Joshua Tricked!
The inhabitants of the land or Canaan know why Joshua and the Israelites are there. It means their destruction. Israel is tricked by a neighbor to spare their lives.
This whole mess boils down to two things; 1) “but did not ask counsel from the Lord” (Joshua 9:14b) and 2) “we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing” (Joshua 9:24c) The people of the land knew that Israel was coming to take their territory. Everyone in the land knew that they had been devoted to destruction.
The miracles of the Lord were told far and wide. Everyone knew of the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt up to the conquest of Jericho and Ai. They had been ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’ for more than 40 years. When Israel finally crossed the Jordan, everyone went into high alert. They were ready to do whatever it took to ‘save their bacon’. We get to witness one group who chose a different tactic. One of trickery instead of warfare. Let’s rejoin our story as Israel unknowingly meets one of its neighbors.
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A coalition has been called of all the kingdoms that are in the hill country and along the Great Coast. The Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites all come together. They are putting their heads and hands together to protect themselves.
“What are we going to do? You heard what they did to Jericho! When they were defeated by Ai the first time, I thought we had a chance. But then they took out Ai and Bethel in one fell swoop” the leader of the Perizzites pleads.
“Do you think it could all be rumors” asks the Canaanite king.
“Not a chance” said the king of the Hivites. “I sent spies out. They went and saw the destruction of Jericho personally. You remember how fortified their walls were. They were thick enough that there were homes built into it! And what my spies found was more sand than stone. Not a single section of the wall remained standing. Somehow, Israel’s God smashed the walls flat. They crumbled on themselves!”
The other members around the table go white at the description given.
“Who can stand against that!?” They all shake their heads.
“Let’s not throw in the towel just yet” offers the Jebusite king. “If we all band together, we have as many people as Israel does. Our fighters know the land and the best places for ambushes. Surely, we are better trained! Our fighting forces have been honed to a fine edge since birth. Israel has been wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years! How well trained can their forces be?”
“It’s not so much their military might that I fear. It is their God who fights for them” replies the Hivite king.
“Together we have more than 20 gods. Surely their one God cannot defeat ALL of our gods” the Jebusite king counters.
Heads begin to nod in agreement around the table. “Then it is agreed. We stand together. Whomever Israel targets first, the res will rise to their defense. If we can utterly defeat Israel in one battle, then we have nothing more to worry about.”
A pact was signed stating just that. The Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites would stand together against Israel.
One kingdom declined the invitation to this summit. It was the Gibeonites. Their king didn’t believe that military might would have any success against Israel. And he wasn’t about to get his kingdom caught up in a losing proposition. He was a cunning king and decided to use his wits instead of his fists.
He formed a coalition of his own. He called together the cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. His coalition included the stronger cities of his own kingdom. They met together in Gibeon at the palace of the king.
“Israel is too strong to try and conquer through warfare” the king states. “The biggest problem is their God. He fights for them. But they bind themselves to Him through oaths. They would not DARE break an oath they have made in His name.”
The king gets up and begins to pace. “What we need to do is to find a way for them to bind themselves to US with such an oath.”
“O king, it has already been told that they will not make covenants with the people of this land. Their leader, Moses, told them to devote ALL the inhabitants to the sword. How are we going to get them to go against their great leader?”
“They won’t go against him. But if they THINK we are from a different land, one that is far away, they may make a covenant with us.”
“But how are we going to convince them of this” one of the city leaders asks.
“I’m glad you asked” says the king. “The first thing we have to do is to ‘appear’ as though we have traveled a great distance to meet them. Our envoy to them must appear in worn and mended clothing. The more patched the better.”
“I know where we could get what we need” replies one of the city leaders.
The king turns to him and motions for him to continue.
“We have many poor living on the outskirts of Beeroth. We could acquire some of their clothing and shoes.”
“Better yet, trade them new items for the old ones. This way they will not be tempted to divulge our plan to Israel out of spite” orders the king.
“But clothing alone wouldn’t be enough to fool Israel; would it?”
“Certainly not” answers the king. “Or at least it wouldn’t fool me; for long. We need to make everything they have appear old. Wine skins, saddles, saddle blankets, even their food must be old.”
“We should have them grow their beards and hair too!”
“I wish we could, but there isn’t that much time before they would make their way to our fair cities to attack us. We have to move SOON.”
“Then we should search out men who already have this look. Send them to Israel.”
“So long as they are also very cunning. They must convince Israel of their story” cautioned the king.
Heads nodded around the table. They had the beginnings of a plan coming together nicely.
“Each of you take a part of our traveler’s appearance and focus on making it look as though they have come from a great distance.”
“We will supply the clothing and shoes” replied the leader of Beeroth.
“We will provide the wineskins and aging blankets” replied the leader of Kiriath-jearim.
“We can supply moldy and dried provisions individually proposed and weathered bags” offered the leader of Chephirah.
“That’s a good touch to add. Thank you for bringing it forward” complemented the king. “And I will have my men search out appropriate envoys for the task. Have everything assembled and ready to go in there days.”
The meeting adjourned and the different cities started working on their individually chosen items. At the end of the three days, everyone had brought what was promised to the king.
Five men were chosen to go to Israel and trick them into making a binding covenant with them. They were dressed in worn and patched robes and worn and patched sandals. They carried old and patched bags for their food, which was dry and crumbled. The donkeys they led had worn out feed bags and blankets on their backs. And they made certain to rub dust from the ground through everything, including their hair.
Once everything was ready, the king made a final inspection and gave them their orders.
“You will want to meet with their leader, Joshua. He has the power to enter into a covenant with you. It is said they have other leaders too. Include as many of them as you can. Say to them, ‘We come from a far-off country. Make a covenant with us.’ When they question you or balk at the idea, do NOT become angry. Act tired or desperate. Show them you clothing and food. Make up a story about how it was all fresh when you left home. Plead with them if need be. But make CERTAIN that their covenant is binding, by having them swear an oath to their God. This they will NEVER break!”
The men went around the mountain nearest their city so it would appear that they came from a different location on their approach to Israel’s camp. They walked as if they were tired from their long journey. When they came within sight of Israel’s camp, they nearly lost their nerve. The camp was HUGE! It was bigger than some of their own cities.
“Steady men. We have a job to do” stated their leader. “We can do this. Just follow my lead.”
The group was met by the outer sentry. “What business do you have here” he asked.
“We have come from a far-off country. Your fame has reached even us. We would like to meet with your leaders and discuss a covenant with them.”
The sentry looks over the men and demes them harmless. “I will take you to Joshua. He is our leader.”
The men are escorted to the center of the camp where Joshua is meeting with several of the leaders of the tribes.
“My lord, Joshua. These men say that they have come from a far-off country. They asked to meet with you.”
“Thank you. We will take it from here. You may return to your post” Joshua says to the sentry. Then he turns his attention to the five men standing before him. “May I know your reason for coming here?”
They didn’t waste any time in stating their objective. “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.” (Joshua 9:6b)
One of the leaders looked at them with suspicion. “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?” (Joshua 9:7)
The group’s leader spread his hands wide and made his face as pitiable as possible. “We are your servants” (Joshua 9:8a)
Joshua wasn’t satisfied yet. He questioned them some more. “Who are you? And where do you come from?” (Joshua 9:8b)
Remembering the king’s directions, the leader pleaded with his eyes as he spoke to Joshua. “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, 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 the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.”’”
The man held out his old and worn out sack and looked to his companions to do the same.
“Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” (Joshua 9:9-13)
The men of Israel looked closer and even put a hand in one sack and drew out a piece of dry and crumbly bread. Nodding at one another, they handed the sacks back to their ‘guests’. No one even thought to ask the Lord for His input on the matter. And the Lord did not call to Joshua to warn him.
Joshua spoke for the group. “Since you have come from a far-off country and are not our neighbor, we will make a covenant with you. We will let you live. We will not devote your land to the sword.”
“Thank you my lord” said the leader of the group. “But what assurance do you give us that you will keep this covenant? We give you our promise, sworn to by the king of our people, that we will not attack you or harass you in any way. He swears by our people’s gods.”
“We will swear by the name of our God, who is above ALL gods, that we will not kill you. And that we will stand with you if you are attacked” Joshua added.
The men had done it. Their hearts were nearly bursting with pride, but they had to hide it. If they showed it now, the people of Israel would know that something was wrong with them.
“Join us in a meal and we will celebrate our new friendship” offered one of the leaders.
The celebration went long into the night. “Do not drink too much wine” their leader cautioned. “Wine has a way of loosening the tongue.”
The next morning, the leaders invited the men to stay a while. “Rest with us a few days before starting back on your long journey.”
It would look suspicious to refuse the offer, so the leader agreed for the men. “We will camp on the outskirts of your camp though, so that our strange ways do not disturb your people.” This was agreeable to all.
On the second night, while the men were in their tent, a couple, seeking a quiet place to talk happened to be passing by. Their raised voices easily reached the couple’s ears.
“They are being TOO hospitable! We need to leave before they figure it out.”
“How are they going to know that we didn’t come from a ‘far-off’ country, but from Gibeon?”
“I don’t know! I just have this feeling that, the longer we stay here, the more danger we are in of being discovered.”
“Even if we are discovered, they swore an oath in the name of their God. They won’t EVER break such an oath.”
“You may be right, but I’m still worried.”
“If it makes you happy, we will leave tomorrow. I will find some excuse for us to be on our way.”
“Thank you.”
“Now go to sleep. We have a ‘long journey’ ahead of us tomorrow” the leader said with a chuckle.
The couple had stopped to hear all the conversation. Their eyes and mouths were wide with surprise at first, but that changed to slit eyes and pressed lips when the realization set in that this was a deliberate deceit. Once the men stopped talking, the two of them quietly made their way back to camp and straight to Joshua’s tent.
Joshua heard his name being called from the other side of his door. He quickly rose and drew back the door to see who was calling to him. The two young people were standing a respectful distance from his door. Joshua stepped out to address them.
“What is it my children? You look troubled.”
“We are indeed troubled, my lord. Israel has been taken for a fool.”
Joshua’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
The two of them related all the conversation they had overheard from the tent of the visitors. They also confessed as to their reason for being out in the night.
“Thank you for bringing this to me. There is nothing that can be done about it tonight. Go back to your tents. You can be certain that I will address this in the morning.”
They both bowed their heads and went to their respective tents. Joshua went back inside his tent and thought about what he had learned. The men were from right over the next hill from Israel. His heart ached because he knew that HE had failed the Lord. He SHOULD have asked Him for guidance. He became too sure of his own thoughts. And he also KNEW that the covenant he had made with the men was binding. He would have to figure out what to do with this knowledge.
First thing in the morning, Joshua called the leaders together. He didn’t use the silver trumpet as he didn’t want their ‘guests’ to be alerted to this meeting. Once everyone was assembled, Joshua told them the news.
“We have been tricked. Our ‘guests’ are not from a far-off country. They are from Gibeon.”
“But, their supplies… and their clothes…”
“I know. They planned it well.”
“So, what do we do now?’
“We take them home. And we deliver a message to them. We cannot kill them because we swore and oath to them. But we will make them our servants forever.”
When the ‘guests’ arose that morning, they readied themselves for departure before going into the camp to make their farewells. When they came to Joshua and the elders, they knew something was different.
“We have come to say goodbye. We must be on our way back to our own country. Your hospitality was most welcome.”
“We have a better idea” Joshua said. “We will take you home to your own country.”
Sweat broke out on the backs of all their necks. “That is very kind of you to offer, but it is too far to trouble you with escorting us.”
“THREE DAYS journey is not that far for those who have wandered in the wilderness for 40 years” says Joshua with narrowed eyes.
The men are speechless.
“Ready our forces. We march to Gibeon at once” called Joshua without breaking eye contact with the men.
The men were set ahead of Israel’s column and they made their way, armed for battle, to Gibeon. A guard was posted over them men every night so that they wouldn’t run ahead and warn their people.
Israel reached Gibeon after three days. The five men who had come to Israel were standing before the gate of Gibeon. They had no idea what Joshua would do.
The people were ready to do battle but their leaders held them back. “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.” (Joshua 9:19-20)
Joshua called for the men to stand before him. They came on trembling knees.
“Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us? Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” (Joshua 9:22-23)
Their leader, as was usual, spoke for them. “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing. And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” (Joshua 9:24-25)
Joshua shook his head. “We have made an oath NOT to kill you, and to stand with you if you are attacked in battle. We made this oath in the name of our Lord. We will NOT break it. But know this. You and all your descendants will serve Israel from this day forth. You will be wood cutters and water bearers for Israel.”
With this, Joshua turned them loose and told them to bring this message to their king. “Israel WILL be back to collect on this debt.”
As the men scurried through the gate, Joshua turned Israel around and led them back to their camp. This was a disappointing day, but one that could have been avoided, had they bothered to consult the Lord first. A lesson they would not soon forget.
(to be continued)
Father God, I understand Gibeon’s reasoning. “Better to serve in Heaven than reign in Hell” thinking. They recognized Your power and didn’t want to try going up against it. I believe their greatest fear was of You. The miracles You did for Israel could not be denied, or explained away. Fear motivated them to be creative; and they were.
Israel was faced with a case of the ‘if only’s. I’ve opened enough of those packages to know how they feel. To know the ‘if only’ I had asked for Your guidance first… Of ‘if only’ I had listened and obeyed… I HATE ‘if only’ times. I’m pretty sure I will face more of them in the future. Help them be few and far between though Father God. I want to stay in Your will as much as I possibly can.
THANK YOU that I KNOW that when I DO fail, that You are there to welcome me back. THAT is the only reason I can keep going every day. You give me hope and a sure future.
