Joshua 9
Some men came to the camp of Israel who had on very old clothes and old shoes, and wanted to speak with Joshua and the leaders.
Joshua asked them, “Who are ye? and from whence come ye?” They told him they were from a very far country, and that when they started, their clothes and shoes were new, but had worn out on the long journey.
In those lands people carried water or wine in the skins of animals, often a goat’s skin, tied together; those were their bottles for a journey, and after some time they would get torn. These men showed Joshua such bottles, with torn places tied up. And they showed the bread left from their provisions, all dry and moldy: they said it was just fresh baked when they started from their homes.
They said that they had heard how God had saved the people of Israel out of Egypt and from the kings, who had fought against them, and they had come to make friends with them.
So Joshua, and the leaders, without first asking the Lord what to do, promised to be friends with this nation.
Rut those men had not told a true story: in a few days Joshua learned that they were not from a far land, but nearby. They had worn the old shoes and clothes, and taken the old bread and bottles to deceive the people of Israel.
So Joshua sent for the men, and asked why they had done so. They said it was because they were afraid of Israel. They had not come because they wanted to worship God, but because they were afraid of His power. If Joshua had first asked the Lord What to do, He would have shown him that they were deceitful.
Because they had acted in deceit, Joshua made them to be servants to Israel, to cut wood and carry water. But he spared their city, Gibeon, and later, when the other nations went to fight them, God sent Joshua to help them. We will read of that great battle another time, the Lord willing.
ML 04/17/1938