Introduction: The Two Enemies
In our spiritual walk, we face two kinds of enemies. First, there is the enemy that comes like a roaring lion—the open, obvious, and frontal assault. This is the threat we see coming, the persecution, the direct temptation. After Israel’s great victory at Jericho, all the kings of Canaan united against them—a roaring lion.
But there is a second kind of enemy, one that is often far more dangerous. It is the enemy that comes as a slithering serpent—the subtle, the deceptive, the clever. It does not come with a declaration of war, but with a hand offered in friendship. It is this second enemy that Israel faces in Joshua chapter 9. This story is a powerful and timeless warning that spiritual power is not enough; we must also have spiritual discernment. It reveals what happens when God’s people, fresh from a victory, let down their guard and make a critical decision based on what they can see, rather than on what God has said.
I. The Anatomy of Deception (v. 3-13)
While the other kings prepared for a futile battle, the people of Gibeon prepared a clever play. But why deception? Because unlike the other kings, the Gibeonites had heard the reports of Israel's God, and they were terrified. They believed so completely in the power of the Lord and His command to judge the land that their only hope, they thought, was not to fight, but to trick His people. Their entire plan was born from a profound, albeit self-serving, fear of God's reputation.
Fueled by this fear, they devised a masterful strategy:
1. The Appearance of Wisdom: The Gibeonites came with convincing props. They put on old, patched-up sandals and worn-out garments. And the centerpiece of their deception was bread that was "dry and mouldy." Their entire presentation was designed to appeal to the senses of the Israelites and lead them to one logical conclusion: these men have come from a very far country.
2. The Use of Flattery and Half-Truths: The Gibeonites were masters of the half-truth. They told Joshua, "We have heard of the fame of the LORD thy God." They recounted the victories over the kings beyond the Jordan river. But notice what they carefully omitted: the recent victories over Jericho and Ai. To mention those would have revealed that they were locals. The most effective lies are always wrapped in a layer of truth.
II. The Moment of Failure (v. 14-15)
Here, in one verse, we find the heart of the story and the reason for Israel's failure.
1. They Relied on Their Senses: The scripture says, "And the men took of their victuals..." They reached out, they touched, they tasted the physical evidence. They felt the worn-out clothes. They made their judgment based entirely on their own human perception. They walked by sight.
2. They Neglected Their Source: And then we read the fatal words: "...and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD."
And here is the deep and tragic irony of this story. The Gibeonites, who were pagans and outsiders, made a massive, life-altering decision based entirely on what they had heard about the power and the commands of the LORD. Their actions were a direct response to His reputation. Yet Israel, the insiders, the covenant people who had a direct relationship with God, made their decision without even mentioning His name. The outsiders were acting in fear of God's Word, while the insiders were acting in foolish forgetfulness of it. They had a direct line to the Commander of the universe, and they left the phone of prayer off the hook.
III. The Consequence of the Oath (v. 16-27)
A decision made without God’s counsel will almost always lead to future trouble.
1. The Deception Unravels: It only took three days for the truth to come out. The Gibeonites were not from a far country; they were near neighbors. The clever deception was exposed, and the camp was filled with anger and frustration.
2. The Binding Power of an Oath: The people wanted to attack the Gibeonites, but the leaders could not. They had sworn an oath in the name of the Lord God of Israel. Even though they were tricked into it, their word, sworn before a holy God, was binding.
3. A Complicated Mercy: The Gibeonites were spared from death, but they were cursed to a life of perpetual servitude, becoming "hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God." Israel’s foolish decision created a lasting, complicated problem that they would have to manage for generations to come. Even when forgiven, our decisions made without God often leave behind long and painful consequences.
Conclusion: Before You Decide, Ask
The story of the Gibeonite deception is a profound cautionary tale. After a great spiritual victory, we are often most vulnerable not to a frontal attack, but to a subtle deception. We are tempted to lower our guard and rely on our own wisdom.
What decision are you facing this week? A new job? A relationship? A financial commitment? It probably looks good. It may feel right. But have you performed the most critical step? Have you stopped, humbled yourself, and "asked counsel at the mouth of the LORD"?
If pagans were wise enough to tremble and act based on God's reputation, how much more should we, His children, be wise enough to seek His counsel? The greatest tragedy is not to be deceived by our enemies, but to be defeated by our own failure to depend on our God.
