THE GIBEONITE DECEPTION

Once upon a time in the land of Canaan, a man named Joshua led the Israelites after the death of Moses. As they journeyed through the land, they heard of a group of people called the Gibeonites who lived nearby.

The Gibeonites had heard of the Israelites and their conquests and feared for their lives. So they came up with a plan to save themselves. They dressed in ragged clothes, took moldy bread, and old wineskins to make it seem like they had traveled from a far-off land and had been on a long journey.

When they arrived at the Israelite camp, they approached Joshua and the other leaders and asked to make a peace treaty. They said that they had heard of the mighty works that God had done for the Israelites and wanted to make an alliance with them. Joshua and the other leaders were suspicious but didn’t consult with God and made a peace treaty with the Gibeonites.

Three days later, the Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites were actually their neighbors, and they had been deceived. Joshua and the leaders were angry, but they couldn’t break their oath. So instead, they made the Gibeonites servants of the Israelites, to chop wood and carry water for the Tabernacle and the altar.

Many years later, when King Saul ruled over Israel, he broke the treaty and killed some of the Gibeonites. This broke the covenant that the Israelites had made with the Gibeonites and brought a famine upon the land. King David, who succeeded Saul as king, asked the Gibeonites what could be done to make things right. They asked for seven of Saul’s descendants to be handed over to them, and David complied. The Gibeonites then executed the descendants of Saul, and the famine was lifted from the land.

The story of Joshua and the Gibeonites teaches us the importance of seeking God’s guidance in our decision-making, as well as the importance of keeping our promises and treaties. It also shows the consequences of breaking promises and the importance of making things right when we do wrong.