The Gibeonites: A lesson in covenant

Our Theme for 2024 is Possessing the Land.

We are currently in a study of the book of Joshua called “Lessons in Courage.

So far we have talked about obedience and disobedience.

Jericho was a huge victory because Joshua and Israel obeyed the commander of the Lord’s army.

Ai was at first a defeat, party because there was a disobedient individual whose sin remained hidden and partly because they didn’t even bother to inquire of God.

Today we talk about the Gibeonites - a story that would have lasting implications for Israel - from the time of David and through the exile.

The Gibeonites were neither a victory nor a defeat - it was sort of a draw.

They made a covenant with Israel, even though God had told Israel not to make any covenants with the people of the land that they were going to possess.

In the end, the covenant won out over God’s instruction.

Even though Israel had disobeyed God, they kept the covenant with the Gibeonites.

And even though the Gibeonites had deceived Israel, they were kept alive and became servants to the God of Israel.

Covenant teaches us that while rules and obedience are important, loyalty in relationship is even more important.

Karie and I were recently watching an old episode of the comedy show Frazier - about a well-known and well loved radio psychiatrist who is a pompous, egotistical and insecure person in his personal life where he always manages to make a mess of any situation.

At the end of season seven we were watching the episode where his brother Niles runs off with the housekeeper Daphne at what was supposed to be her wedding to another man. Niles is also recently eloped to his wife and leaves her to pursue Daphne who has been his crush for six seasons of the show.

If this all sounds convoluted - it is! And of course, its Frazier who just had to tell them each at the last minute that each has unrequited love for the other. So, while the audience is conflicted about the ethics of divorce or the pain of leaving someone at the altar, we are supposed to be happy that Daphne and Niles finally found each other

This illustrates how our culture has come to think about love and loyalty in relationship.

It puts feelings above everything else - just “follow your heart”!

That feeling is supposed to tell you that it was “meant to be” - regardless of the commitments you have made.

I think Frazier would argue that love and marriage are a human construct, a mere social contract - not a covenant before God.

This is exactly the kind of thinking that is eroding our culture and undermining the institutions of marriage and the family.

It is the kind of thinking that is turning churches into consumer-based organizations instead of living expressions of the Body of Christ.

If we are ever going to recover from the godlessness of this present age, we need to reclaim an understanding of covenant.

I was talking with my son Martin about this chapter just last week. Martin is getting married in April. And he and his fiance Maria are receiving pre-marital counseling. Martin has been reading through Joshua in his daily devotions and related the story of the Gibeonites to what he has been learning about covenant in premarital counseling. “God takes covenant very seriously!” Martin observed. “Even though what they did was wrong, God made Israel keep their covenant - even to the time of Saul and David.”

I was going to call this a “lesson in deception” -

but after talking to Martin, I realized that the lesson is really about covenant.

God is a covenant keeping God.

And He wants us to keep our covenants.

We are going to read this story through the lens of understanding covenant.

Understanding what aligns us in covenant.

Understanding what breaks down the mutual trust of covenant.

And understanding what we must be resolved to do to stay in covenant.

The power of alignment.

A covenant is an agreement between two parties which is sealed by a sacred oath.

An agreement between two parties that specifies requirements for at least one party, and includes blessing and curses for obedience or failure.

We have talked about obedience and disobedience, blessings and curses - covenant builds on tis concept by introducing a sacred bond.

Covenant is not just rules - it is a relationship!

Covenant means that two parties, whether is be people or tribes, have joined their combined forces and resources toward a common goal.

This doesn’t mean that both parties are necessarily equal - absolutely not!

The most common covenants in Old Testament times were sovereign-vassal covenants.

In this kind of covenant, a weaker party - say a tribe - promises their allegiance to a stronger party - like a king.

They give themselves, their resources and or their labor in exchange for protection.

It’s a desperate move but it ensures survival and some vassal tribes have later risen to become very powerful - like Israel in Egypt!

The strength of a covenant relies on some form of alignment - something that you have in common which brings you together and binds you together.

Aligned by a common enemy.

Joshua 9:1–2 ESV

1 As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this, 2 they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel.

One again this chapter begins by a narrator giving you background information to set the stage for the story.

Israel has taken a foothold in the hill country of Judea/ Samaria.

There are five tribes in this region that band together - enter into a covenant toward the common goal of defeating Israel.

Nothing brings people together like having a common enemy.

The enemy of your friend is also your enemy.

When you have the same enemy, I guess it can make you friends!

Most military alliances are made, not because people want to fight - but because they don’t want to fight.

Alliances are made to combine forces against a greater threat, and hopefully, maintain the balance of power.

Nothing brings Christians together like when we are all engaged in the same spiritual battle.

For Christians in persecuted countries, it doesn’t matter so much what denomination you belong to.

Believers in Jesus Christ stick together - it’s simply a matter of survival.

And nothing is quite as powerful as when Christians from all different denominations pray together.

You have the Catholics with their beads and their crosses.

The Calvinists are praying for God’s will to be done.

The Pentecostals are declaring and decreeing.

Unity in the Church does not mean everyone doing or saying the same things - it means everyone contributing toward a common goal.

Aligned by shared provision.

Joshua 9:3–6 ESV

3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, 5 with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. 6 And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.”

Gibeon is about five miles north of Jerusalem - in the direction of Ai.

They could have made the journey to Gilgal in a day or two, especially since its mostly downhill.

But to perpetrate the ruse, they loaded donkeys with worn out sacks of food and wore tattered clothing.

They brought bread that was dry and crumbly - and they brought enough to share!

The sharing of food is another way that covenant is made.

We have fellowship meals about once a month - it is actually part of our worship.

Why? Because when we eat together we are forming relationships and taking the time to get to know one another.

We call it “fellowship” because sharing food together is a bonding experience.

In Bible times, covenant was not just a contract or and agreement.

It was based on the belief that we share a common source.

Families are bound together because they share the same blood.

Food and drink are also a life-giving source that we can share.

The idea is that when we share the same food and the same drink - we also share the same life-giving force - the same spirit.

The Gibeonites are not just packing moldy bread - they are hoping to share some of it with the leaders of Israel - or be offered fresh bread in return.

Its a little game that they play - if they can manage to show hospitality or receive hospitality in return - they will have their foot in the door toward making covenant.

Aligned by an intentional commitment.

Joshua 9:7–11 (ESV)

7 But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?” 8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?” 9 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, 10 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. 11 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 with us.” ’

So here the Gibeonites are called Hivites - that is one of the tribes that Israel is supposed to wipe out.

Somebody is asking the right questions, “how do we know that you are who you say you are?”

“ How do we know that you are not lying to us?”

All good questions - but what happens next catches them off guard.

“We are your servants,” the Gibeonites say.

In other words - we are willing to enter into a sovereign-vassal agreement with you being the sovereign and us being the vassals.

It’s like someone saying “name your price” or “we will do anything you say.”

How can you pass up a deal like that?

So Joshua asked them some very specific questions and they give the same vague answers.

And then they deflect to talking about all the great things they have heard about the Israelites and their conquest.

This is an old sales trick - get people talking about themselves instead of examining the details - make them feel good about themselves so they feel good about the deal.

Some of the language that they use is the same language used by Rahab to convince the spies that she was really one of them.

Except they don’t go quite as far as Rahab who declared YHWH to be the One True God.

One commentator points out that the defeat at Ai set the stage for the Gibeonite deception.

Joshua and the Israelites showed that they can be vulnerable.

They showed that they can be weak, even overconfident.

And sometimes they may act impulsively - forget to inquire of the Lord.

The Gibeonites may have genuine admiration for Israel and Israel’s God, but they are also counting on finding and exploiting some area of weakness.

The breaking of trust.

The difficult part of being in relationship is that relationships are based on trust and trust is easily broken.

We trust that people can and will live up to their agreements.

But often they don’t.

Sometimes it is because they can’t.

And sometimes it is because they won’t.

If you know how fragile trust is, you will protect it.

How is trust broken?

Trust is broken by deception.

Joshua 9:12–14 ESV

12 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. 13 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.” 14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.

Everything about the Gibeonites was staged to look like they had travelled a long ways - it was totally believable.

Except they wouldn’t actually say where it is they came from or where they are going.

The Gibeonites have one goal - to preserve their lives by entering into a covenant with Israel.

Lies are simply a necessary means to reach their goal.

We believe that lying is wrong.

Exodus 20:16 NLT

16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

We believe it is wrong to say something that is plainly false.

Especially when what we are saying is going to hurt someone else.

But then there are those times when we say things that are not true, but we actually believe what we are saying, or at least part of it.

“I’m not speeding, I’m just moving with the flow of traffic.”

I’m not cheating on my taxes, it’s my money. The government will just waste it - they’re the one who are cheating.

In some cultures, they believe that lying is justified in some situations - like to protect a person’s dignity - help them “save face.”

Jesus said that when we lie, we are acting like the devil.

John 8:43–44 CEV

43 Why can’t you understand what I am talking about? Can’t you stand to hear what I am saying? 44 Your father is the devil, and you do exactly what he wants. He has always been a murderer and a liar. There is nothing truthful about him. He speaks on his own, and everything he says is a lie. Not only is he a liar himself, but he is also the father of all lies.

Deception is what happens when we put some other goal or objective higher than the truth.

If we believe - like much our culture does - that our feelings are the highest good, then we can justify saying or doing just about anything that makes us feel good - especially feeling good about ourselves.

That’s why obedience is so important.

Because obedience to God through His Word sets a standard that is higher than ourselves.

Truth is measured by what God says, not by what I feel.

It’s a more objective standard than following our heart - or our feelings.

The Gibeonites were able to deceive Israel because they appealed to their feelings - what they wanted to be true - instead of inquiring of the Lord - what really is true.

Trust is broken by omission.

Joshua 9:15–16 ESV

15 And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. 16 At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them.

So this covenant took the form of a three-day feast.

There were lots of things said, promises made - oaths taken.

I’m sure it was all full of good intentions, but eventually the truth came out - it always does.

“So how long will it take you to get home?”

“Oh, not long. We could make it in two days if we didn’t have these donkeys and the sacks of moldy grain.”

Did I say we lived in a far country? Well, its all relative I suppose. Even my country relatives think I’m pretty far out there!”

Sometimes it not so much what we say, but what we neglected to say.

Maybe we haven't exactly lied, but we haven't told the truth either.

Proverbs 3:27 ESV

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

The Bible calls that a sin of omission.

It’s not that you did something wrong.

But you failed to do what is right.

Trust is built on mutual relationship.

Sometimes in relationship, we choose to play it safe.

Were not doing anything wrong, just holding back.

In fact most of the time when we are holding back in relationship, we are not doing anything at all.

“How can I be in trouble when I’m not doing anything - because you are not doing anything!”

You have the power to do good and you are not doing it.

You were blessed to be a blessing - but you are keeping it to yourself.

You know the truth about God, but you are not saying anything.

Relationship with God is about participation and you are choosing not to participate.

Trust is broken by misunderstanding.

Joshua 9:17–18 ESV

17 And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18 But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.

So, now that the cat is out of the bag - so to speak - the Gibeonite invite the Israelites over to see where they actually live.

If you are taking the southern road to Ai and Bethel, its only about half the distance further to get to Gibeon.

Now everyone knows just how far the truth has been stretched.

It really is a wonder that Joshua and the Israelites were able to show restraint and not punish the Gibeonites for their deception.

I think part of the reason that we find it so incredible is because we are looking at it through our modern/ Western lens.

We tend to think that rules should be the most important.

The Gibeonites lied - they broke the Ten Commandments.

However, They didn’t even have the ten commandments - that’s a Jewish thing.

What they did they did out of an instinct to survive - the only way they knew how.

This also illustrates one of the ways that trust breaks down in relationships.

We have different values and motives which means we understand things differently.

One person values the rules and feels that the rules of the relationship were broken.

Another person values connection an feels that rules are made to be broken, especially when they get in the way of an opportunity for connection.

One person values security, the other values spontaneity.

One person prioritizes family, the other prioritizes financial stability.

You will never have alignment until you can see and appreciate the other’s perspective.

If you can orient yourself to the other’s perspective, you may find that you are saying some of the same things, but in different ways.

The bottom line for Israel and Gibeon is that the only thing that is keeping them from killing each other is their mutual respect for covenant.

The strength of resolve.

God takes covenant very seriously!

And once you understand covenant, you know why.

There is a resolve in covenant that holds relationships together when all else fails.

That resolve becomes a safety net that offers protection to all parties involved.

And it is in the context of that protection that relationships can grow and be at their best.

Keep promises, even if they are made in error.

Joshua 9:19–21 ESV

19 But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. 20 This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.” 21 And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them.

Joshua and the leaders of Israel made a mistake.

They made a covenant with the Gibeonites who are Hivites.

They asked the right questions but didn’t wait for specific answers.

And they never inquired of the Lord.

They literally had a divine lie detector which work perfectly at identifying Achan’s lie, and they didn’t even use it.

What do you do when you make a promise and it turns out to be the wrong decision?

Can you say, “that didn’t count, I want a do-over!”

No, you keep your promise to the best of your ability.

Because if you don’t keep your word, why should anyone ever trust you again?

Jesus told his followers not to make oaths that leave “wiggle room” but to simply live by their word.

Matthew 5:37 CEV

37 When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No.” Anything else comes from the devil.

What a novel idea!

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Anything less than that is deception, misdirection or a failure to tell the whole truth.

Living according to covenant means that you can trust me to keep my word, even if I regret saying it.

Later in 2 Samuel 21, David would inquire of the Lord because of a famine and find out that it was because Saul had attempted a genocide against the Gibeonites living among them.

David would have to navigate the Gibeonites demand for revenge with his own covenant with Jonathan, son of Saul.

That’s another story for another time, but it illustrates the enduring value that was placed on covenant.

Accept the consequences of your actions.

Joshua 9:22–25 ESV

22 Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us? 23 Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24 They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty 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 from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing. 25 And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.”

Joshua needs to have a difficult conversation with the Gibeonites, “Hey, what were you thinking?!”

It turns out that what they were thinking actually makes sense.

They knew that if they didn’t do anything they were dead.

If they could somehow make a covenant, worse case scenario - they become slaves.

This resulted in a sovereign-vassal treaty with the Gibeonites.

There was a provision for this in the Law of Moses

Deuteronomy 20:10–11 ESV

10 “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. 11 And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.

I’m sure that it was more than just wood chopping and water carrying - it was manual labor.

Basically, the Gibeonite made up much of the labor force so that Israel could devote its able-bodied men to military service.

The Gibeonites has to face the consequences of their actions.

They accepted that responsibility, and like Rahab, they were assimilated into the community of Israel.

In fact, when Nehemiah is rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, after the exile, there are Gibeonites working along side him.

Nehemiah 3:7 ESV

7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River.

Trust in relationships should be just as instinctive as the need for survival.

When trust that is the basis for relationship, it is more important than what I want or what I feel.

Feelings and desires come and go - they are temporary.

But trust is both durable and fragile - you either have it or you don’t

And once you loose trust, the truth becomes a difficult thing to grasp.

Commit your life to the calling assigned to you.

Joshua 9:26–27 ESV

26 So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27 But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place that he should choose.

The Gibeonite incident is an example of how God redeems circumstances.

God turns bad things into good things.

The Gibeonites didn’t get wiped out.

But they did become part of Israel and contributed to the conquest of the promised land.

And they accepted from that day forward that they were part of the Israelite labor force.

This may be hard for us to comprehend in light of today’s culture.

How is that a good ending?

When do they rise up and demand “equal rights for Gibeonites!”

Actually, that would be after Saul tried to wipe them out.

But for now, as far as the Gibeonites are concerned, they have a fresh start and and are feeling fortunate to be alive.

Could it be that one of the reasons we have difficulty with the whole concept of covenant is because we are conditioned to think that everything in life has to be fair?

Everybody is supposed to be treated equally,

What if our primary concern was whether or not we are fulfilling our own obligation before God?

Guess what? God is not our equal!

He is the sovereign, we are the vassal.

We come to him and say “what do you want me to do?”

I should be dead in my sin, but if I’m going to live, I’m going to live for you.

Communion.