Living in the Promised Land: A study in the book of Joshua
Lesson nine (Joshua Chapter 9)
23 April 2021
To view this online as a video:
Lesson Nine: Common sense isn’t so common
A. Introduction
1. Greetings
2. Overview. [For those online, see this book overview from The Bible Project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqJlFF_eU )
B. Today’s lesson: Common sense isn’t always so common
Do you like those tv shows and movies that used to be titled ‘mysteries’ but now are often nicknamed ‘whodunit?’ Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, NCIS, and the list goes on. There are now networks devoted to crime and investigations with information displayed and detective work called on to elicit guesswork from the audience and finally the big reveal at the end, when the crime is solved and the bad guy of the story is brought to justice.
In today’s episode, a group of people who live in what will become the tribal territory of Benjamin, a group of Hivites, pretend to be from a far-away land. Why would they do that? And what’s the main lesson we are going to learn. Let’s walk through this together.
1. The news about Israel
Jewish people had won in the last section of the Wilderness Wanderings in conquering Og and Sihon. They had just won at Ai and previously at Jericho. The news about the Jews is getting all over the country. The mandate to Moses and Joshua and the people is that all the seven nations (Deut 7.1) would be dispossessed from their territory and Israel would have a homeland. We already saw that Rahab and the people of Jericho had their hearts melted with fear of the Jews. Back in US Revolutionary Wartime, “The Redcoats are coming!” was the battle cry by the Americans to stand against the Red Army, meaning the British.
Look at verse 1 and 2. The 7 nations gathered in a G-7 of the day and determined that they were in big trouble if they stayed apart from each other. The Bible says they gathered ‘in one accord.’ The Hebrew is ‘in one mouth’ or ‘one voice’ to fight against Joshua and with Israel. A smart move to personalize the attack. No longer will they stand in their own villages and towns awaiting the hoofbeats of the Jews; now they are going to go on the offensive themselves. And together they should be able to dispel the conquering hordes. The coalition is settled in their geography and in their determination.
But in one particular case, here in southern Canaan, ‘The Jews are coming!’ is a cry that broadcast fear and withdrawal. And more specifically, the Hivite people of Gibeah decided to take another approach. They surrendered before they would be attacked and conquered. Surrender made great sense to the leadership.
Their fear was greater than their confidence in their G-7.
Verse 3, the use of the term ‘crafty’ should remind you of something previously in the Bible. Yes, it’s Genesis 3 and the serpent is said to be similarly defined. Hebrew is ‘arum’. In Genesis it’s an adjective; here in Joshua it’s the noun form. I wonder if their adjective had subsumed them. What I mean by that is this. A person who sins could be defined as a sinner. I get that. And people like Ray Comfort over in New Zealand have made this a substantial part of their narrative and evangelism. Have you ever stolen? Then you are a thief. Etc. But I see the Bible as helping us see incidents as separate from personal definitions. Here’s an example. The difference between Agabus and the daughters of Philip. It’s found in Acts 21. Luke records the visit of the team to Caesarea and they find both Agabus the prophet and the daughters of Philip the evangelist who prophesied. In one case, it’s the office; in the other case it’s an activity which could define them or merely be a gift employed at the moment.
Similarly when the twelve Ephesian believers were encountered by Paul (Acts 19), after he laid his hands on them, they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. Again, moments, not definition of their ministry giftedness.
All that to say this. The Gibeonites were now completely crafty. They were the noun of crafty.
Gordon Wenham says this in his commentary on Genesis 3, “Now the snake was more shrewd than all the wild animals.” “Shrewd” ערום is an ambiguous term. On the one hand it is a virtue the wise should cultivate (Prov 12:16; 13:16), but misused it becomes wiliness and guile (Job 5:12; 15:5; cf. Exod 21:14; Josh 9:4). The choice of the term עָרוּם “shrewd” here is one of the more obvious plays on words in the text; for the man and his wife have just been described as עֵרֹם “nude” (2:25). They will seek themselves to be shrewd (cf. 3:6) but will discover that they are “nude” (3:7, 10).
Shrewdness or craftiness led to nakedness and that’s not the place God wanted for our First Family. And living in shrewdness and craftiness led to a character of craft. We often who watch those television dramas over years, and consider the main characters who are ever being deceitful or defined as con artists, and we wonder if they could ever change. That may be in your mind today with the Gibeonites. I won’t settle that for you today.
Verse 3 and following we see their cleverness. They go to the local op shop and buy worn-out clothes, worn-out bags and sacks and even leave the bread out to go to crumbs. It’s a dress-up, Halloween costume party and they make like travellers from a long distant land. They don’t define the place; they don’t name the place. The only ‘evidence’ they have is what is on their backs and in their backpacks.
Verse 7, the men of Israel, and I imagine those to be the elders to whom we were introduced in chapters 7 and 8, interviewed the representatives. They solicited no further evidence and merely took the word of these Hivites. Not a good justice system. In fact the Gibeonites requested ‘covenant’ with the Jewish people saying that they would be servants to Israel. Perhaps that is what influenced the agreement. Cool, they thought, we can have free labour, slaves like we were to Egypt for hundreds of years. Now it’s our turn to be masters.
Verse 8, Joshua particularly interviews the Gibeonites as well. They have already announced to the elders and to Joshua, “Your servants we are” It almost sounds like Yoda. Now Joshua digs deeper. “Who are you? Where are you from?” He gets no answers to those, but only hears their flattering words of Jewish dominance in the region. And the clashes that the Gibeonites cite are the ones from months ago. That’s a clever device. It’s not the recent battles at Jericho or Ai. Clever because they are not sharing last week’s news; they are reporting old news. Their verbal evidence helps corroborate their story of worn-out life they showcase.
2. The Covenant with Gibeon
The Bible points out in one editorial comment the whole problem. It’s found in verse 14.
14 So the men of Israel took some of their provisions (Lit: took from their supplies) and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.
The eating of the provisions, the sharing of the meal, and the eating or rather receiving the testimony of the Gibeonites, that’s when Israel got in trouble. Again. In the defeat at Ai in chapter 7, and now the covenant making with the Hivites of the land, Israel makes trouble for themselves. How? By NOT asking counsel of the Lord. The word for counsel is ‘peh’ meaning the mouth of God. It carries both personal relationship and personalized information which are both necessary for living a godly life in Israel or in Sydney or wherever you personally live.
וְאֶת־פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה לֹ֥א שָׁאָֽלוּ׃
They didn’t ask for the mouth of Yehovah.
Do you feel the anguish in reflection? Do you hear the “ASK GOD!” being given to the next generation?
So in verse 15, you see the covenant and the oath are made between Israel and the Hivites.
Which wins out in terms of God’s will? Here’s what I mean. God had already declared his intention about the Hivites. (Exodus 23.23, .26, Deut. 7.1). What then should have happened to the Gibeonites? Destruction. But what the people of Israel declared actually trumped the word of God. They should have been killed, but they survived, although as slaves.
“After three days the Israelites learned the truth (verse 16) about these emissaries: they were not from a far country, but were Gibeonites from the Hivite enclave of Chephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim, cities which lay within six miles from Gibeon. Joshua remained true to his oath which he had sworn, but he cursed the deceivers with the perpetual role of menial service; they were sentenced to become “the hewers of wood and the drawers of water.” Menial service was indeed better than total extermination.” (Pritchard, https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-bible-reports-on-gibeon/)
The same thing happened in the era of the Flood of Noah. God blessed Noah and his children after the Flood. (Gen. 9.1) When Noah awoke from his wine, he cursed Canaan (9.25) which trumped the blessing God gave. That’s why we take our words so seriously. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Prov. 18.21) That’s not a universal power, or else every curse spoken to us, every damnation proclaimed would trump every blessing God wants to give. (Prov. 26.2) But for the people of God, watch what you say. Yeshua taught, “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt. 12.36-37)
Immediately the people of Israel wanted to remove the Hivites, but the elders constrained them and cited the covenant and oath they had just made as binding. (.19)
What then did they decide? Make the Gibeonites into servants, water carriers, and lumberjacks. And that’s their fate. (.20-21)
Joshua then called them into his office. (.22) Why did you lie to me?
Their answer was honest and forthright. They testify of Yehovah and what he announced and what Israel has performed. We were going to die, the Gibeonites recount. We didn’t want to die, so we concocted this story. And you bought it.
Joshua concurred and made them water carriers and lumberjacks.
That’s the end of that story.
Or is it?
In chapter 10, we’ll see the city of Gibeah up close, it’s only a few miles away from Jerusalem. The sun will stand still there—that’s quite a scene.
3. The covenant with Gibeah in Saul’s day
The real ‘end’ of the story though is recorded in 2 Samuel 21. There we read of Saul’s disregard of the covenant his leader Joshua had entered with the Gibeonites and the horrible result in Saul’s own family.
“Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah). Thus David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?” Then the Gibeonites said to him, “We have noconcern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “I will do for you whatever you say.” So they said to the king, “The man who consumed us and who planned to exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel, let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” And the king said, “I will give them.” (.1-6)
This story is ugly and painful, and shows that covenant lasts much longer than we might imagine. Saul disregarded the yet-binding covenant Israel had with the Gibeonites and as a result two of his sons and five of his grandsons were killed.
I’m sure some of you have thought about covenant while I’m speaking with you today, about that which is called “Old Covenant” vs “New Covenant.” God’s word to the Jewish people is still in force and we have no right to disregard it or mock those who still live there.
God alone will bless or curse (Deut. 27-28) based on the Jewish people’s service with a glad and full heart, to those who stay under that system. You and I who know Messiah, who have been forgiven of our sins, have entered a new covenant, a new agreement, with better promises and a better mediator.
4. Summary
I titled today’s talk “Common sense isn’t so common.” By that I mean that the children of Israel who had of recent days succeeded and then failed, then succeeded, should have worked out a protocol of checking in with headquarters. They should have turned to the counsel (the mouth) of the Almighty and listened. Israel got in trouble by not listening. Listening includes obeying in biblical thought.
Does it matter if you seek God only when you are in trouble? Shouldn’t we check in with the Lord in our regular, daily life? What is prayer if you only ask when you need… desire… even demand his assistance. Prayer is being with him, hearing his voice, learning what God wants and how he wants us to live and behave.
Israel’s failure to seek God is not a one-off.
Nor is it my one-off. My failure to seek God is too often the truth.
May we be people of the Book and people of the listening ear, attuned to the gentlest whisper and loudest proclamation of our God.
Invitation
Dear friends, do you have such desire victory today? Have you met the one who was cursed on the Roman tree for you in Jerusalem? if you have never asked Yeshua to be your Saviour, today as we keep learning from Joshua, would you choose to believe the Lord of life? What does it mean to be strong and courageous in light of learning about Yeshua? Would you be willing to take a stand for him who took a stand and died on a Roman cross for you? We remember Passion week and call Good Friday good because Messiah’s death accomplished salvation for all people. He took the curse we deserved to give us his righteousness which he deserved.
Without that kipporah (sacrifice) we would be hopeless, but because Yeshua died in our place on Passover, as the Passover lamb, and his blood was applied to the doorposts of our hearts, we can be forgiven.
If you’d like to receive that today, just now, join me as we pray.
Say something like this: “Father in Yeshua’s name, forgive me my sin, I was wrong to dismiss you and to disbelieve in you. I need your mercy. I deserve punishment but you are kind and merciful and I receive your grace. I repent. I receive Yeshua as my saviour and Lord. I will live because of my faith in Messiah Yeshua. Amen.
If you prayed that, please let us know of your profession by writing straightaway, won’t you? Bob@JewsforJesus.org.au We’d love to hear from you.
Conclusion
We are delighted you have joined us today. Please join us next week and learn with the others how you can stay on track in 2021 and beyond. I hope to see you next week as we continue our studies in Joshua. You will certainly see yourself in the readings and in the lessons. It will be worthwhile! Next week we will look at chapter 10, in what I call “Southern Domination” and see what lessons we can draw for ourselves from the sun standing still and the new alliance with Gibeah!
Hope to see you then… until then, Shabbat shalom!
Bibliography
Butler, Trent C., Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 7. Joshua. Word, Waco, 1983.
Davis, Dale Ralph, Joshua: No Falling Words, Christian Focus, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland, 2019.
Hess, Richard. Tyndale Commentary Complete.
Meyer, F.B., Joshua and the Land of Promise, Christian Literature Crusade, Ft Washington PA, 1977.
Pritchard, James, “The Bible reports on Gibeon.” Penn Museum, Expedition, 1961. Volume 3, Issue 4.
Sanders, J. Oswald, Promised-Land Living, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984.
Toms, Paul, This land is your land. Gospel Light Publishing, Glendale CA, 1977.
Weirsbe, Warren. Be Strong: Putting God's Power to Work in Your Life. David C. Cook Publishing, Colorado Springs, 2010.
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D-Groups for this week
1) Monday 11 am Sydney time. Led by James Howse
2) Monday 7 pm, Sydney time, led by James White
(Contact our office for zoom details)
If you’d like to host a D-Group either online or in person, please contact bob@jewsforjesus.org.au for further details. It’s time to step up. Ponder this—who will be in your D-Group?
The Book of Joshua: Outline.
I. Entering the Land (Chapters 1-4)
a. Chapter 1: A funeral and a promise (Leadership Lesson 1)
b. Chapter 2: A harlot saves the day
c. Chapter 3: Go against the flow (Part 1)
d. Chapter 4: Go against the flow (Part 2)
II. Taking the Land (5-12)
a. Chapter 5: Roll away iniquity: a study in sacraments
b. Chapter 6: Joshua fit d’battle ob Jericho
c. Chapter 7: Getting it very wrong: Achan and his mistakes
d. Chapter 8: Combat and Covenant
e. Chapter 9: Common sense is not so common
f. Chapter 10: Southern dominance
g. Chapter 11: How not to win
h. Chapter 12: God is faithful
III. Possessing the Land (13-21)
a. Chapter 13: Inheritance lessons
b. Chapter 14: For example
c. Chapter 15: Geography lesson
d. Chapter 16: Trends of note (Part 1)
e. Chapter 17: Trends of note (Part 2)
f. Chapter 18: Apportionment (Part 1)
g. Chapter 19: Apportionment (Part 2)
h. Chapter 20: Provisions (Part 1)
i. Chapter 21: Provisions (Part 2)
IV. Retaining the Land (22-24)
a. Chapter 22: Can an altar alter anything?
b. Chapter 23: Staying on edge
c. Chapter 24: Three funerals and Renewing the covenant
The Seven Nations
1. Amorite
2. Canaanite
3. Girgashite
4. Hittite
5. Hivite
6. Jebusite
7. Perizzite
Josh. 9:1 Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, 2 that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.
Josh. 9:3 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they also acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended, 5 and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled. 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.” 7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?” 8 But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the LORD your God; for we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt, 10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.”’ 12 This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. 13 “These wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.” 14 So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. 15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
Josh. 9:16 It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land. 17 Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were aGibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim. 18 The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. 19 But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.” 21 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them.
Josh. 9:22 Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living within our land? 23 “Now therefore, you are cursed, and you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24 So they answered Joshua and said, “Because it was certainly told your servants 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 before you; therefore we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25 “Now behold, we are in your hands; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.” 26 Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27 But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place which He would choose.
