Part 7 Joshua

Part 7 — “The Gibeonite Deception: The Danger of Acting Without Asking”

Text: Joshua 9:1–27

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.

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.” 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.”’

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. 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. 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. 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.

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.” 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.

-Pray

Introduction

In 1986, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the world was horrified as the space shuttle Challenger exploded just seventy-three seconds after takeoff.

The tragedy claimed the lives of all seven astronauts.

Later investigations revealed that engineers had warned against launching in such cold weather—the O-rings weren’t designed for freezing temperatures.

But under schedule pressure, leaders pressed forward without seeking all the counsel they needed.

It’s a sobering reminder: decisions made without guidance can lead to disaster.

And that’s precisely what we find in Joshua chapter 9.

Israel had just won two incredible victories—Jericho had fallen miraculously, and Ai had been conquered decisively.

Confidence was high, momentum was strong, and the nation was on the move.

But at the height of their success, a moment of carelessness almost undid them.

Their downfall didn’t come from the swords of their enemies but from deception—and from one tragic mistake: “They did not ask counsel of the LORD.”

Tonite we will see that spiritual failure often comes not from rebellion, but from presumption—from moving ahead without seeking God’s direction.

I. The Confederation of the Enemy (vv. 1–2)

When enemies unite, God’s people must stay humble and alert.

Joshua 9 begins with a powerful picture: “As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan… heard of this, they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel.”

The Canaanite kings—were normally divided and at odds with each another—are now forming a coalition because they feared the advance of God’s people.

Fear united them.

These were nations that had never cooperated before.

Yet in the face of God’s work, they found common cause.

The enemy often does that—he’ll rally his forces when he senses God’s people moving forward in obedience.

This was a fear-driven alliance.

They were terrified of Israel, but Israel should have been terrified of pride.

After victory at Jericho and Ai, it would have been easy for Joshua and his leaders to think, “We’ve got this figured out.”

But spiritual success can become spiritual sabotage if it leads to self-confidence instead of God-dependence.

Winston Churchill once warned his nation during World War II, “We are in mortal danger—not from lack of weapons, but from lack of watchfulness.”

Israel’s greatest danger wasn’t the army on the horizon; it was the arrogance in their own hearts.

II. The Craftiness of the Deceivers (vv. 3–15)

When the Gibeonites heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they knew they couldn’t win by fighting.

So, they decided to deceive.

They dressed in worn-out clothes, carried cracked wineskins, and packed moldy bread.

They made their appearance match their story—they claimed to have traveled from a faraway land to make peace with Israel.

On the surface, their story looked believable.

Their sandals were torn. Their bread was old. Their wineskins were patched.

Everything looked authentic.

Verse 14 tells us, “So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel of the LORD.”

That one verse is the key to the entire chapter.

They examined the evidence, but they didn’t seek the Lord.

The Hebrew word for “ask” here is sha’al (שָׁאַל), meaning “to inquire, to request counsel, to seek divine direction.”

It’s the same word used of David in 1 Samuel 23:2, when he “inquired of the LORD” whether he should go to battle.

The idea is to pause and deliberately seek God’s wisdom before acting.

Joshua’s failure wasn’t ignorance—it was independence.

O. S. Hawkins said this in The Joshua Code:

“Trust is shown in turning to Him before you act, not just after you fail.”

Israel trusted their eyes instead of their God.

They relied on physical evidence instead of divine revelation.

Illustration:

A few years ago, a New York art collector purchased what he believed was a rare 19th-century painting for a quarter of a million dollars.

It looked right—the signature, the frame, the style.

But later, testing revealed it was a modern forgery made with synthetic pigments that didn’t exist in the 1800s.

He trusted appearances over authenticity, and it cost him dearly.

How often do we do the same? We judge by sight instead of by Scripture.

We act based on what looks right instead of pausing to ask what is right.

III. The Commitment of the Leaders (vv. 16–27)

Three days later, Israel discovered the truth.

The Gibeonites weren’t from a distant land—they were next-door neighbors!

The people were furious.

They grumbled against Joshua and the leaders.

But Joshua stood firm. He said, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them” (v. 19).

Here’s what’s notable: Joshua honored his promise, even though it had been obtained under false pretenses.

In the ancient Near Eastern world, covenants—called berith in Hebrew—were sacred.

To break one meant divine judgment.

In fact, 2 Samuel 21 tells us that centuries later, Saul tried to destroy the Gibeonites, and God brought famine upon Israel as judgment for breaking that ancient oath.

So Joshua did what was right.

He couldn’t undo the mistake, but he could act with integrity moving forward.

He reassigned the Gibeonites as woodcutters and water carriers for the tabernacle—a humbling role, but one that placed them near God’s presence.

Isn’t that grace?

Those who were once deceivers became servants in the house of the Lord.

Illustration:

In 1979, at Camp David, President Jimmy Carter spent 13 intense days negotiating peace between the Israeli Prime Minister and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Both men faced enormous political pressure back home, but when they signed that agreement, they stood by it—because integrity demands consistency, even when it’s costly.

Joshua’s word mattered.

His integrity mattered. And ours must, too.

Conclusion

Joshua 9 teaches us that trusting God isn’t just about believing His promises—it’s about seeking His perspective.

You can win a battle and still lose direction if you stop asking God for guidance.

The Gibeonites fooled Joshua once, but may their story forever remind us:

“When you stop asking God for guidance, you start asking for trouble.”

So before the next big decision—before you sign that contract, commit to that relationship, accept that job, or make that move—pause and pray.

Ask for His counsel.

Because the safest place to be is not where things look right— it’s where God has made things clear.

-Pray