If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to put himself under a binding obligation, he shall not break his word; he shall act in accordance with everything that comes out of his mouth. - Numbers 30:2
Earlier this year we began a new sermon series titled “The Conquering and Independent Church''. We are studying the period of Israel’s history following the exodus, starting with their invasion of Canaan. Today’s message is the 7th sermon of this exciting series. It is called “Deceived By the Gibeonites” and focuses on Joshua chapter 9.
Let’s quickly look back over the events of our series so far. Following Moses’ death Joshua assumed command over the children of Israel in Moab. He sent spies ahead into Jericho, who were hidden and protected by Rahab the prostitute. When these spies returned, the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Soon afterwards, they attacked and conquered the city of Jericho because God miraculously caused its walls to collapse. Next, after failing on their first attempt, they successfully defeated Ai. Then they conducted a ceremony of blessings and curses on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. By this point, the conquest of Canaan was in full swing…
I. A FLAWED TREATY (Joshua 9:1-15)
As reports spread about Joshua’s military incursion into Canaan, many of the country’s kings began aligning themselves together in order to defend their cities against Israel. While these alliances were being formed among most of the Canaanites, the people of Gibeon took a completely different approach. Rather than fighting against Joshua (which would have almost certainly led to their defeat), they devised a crafty plan to avoid conflict.
The Gibeonites gathered provisions for a journey, including worn-out sacks for their donkeys, old wineskins that had been split open and patched, worn-out clothing and sandals to wear, and old, dry, crumbling bread to eat. They made their way to Gilgal, where Joshua and their Israelites were camped. They deceptively presented themselves to Joshua as foreigners from a distant land who had heard about the mighty deeds of the God of Israel and His people and had come to make peace. They humbly submitted themselves to Joshua as servants.
The Israelites were unsure if these people were telling them the truth, questioned where they had come from, and remained hesitant to make a treaty with them. Then these Gibeonites showed them their old, crumbled bread and told them it had dried out during the long journey. They further claimed that their wineskins had broken and their sandals and clothes had worn out along the way. The men of Israel looked at their tattered provisions and believed their story, so Joshua made a covenant with them and swore by the name of the LORD to let them live. In all of this, the Israelites did not seek God’s counsel.
Though they did not yet realize it, Joshua and the people of Israel had been tricked into entering a peace treaty with their enemies. They fell for the Gibeonites’ lie because they did not seek the LORD’s counsel. Instead, they made a misguided covenant following their own initiative and understanding. The Bible teaches us that Satan is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). He uses deceit as his primary weapon against mankind. If we fail to pray and seek God’s wisdom, we will surely stumble and fall for his tricks.
II. A PROMISE KEPT (Joshua 9:16-21a)
After they had departed, some 3 days later, Joshua received word that these “foreigners” were in fact inhabitants of Canaan. He was disturbed by these reports and wanted to confirm their truthfulness. Therefore the Israelites set out from Gilgal and came to Gibeon and its surrounding region. When they arrived, they discovered that the Gibeonites were not travelers from a far away land as they had claimed. On the contrary, they were local citizens.
Joshua and the leaders of Israel had been fooled. They had made a terrible and humiliating mistake. Nevertheless, they were now bound by their oath and did not attack the Gibeonites. The people of Israel grumbled against them, but there was nothing they could do. The leaders explained to the congregation that they had sworn by the LORD to let these Gibeonites live and were obligated to keep their promise.
The Bible teaches us not to swear by the name of the LORD except on the most solemn of occasions (Matthew 5:34; James 5:12). When we swear by His name, we connect Him to our promise or commitment - whatever it is. If then we fail to keep the oath, we simultaneously break our word to God. This, in turn, invites His judgment upon us. These Israelites had just experienced God’s anger at Ai and were not about to provoke Him again. Thus, as Jesus taught, we should not swear at all, but simply let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no”.
III. A SUBJUGATED PEOPLE (Joshua 9:21b-27)
Joshua summoned the Gibeonites together and asked them why they had lied about their true identity. They explained that they had heard of the LORD’s might and Israel’s mission to subdue and occupy the Promised Land. They were afraid of having their city destroyed and being killed themselves. They begged Joshua to do right by them. And so, in keeping with the treaty he’d made, Joshua allowed the Gibeonites to live as servants of Israel. They were used as laborers to gather firewood and draw water for both the congregation and the altar of the LORD.
There are some obvious parallels between the stories of Rahab and the Gibeonites. Both had heard about the amazing feats of Israel and acknowledged that Jehovah God was greater than their pagan gods. Both were confident that God had given the land to Israel and that the Canaanites would soon be defeated. As such, both were allowed to live. However, because Rahab acted with honesty and integrity she and her family remained free. On the other hand, because the Gibeonites were dishonest and lied to Joshua and the Israelites, they became slaves. Both professed a degree of faith, but their actions resulted in very different outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Centuries later the Gibeonites were still living among the people of Israel (2 Samuel 21:1-2). King Saul and those of his “bloody household” zealously sought to exterminate them once and for all. While they successfully killed many of the Gibeonites, a remnant of them survived. Later, when David became king, a severe famine struck the land that persisted for 3 years. The LORD told David that this judgment had come upon Israel because Saul and his sons had slain many of the Gibeonites. In other words, Israel’s oath not to kill them was still in effect and the nation was suffering the consequences of breaking it. King David took steps to make amends with the remaining Gibeonites. This episode illustrates the seriousness and longevity of vows made in God’s name.
In today’s message, we have highlighted 3 critical truths. First, we should always seek God’s counsel in our decision making in order to uncover deception and avoid missteps. Second, we should be very careful about swearing in the LORD’s name and should never do so flippantly or thoughtlessly. If we do make such a promise, we should keep it. Third, professions of faith should be accompanied by sincere and honest behavior.
Next week we will continue our discussion of Israel and their newly formed treaty with the Gibeonites.
Earlier this year we began a new sermon series titled “The Conquering and Independent Church''. We are studying the period of Israel’s history following the exodus, starting with their invasion of Canaan. Today’s message is the 7th sermon of this exciting series. It is called “Deceived By the Gibeonites” and focuses on Joshua chapter 9.
Let’s quickly look back over the events of our series so far. Following Moses’ death Joshua assumed command over the children of Israel in Moab. He sent spies ahead into Jericho, who were hidden and protected by Rahab the prostitute. When these spies returned, the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Soon afterwards, they attacked and conquered the city of Jericho because God miraculously caused its walls to collapse. Next, after failing on their first attempt, they successfully defeated Ai. Then they conducted a ceremony of blessings and curses on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. By this point, the conquest of Canaan was in full swing…
I. A FLAWED TREATY (Joshua 9:1-15)
As reports spread about Joshua’s military incursion into Canaan, many of the country’s kings began aligning themselves together in order to defend their cities against Israel. While these alliances were being formed among most of the Canaanites, the people of Gibeon took a completely different approach. Rather than fighting against Joshua (which would have almost certainly led to their defeat), they devised a crafty plan to avoid conflict.
The Gibeonites gathered provisions for a journey, including worn-out sacks for their donkeys, old wineskins that had been split open and patched, worn-out clothing and sandals to wear, and old, dry, crumbling bread to eat. They made their way to Gilgal, where Joshua and their Israelites were camped. They deceptively presented themselves to Joshua as foreigners from a distant land who had heard about the mighty deeds of the God of Israel and His people and had come to make peace. They humbly submitted themselves to Joshua as servants.
The Israelites were unsure if these people were telling them the truth, questioned where they had come from, and remained hesitant to make a treaty with them. Then these Gibeonites showed them their old, crumbled bread and told them it had dried out during the long journey. They further claimed that their wineskins had broken and their sandals and clothes had worn out along the way. The men of Israel looked at their tattered provisions and believed their story, so Joshua made a covenant with them and swore by the name of the LORD to let them live. In all of this, the Israelites did not seek God’s counsel.
Though they did not yet realize it, Joshua and the people of Israel had been tricked into entering a peace treaty with their enemies. They fell for the Gibeonites’ lie because they did not seek the LORD’s counsel. Instead, they made a misguided covenant following their own initiative and understanding. The Bible teaches us that Satan is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). He uses deceit as his primary weapon against mankind. If we fail to pray and seek God’s wisdom, we will surely stumble and fall for his tricks.
II. A PROMISE KEPT (Joshua 9:16-21a)
After they had departed, some 3 days later, Joshua received word that these “foreigners” were in fact inhabitants of Canaan. He was disturbed by these reports and wanted to confirm their truthfulness. Therefore the Israelites set out from Gilgal and came to Gibeon and its surrounding region. When they arrived, they discovered that the Gibeonites were not travelers from a far away land as they had claimed. On the contrary, they were local citizens.
Joshua and the leaders of Israel had been fooled. They had made a terrible and humiliating mistake. Nevertheless, they were now bound by their oath and did not attack the Gibeonites. The people of Israel grumbled against them, but there was nothing they could do. The leaders explained to the congregation that they had sworn by the LORD to let these Gibeonites live and were obligated to keep their promise.
The Bible teaches us not to swear by the name of the LORD except on the most solemn of occasions (Matthew 5:34; James 5:12). When we swear by His name, we connect Him to our promise or commitment - whatever it is. If then we fail to keep the oath, we simultaneously break our word to God. This, in turn, invites His judgment upon us. These Israelites had just experienced God’s anger at Ai and were not about to provoke Him again. Thus, as Jesus taught, we should not swear at all, but simply let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no”.
III. A SUBJUGATED PEOPLE (Joshua 9:21b-27)
Joshua summoned the Gibeonites together and asked them why they had lied about their true identity. They explained that they had heard of the LORD’s might and Israel’s mission to subdue and occupy the Promised Land. They were afraid of having their city destroyed and being killed themselves. They begged Joshua to do right by them. And so, in keeping with the treaty he’d made, Joshua allowed the Gibeonites to live as servants of Israel. They were used as laborers to gather firewood and draw water for both the congregation and the altar of the LORD.
There are some obvious parallels between the stories of Rahab and the Gibeonites. Both had heard about the amazing feats of Israel and acknowledged that Jehovah God was greater than their pagan gods. Both were confident that God had given the land to Israel and that the Canaanites would soon be defeated. As such, both were allowed to live. However, because Rahab acted with honesty and integrity she and her family remained free. On the other hand, because the Gibeonites were dishonest and lied to Joshua and the Israelites, they became slaves. Both professed a degree of faith, but their actions resulted in very different outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Centuries later the Gibeonites were still living among the people of Israel (2 Samuel 21:1-2). King Saul and those of his “bloody household” zealously sought to exterminate them once and for all. While they successfully killed many of the Gibeonites, a remnant of them survived. Later, when David became king, a severe famine struck the land that persisted for 3 years. The LORD told David that this judgment had come upon Israel because Saul and his sons had slain many of the Gibeonites. In other words, Israel’s oath not to kill them was still in effect and the nation was suffering the consequences of breaking it. King David took steps to make amends with the remaining Gibeonites. This episode illustrates the seriousness and longevity of vows made in God’s name.
In today’s message, we have highlighted 3 critical truths. First, we should always seek God’s counsel in our decision making in order to uncover deception and avoid missteps. Second, we should be very careful about swearing in the LORD’s name and should never do so flippantly or thoughtlessly. If we do make such a promise, we should keep it. Third, professions of faith should be accompanied by sincere and honest behavior.
Next week we will continue our discussion of Israel and their newly formed treaty with the Gibeonites.