The Gibeonite deception of Joshua 9 is a funny one to me.
1 Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things-those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea [1] as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)- 2 they came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.
3 However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they resorted to a ruse
"The hell with this fighting crap."
They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded [2] with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5 The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. 6 Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us."
7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?"
8 "We are your servants," they said to Joshua.
But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where do you come from?"
9 They answered: "Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God.
Good lies lie as little as possible. This is a great one. The only word that is wrong is "distant." The rest is an attempt to establish common ground with Joshua.
4 The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD . 15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.
whoops. Pride before a fall.
16 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.
D'OH!
19 but all the leaders answered, "We have given them our oath by the LORD , the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them." 21 They continued, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community."
details, details. Always be specific in one's contracts! |
