffs. I don't think you need Urim or 
Thummim. I don't think you need to cast 
a lot. I don't think that you need to wait upon Yahweh to answer. Have the cocoa puffs. You do 
not need to seek Him when it comes to, shall I buy the red 
shoes? Well, maybe that. But should 
I buy brown shoes or black shoes? Don't buy red shoes. Looking 
at shoes, probably someone's going, oh, my red shoes. You 
don't need to do those sorts of things. But when it comes 
to making a treaty or a covenant with a people that you suspect 
might be inhabitants of the land, that you have been charged to 
kill and dispossess from the land, you had better seek the 
Lord. When it comes to major life issues 
like, should I marry this girl or should I marry this guy? Seek 
the Lord. When it comes to certain jobs 
or certain things or certain big events, you must seek the 
Lord. Whether you have bacon with your 
eggs or not, God's not going to give you specific guidance 
with reference to that, unless you get a terrible report on 
your cholesterol, that's the Lord telling you lay off the 
bacon at least for a time. Go to turkey bacon, maybe that'll 
be a little bit better on those numbers to bring them down. But 
you see this is not a small thing. This is not an insignificant 
matter. This is not a little thing. These 
Gibeonites have come and they have cast themselves or they 
have initiated this covenant of peace. Let me just read a 
couple quotes. Again, from Dale Ralph Davis. 
He says, this episode raises pertinent questions for God's 
people. He says, what's going on here 
is an independence. A cocky independence. This idea that, you know, I think 
I've got this. He says, do we need the guidance 
of God only when we are in doubt? Do we not need to be careful 
when we begin to think? There is no need to consult the 
Lord on this matter. It's quite clear. No proposed 
course of conduct can be so clear to a Christian as to excuse him 
from the duty of seeking direction from above. That's a quote from 
George Bush. Not George Bush, the former president, 
or either of the former presidents in the United States, but George 
Bush wrote a commentary on Joshua in the 1800s. Back to Davis. He says, Not that you have to 
ask the Lord whether you should get a haircut at four o'clock. 
The scriptures do not require wilting in the everlasting arms, 
only leaning on them. But we must be aware of that 
subtle unbelief that assumes, I have this under control. This 
happens with young people. I don't want to pick on young 
people, but it does happen with them. I've got this. I understand 
this. I know what I'm doing. It happens with older people 
as well. I've got this. I know this. I've understood 
this situation. You really don't have anything 
that you can tell me. Sometimes pastors or concerned 
people will see somebody doing something and they will gently 
encourage them, hey, have you thought, oh, oh, I've already 
got that all figured out. I've already got it all planned 
out. I already know what I'm going to do. Okay. Well, that's 
what these men did. Davis goes on to say Joshua 9 
warns God's people against such a cocky independence. He says, 
in the context of our various trials, we need wisdom to know 
how to function in those trials and circumstances. It is available 
from a giving God, and we are asked for it. James 1. The context of, if any of you 
lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally 
and without reproach. The context is one of trial in 
the Christian life. Blessed are you when you fall 
into various trials. That's the point. The issue is 
that when you're in those trials, when you're in those difficulties, 
and you find that you need wisdom, ask God. Don't just flounder 
about in that trial without seeking the Lord. Davis says, our need 
is no different than Israel's. We need not only the power of 
God to overwhelm our obvious enemies, but also the wisdom 
of God to detect our subtle enemies. You see, they need power to overwhelm 
Jericho. They need power to overwhelm 
Ai. They need wisdom to be able to 
discern these Gibeonites. You see, both elements are crucial. It's not just the power of God 
that we need, we need the wisdom of God. Just reading recently 
in my own private Bible time, What is Solomon known for? When 
God comes to him and says, what is it that you want, Solomon? 
Solomon doesn't say, I want cars, I want boats, I want houses, 
I want women. He says, I want wisdom. God says, 
because you've asked for wisdom, I will grant that to you. Oh, 
and incidentally, I'll give you all these other things too. It's 
wisdom that we most desperately need. So after having said, we 
need not only the power of God to overwhelm our obvious enemies, 
but also the wisdom of God to detect our subtle enemies, Davis 
finalizes by saying, unfortunately, the church too often craves God's 
power while it ignores God's wisdom. I think we need to learn 
that in this transaction or this treaty or this covenant with 
the Gibeonites. Again, should I get a haircut 
at four o'clock, Lord? You don't necessarily need to 
inquire of the Lord for that particular one. But should I 
enter into this marriage relationship, this covenant? this treaty with 
this particular person. Seek the Lord. There may not 
be Yoram and Thummim today, but there are parents, there are 
elders in the church, there are wise people, there are people 
that have some help and can speak, not the authoritative prophetic 
voice of God, but counsel and advice that is given by God through 
his servants, through men and women in the life of the church. 
Do not be like these Israelites. Verse 15, Joshua makes a covenant 
of peace with them, the rulers swear to them. And then notice, 
verses 16 to 18, the truth is discovered. 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. Imagine that. Do you think we messed up? I 
mean, I guess why I'm smiling is because I see myself in this 
passage. You do something, right? You 
jump into something. And then you hear, maybe this 
wasn't the best idea. And not only that, then they 
see it. They're marching through the 
very cities of the Gibeonites. It dawns on them, this is not 
a very far country. We've walked maybe 10, 12, 15 
miles and here's three cities associated with the Gibeonites. Do you think we messed up? This 
is what's going on. The hammer is starting to fall. So they hear that they are their 
neighbors that dwelt near them. Verse 17, then the children of 
Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. 
Now their cities were Gibeon, Shephrod, Baroth, and Kirjath-Jerub. So when they see the city limits 
for Gibeon, their hearts sink. What have we done? We believe 
their story? How did we ever fall for those 
props? Now, it doesn't say they did 
this, but I think I know sinners enough to realize that by this 
time, they're going, what have we done? And then notice, in 
verse 18, the children of Israel are restrained. 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. Now, the story takes an interesting 
turn at this particular time. I hope there's a psalm that presents 
itself to your mind when you read this narrative. It might 
not right now, so I'll fill in the blank. In Psalm 15, it describes 
a godly man. Who can ascend into the holy 
hill of Zion? Who can enter into the Lord's 
tabernacle? And then it describes this godly 
man, who I think really is only a description of Jesus Christ. 
But in verse 4b in Psalm 15, it describes this man as one 
who swears to his own hurt and does not change his mind." What 
you do see in the remainder of this passage is faithfulness 
on the part of Israel. They created a bad situation 
and they dealt with it. That's what manly, godly Christianity 
is all about. You see, it's not going to be 
the case that we never create situations. It's not going to 
be the case that we never create problems. It's not going to be 
the case that we never sin. It's how do we deal when we're 
in it? Are we going to be responsible 
and man up and be faithful to our obligations or are we going 
to play like the worldling and change things up? So let's look 
at what goes on here. Verse 18, 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. Now, this is the same idea, the 
same words, or the same concept that we find in Numbers 13 and 
14, after the spies return. The people complain. The people 
murmur. Well, here it's in place. I don't 
think the people are being indicted here for having this complaint 
against the rulers. The rulers mess up. The leaders 
shouldn't have done this. The people are not unrighteous 
and unjust at this particular point to say, what did you do? 
Why did you do this? How did you fall for these props? 
Why didn't you vet them better? Why didn't you verify their story? 
Why didn't you investigate? No, the people are upset about 
this. Now, notice verses 19 to 21. The people are now informed about 
what has happened. 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. You see, the people perhaps 
thought, because this oath was entered into based on deceit, 
We don't have to keep it. Now, some of the commentaries 
deal with that old question. When an oath is entered into 
deceitfully, are we duty bound to uphold our obligation? That's a debate for another time. 
Notice what these men are convinced of in this instance. Verse 19 
says, we have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. We have 
put Yahweh's name on this. We are not going to renege under 
the name of our God. We are not going to be unfaithful 
under the name of our God. This we will do to them, verse 
20, we will let them live lest wrath be upon us because of the 
oath which we swore to them." They understood this, that if 
we make this oath and we make this covenant and then we renege 
or we break that, then God the Lord might be upset with us and 
bring wrath to bear upon us. What they are saying in essence 
is that this is not a great situation. We did error. We did sin. We were wrong in doing this, 
but maintain faithfulness to our covenant? We most certainly 
will. This shows something, I think, about leadership that can be 
trusted. Leadership that isn't afraid 
to admit, yeah, we probably shouldn't have done this, but since we've 
done this, here's how we're going to see our way through it. We're 
not going to treat these Gibeonites any worse. I mean, they don't 
get treated well, but we're not going to kill them. We're not 
going to destroy them. We're going to honor our obligations 
with reference to these particular men. They figured, the leaders 
figured, to break the oath would bring God's wrath upon them, 
to break the oath would dishonor the name of God as it was sworn 
in His name. The leaders swore to their hurt 
and they did not change. That's a great lesson for us. 
Sometimes we enter into things and we find out we shouldn't 
have done it. You know, sometimes people make a purchase, and they 
say, wow, I shouldn't have done that. Don't default on the loan. You shouldn't have done it. Be 
faithful, pay it off, and don't do it again. Don't just say, 
well, you know, I just can't do it. Well, why did you go into 
this? You need to be a man or a woman 
of your word. If you sign the dotted line, 
then be faithful. Carry out your obligations. Davis says, again, Israel was 
stuck. They must not break an oath, 
though it had been wrongly obtained because they had wrongly neglected 
the wisdom of God. What to do? I love this. Live 
as faithfully as they could within that twisted situation. That's 
just the reality. Sometimes we're going to end 
up in a situation And the answer is faithfulness to the Lord God 
Almighty, even if it means that we hurt. He swears to his own 
hurt, and he does not change. Now notice, we have sworn. We will let them live, verse 
20, and we will use them as woodcutters and water carriers. Now, with 
reference to the house of God, there was a lot of wood that 
needed to be cut and a lot of water that needed to be carried. 
These Gibeonites were going to earn their keep. In Deuteronomy 
29.11, woodcutters and water carriers are like the lowest 
echelon of society. If you happen to be a woodcutter 
or a water carrier, I'm not indicting you, I'm just telling you what 
Deuteronomy 29.11 says, verse 10. All of you stand today before 
the Lord your God, your leaders and your tribes and your elders 
and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones and 
your wives, also the stranger who is in your camp, from the 
one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water. So 
here in Joshua chapter 9, They say in verse 21, the ruler said 
to them, let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water 
carriers for all the congregation as the rulers had promised them. 
In other words, they will be our servants. They will live, 
but they will be confined to these particular tasks. And then 
finally, verses 22 to 27 is when Joshua investigates the Gibeonites. Verse 22, 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 you see they're under a curse 
because they deceived. They're under a curse because 
they lie. But under that curse, they remain 
alive. They would be better off being 
living slaves than being freed dead men. And that's the arrangement 
that is struck here. And then verses 24 and following. They say, we were told, we were 
afraid, and we submit to your rule. Verse 24. Man, on the one 
hand, you can't blame the Gibeonites. I mean, you could blame them 
for lying and deceiving. But they heard that the God of 
Israel is sending his people in to utterly dispossess the 
land. They did not join this coalition 
of kings. And if you notice here, this 
coalition of kings, the Gibeonites had a different political structure. 
There's no king mentioned. They have elders. in the city 
of Gibeon. They don't have a king. Maybe 
for that reason they felt a little bit unprotected and instead of 
joining with this coalition where they probably would have served 
as woodcutters and water carriers, they thought, hey, we'll cast 
ourselves on the mercy of Israel and cut wood and carry water 
for them. 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. So it wasn't a confession of 
faith like Rahab's. It was a confession of we don't 
want to die. That's it, that basic human instinct 
for survival. And then verse 25, and now here 
we are, in your hands, do with us as it seems good and right 
to do to us. And then verses 26 and 27 is 
a summary statement. 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." Now notice, for the congregation 
and for the altar of the Lord, in the place which he would choose 
even to this day. Now, we probably shouldn't make 
too much out of this, but they get some proximity here to the 
God of heaven and earth, don't they? I mean, I'd rather cut 
wood and carry water near the house of my God than live as 
a free man in the cities of Gibeon. George Bush recognized this. 
Again, not the former presidents of the United States. He says, 
they were hereby brought into a situation where they would 
naturally acquire the knowledge of the true God and of his revealed 
will. And just the proximity of it, 
cutting wood and carrying water, again, the house of the Lord, 
or that central location, the altar of the Lord, in the place 
which he would choose. They did a lot of sacrifice. 
You need a lot of wood to burn that sacrifice. You need a lot 
of water for the priests. There's a big labor there. They 
had to wash themselves. Everything had to be clean. There 
would be a lot of wood and a lot of water necessary to service 
the altar of the Lord. Bush is right. They were hereby 
brought into a situation where they would naturally acquire 
the knowledge of the true God and of his revealed will. They 
were made to dwell in the courts of the Lord's house, were honored 
with near access to him in the services of the sanctuary, and 
thus placed in circumstances eminently favorable to their 
spiritual and eternal interests. I mean, the Lord God of Israel, 
as we move through this passage, is very gracious. He doesn't destroy the Gibeonites. 
He doesn't destroy the Israelites for having not sought his counsel. 
They have a twisted situation. They arrange the situation. And 
here, Israel now has woodcutters and water carriers. And these 
woodcutters and water carriers have come into close proximity, 
at least, to learn something of the true and living God. Matthew 
Henry says, and thus Israel's bondmen became the Lord's freemen, 
for his service in the meanest office is liberty, and his work 
is its own wages. And this they got by their early 
submission. So perhaps we can't develop it 
too much in terms of what the Gibeonites got, but you can't 
miss it. They would be carrying wood, 
or cutting wood and carrying water, and they would be in proximity 
to the worship of the true and the living God. Certainly, they 
would learn many lessons concerning Yahweh. Well, as we conclude, 
a few things certainly present themselves from this chapter. 
First of all, seek counsel from the Lord. That's the take-home 
message, 14b. Pray. Read the Bible. You know, when we seek counsel 
from the Lord, it doesn't mean that you drive up the back of 
Mount Shem. There's a parking area there, 
and then you walk the two-hour trip up to the peak and there 
seek the Lord. You don't have to do that. You've 
got his word right here. That's what seeking the Lord 
is all about. It's about studying this book. 
It's about praying over it. Seek the Lord. As well, check 
facts of those with whom you deal. Vet Gibeonites, as you 
are able. Realize, and I hate to be the 
bearer of bad news, that people will lie to you and deceive you. 
I know that's hard to believe. People will tell you, you just 
sign here and you'll have a great deal. It doesn't always work 
that way. And then maintain faithfulness to your oaths even if it hurts. Swear to your own hurt and do 
not change. That is the mark of a godly man. I mean, better is to avoid those 
sorts of oaths altogether. But if you contract one, you 
be faithful to it. Do not be like the world. Do 
not be one who reneges or breaks those things that you have sworn 
to uphold. Well, let us close in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for this passage of scripture and for the very practical lessons 
it holds out for the church. We ask that you would help us 
in these things, help us to be those who seek you in your word, 
who seek you in prayer, who seek you with godly counsel and and 
advice and wisdom from our older brothers and sisters, parents, 
all those means that you've given to us. As well, Father, we pray 
that you would just help us to be faithful, help us to be men 
and women of our word. And we pray that you would go 
with us now and watch over us and bring us together on the 
Lord's day, that we may worship you in spirit and in truth. And 
we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.