Senseless Senses

Introduction

Israel became a nation about 40 years ago when God pulled them together, giving them laws and statutes to live peacefully under His leadership. However, though they were chosen by God, saved by God, and looked after by God, they weren’t very good at living according to his standards.

You would think that a people who have a close relationship with the God of the universe, who reveals Himself in a personal way would be more inclined to trust and obey God. But, right the way through their wilderness wanderings they complained. They complained about the sand, and the walking, and the food, and the water. When they first came to the border of their future home, the Promised Land, they still complained, saying the people are too great for us.

Joshua 9 comes on the heels of Israel rededicating themselves to their Savior and King, the LORD. The whole nation gathered at Mounts Ebal and Gerizim to affirm the covenant with the LORD, and to affirm His sovereignty over His people. God’s right to rule over Israel is because He made them a people by giving Abraham a child of promise, and more recently by redeemed them out of slavery in Egypt. In Joshua 8:34 Joshua reads the Law, and most pointedly is the mention of the blessings and curses. Joshua knows how easy to it is to stop relying on God. He seen it first hand in their parents disobedience. How they kept trying to look back thinking that slavery in Egypt was the better than the coming Promised Land. They could see a visible sign that God was in their midst, watching over them, and leading them through the wilderness, though this wasn’t enough to keep them relying on their all powerful Savior. Their 5 senses kept guiding them away from trusting in the Covenant God, Yahweh.

Most recently in Joshua’s past, we see Israel destroying Jericho and Ai, with God’s help. There was the hiccup with Achan, where he too trusted in his 5 senses to improve his circumstances, but that has been dealt with. Now that they have a couple of wins under their belt, and their confidence is at an all time high, they stumble once more. Israel’s leaders falter by trusting in their 5 senses instead of the wisdom of God.

Body

Canaan Assembles

Joshua 9:1-2, And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard about it, that they gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord. The first thing we are told is the reaction of Canaan to the intrusion of Israel and the total destruction they leave in their wake. So in response to Israel’s incursion, 6 city states team up to take them on. This is a normal reaction and one we would expect if an enemy was to come in and try to take over our lands. Their reaction is told to us in chapter 10, and recounts their attack on Gibeon for rebelling against their own people.

Gibeon Deceives

Contrasting the first reaction is the Gibeonite reaction in Joshua 9:3-15. Like the first coalition of Canaanite kings, we find our later in this chapter that Gibeon was a coalition of cities trying to save their cities and lives. In Joshua 9:17, Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. We also find out in chapter 10:2 that Gibeon was like a royal city, which means it was extremely important to the local people. Joshua 9:3-4, But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. The Gibeonites know exactly how unstoppable Israelite army is as they hear of the destruction left in Israel’s wake, and perhaps the Gibeonites are thinking they are next on Israels menu. The text says they heard about Jericho and Ai, and so fearing for their lives they worked craftily hoping that Israel would be tricked into sparing their lives.

Worn Out

Continuing in Joshua 9:4-5, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. The Hebrew word behind craftily, can have both a good quality and a bad quality. In wisdom literature is often translated prudent, and this can be seen in Proverbs 1:4, To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion, Proverbs 8:5, O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart, Proverbs 8:12, I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. In a negative sense this word can be translated cunning, craftily, etc. As in Exodus 21:14, where the NKJV reads treachery, “But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.” If we do take the Gibeonites reaction as deception, we still must be careful as deception has been used by Rahab in redirecting the Jericho guards away from the two spies. Israel itself also used deception in their second battle with Ai. Joshua sent part of his army around the back of Ai as an ambush. So deception itself is not the main issue in this story.

If initial impressions are anything to go by then the Gibeonites had won the first point. Gibeon was about 30 km away from Gilgal, so if the Gibeonites walked at a reasonable pace, they would be at Israel’s camp late afternoon. There could never be enough time for the bread to go moldy, or for their clothes to wear out. However, they had prepared their provisions so well as to fool Israel’s leaders into believing they had traveled from a distant country (v. 6). They loaded their donkeys with old sacks, and wine skins. They wore old worn out clothes and sandals. They even went so far as to keep some moldy bread. And the great lengths the Gibeonites went to paid off, as we shall see.

First Contact

Joshua 9:6, And 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.” There are two important passages that relate specifically with our text today. Deuteronomy 7 relates that no covenant is to be made with the people living in Canaan. Deuteronomy 7:2, and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. No covenants with any of the people of Canaan, nor show any mercy. God demands utter destruction for them. In contrast to this is Deuteronomy 20:10, “When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you.”…v. 15, Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. So God says NO covenants or peace with Canaan, but YES to peace treaties toward those nations who are not part of Canaan, though they are to be under subjugation. And it is this second law, where it is possible for a peace treaty, that the Gibeonites are attempting to come under, though in reality they come under condemnation. Like I said before no one can really blame the Gibeonites for their deception. They are only trying to save themselves from destruction.

When Joshua questioned the Gibeonites, they were very careful not to mention the most recent battles of Jericho and Ai. Do you see that. Verse 3 tells us that the main reason why these men even went to Joshua was because they heard what he had done to Jericho and Ai. But when Joshua questions them they tell him of those conquests on the eastern side of the Jordan, Og and Sihon. They were indeed crafty men, who wisely omitted any battles that may have happened in Canaan.

Israel’s Response

Israel on the other hand, begin well. In Joshua 9:7, Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?” Joshua and the elders of Israel question the party to see whether they are from a distant country or whether they are deceiving Israel. We don’t know how long this questioning went on, of course, but in Joshua 9:12 the visitors show the bread and I can imagine Joshua taking hold of the bread to make sure that it was hard and moldy. Next, in Joshua 9:13, the visitors show the wineskins, sandals and clothes. The leaders of Israel inspect each one carefully and find that it matches with their story.

Senseless Senses

Joshua 9:14 is the center point to this whole narrative. Here we find not just the leaders of Israel but also Joshua relying on their own senses, eyes, nose, ears, touch, though I doubt they tasted the moldy bread. The Gibeonites looking tired and worn out, with all the props to make their false story believable, and what does Israel do? They fall for the ruse, hook line and sinker. Joshua 9:14-15, Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

The phrase “counsel of the Lord,” in Hebrew, makes the leaders of Israel’s decision even more pronounced. Literally it says, mouth of the LORD and is used when God gives direct commands. in Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses is exhorting his fellow Israelites to remember everything the LORD has done for them. “that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Here we rightly understand that Christians are to be governed in this life, as well as the next, by God’s Word. If we rely solely on our own understanding of the world, and how our own culture is changing, we might agree with the world. It looks plausible, and it smells right, so it must be right. But God Word tells us that it is by His Word we live. The world looks through broken glasses and cannot see the the original perfect picture. Only God can see it and desires us to trust Him. In Joshua the men of Israel are not living by the mouth of the LORD, but are trying to live by their own mouths. They make choices according to their own understanding.

Consequences

Joshua 9:16, And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. The ruse is finally found out three days after Israel made the covenant with them. We may immediately wonder why Israel kept their side of the covenant when it was made through false pretenses. Wouldn’t that immediately annul the contract? Ordinarily the answer would be yes. We have complaining from Israel, but the fact remains, the Leaders of Israel swore, v 18 and repeated in v 19, by the LORD God of Israel. Although Israel sinned against God in making a pact behind His back, they were still obligated to abide by the covenant. This is what we call living with the consequences of our sin. If we read into chapter 10 we find Gibeon crying out for help because the Canaanite coalition is coming to punish them for defecting to the enemy. Israel keeps their end of the covenant, especially relating Deuteronomy 20:10-11 in making them Israel’s servants. God also blesses the Gibeonites by placing them near the heart of Israel; verses 23 and 27, servants for the house and altar of God . The Gibeonites also keep their end of the bargain, and we read of them throughout the Old Testament.

Us and Them

Like the Gibeonites we too face destruction at the hand of God. The Gibeonites come to a knowledge of the one true God., and of the destruction that is soon to overtake them. The Gibeonites use cunning and lies in order to secure safety, however the outcome is positive. They are taken into the people of Israel, though as slaves. Their purpose is to live and that is what the God of Israel gives them. We, on the other hand, are not to come to God with false motives and trickery. This will not work because God has infinite knowledge, and sees into our hearts. Nothing is hidden from Him. We come humble and weak before the God who saves.

Israel makes their decision based on what their own senses relay to them, rather than on the mouth of God. We are saved by God, for obedience to Him. Paul begins most of His letters in the New Testament with bondservant of Jesus Christ. the actual word is slave of Jesus Christ. If God paid for you through Jesus blood, then He has the right to call the shots for your life. We are to humble ourselves, not relying on our own sense but to take everything to God in prayer, allowing Him to guide us through this valley of the shadow of death, until we arrive safely in His Kingdom.

Let us pray.