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After forty long years in the wilderness, Israel was chomping at the bit to finally take possession of the Promised Land. But before they could begin their campaign against the Canaanites, God gave them some “dos” and “don’ts.” For instance, while they were permitted to make peace with the cities outside of Canaan, they were not permitted to make peace with any of the cities within Canaan. In fact, they were to utterly destroy them. (Deuteronomy 20:10-18; 7:1-2)
And determined as they were, very early into Israel’s conquest, they were met by a strange sight. Unkempt men with old clothes, worn-out sacks and sandals, as well as tattered wineskins and old crusty bread. When Joshua asked them for an explanation “They said to him, ‘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 [of peace] with us.’” 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)
“We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant [of peace] with us.”
Joshua 9:11
It seemed to Joshua a very persuasive story, so Israel made a peace treaty with them and promised not to destroy them. But, as they came to discover three days later, it was all a ruse. In reality, they were local Canaanites from Gibeon—a mere 25 miles from the Israelite camp in Gilgal! Israel had been duped. But what was it that made the Gibeonite deception so successful? Well, the devil, as they say, is in the details. Notice first that they claimed to be from a faraway country. Why? Could it be that they somehow became aware of the Mosaic Law that prohibited peace treaties with the locals but permitted it for those outside of Canaan? Whatever the case, they somehow knew that by claiming they were from a region outside of Canaan, they could legally be spared. They also told Joshua that they had heard about what Yahweh had done for Israel in Egypt and about their defeat of kings Sihon and Og but made no mention of Israel’s recent victories over Jericho and Ai. Why? “[B]ecause if they had come from a far country they would not have heard of these recent battles.” This, combined with the old food and clothing made for a powerful deception.
But even still, had Joshua inquired of the Lord before making a treaty with them Israel would not have been deceived. And even though Israel now wanted to nullify the treaty, it was too late. An oath made in the name of Yahweh could not be broken without bringing God’s wrath upon Israel. So instead, Israel subjected the Gibeonites to perpetual slavery as woodcutters and water carriers. And to prevent the false religion of the Gibeonites from corrupting Israel “their work would be carried out in connection with the tabernacle where they would be exposed to the worship of the one true God.”
But it wasn’t all bad for Israel or for the Gibeonites. As Bible scholar Donald Campbell points out, “the curse became a blessing.” Because “It was on behalf of the Gibeonites that God worked a great miracle [with the sun standing still] (cf. 10:10-14). Later the tabernacle was pitched at Gibeon (2 Chron. 1:3); still later some Gibeonites help Nehemiah rebuild Jerusalem’s wall (Neh. 3:7). Such is the grace of God. He is still able to turn a curse into a blessing. Though it is usually true that the natural consequences of sin must run their course, the grace of God can not only forgive but also overrule mistakes and often bring blessings out of sins and failures.”
Ryan Hembree is a daily co-host, speaker, and writer of Bible Discovery. He also hosts a YouTube channel that shows the unity of the Bible and how science and Scripture fit together. Ryan also has an honorary Masters of Ministry in Creation Science from Phoenix University of Theology.
