Joshua Is Deceived

When the Israelites were in alignment with God’s will, and their leader Joshua was closely following and seeking the Lord, they were able to take the city of Jericho with ease. However, when they went to conquer the city of Ai, they suffered a brief defeat because Achan took some of the forbidden plunder that God had commanded to be destroyed. After Joshua led the people to purify themselves and remove Achan’s sin, they once again relied on God and obeyed Him, and the Israelite army successfully conquered Ai. When the many kings of Canaan heard about the Israelites’ victory at Ai, they gathered together with one accord to fight against them. These kings, though they had heard about how the Lord God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, did not see the one true God and still chose to fight them on their own power.

While the kings of Canaan decided to unite against the Israelites, the Gibeonites had a different plan. When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they acted with cunning, posing as messengers. Joshua and the Israelites were initially cautious. However, the Gibeonite messengers were very convincing. They put old sacks and cracked, mended wineskins on their donkeys. They wore old, patched sandals and worn-out clothes and brought with them dry, moldy bread. Through their tattered appearance and stale food, they convinced Joshua and the Israelite leaders that they had come from a distant land. They spoke persuasively, first claiming to be the Israelites’ servants and then recounting how they had heard of the great deeds the Lord God had performed when He brought the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites looked at these seemingly weak people with their physical eyes and were deceived. Joshua and the leaders of Israel believed the Gibeonites and made a treaty with them. The scripture says that they “did not inquire of the Lord,” which led to the problem. As a result, the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. When Joshua and the leaders faced this leadership crisis, they had no choice but to repair their mistake. Because they had made a covenant with the Gibeonites, the leaders and Joshua could only make them laborers and not destroy them. The leaders and the entire congregation, out of reverence for God, did not dare to break the covenant. They not only let them live as promised but also rescued the Gibeonites when they were in trouble.

Today, standing as observers, we have a clearer perspective. But if you and I were there, we might not have been able to judge correctly. Human intelligence and wisdom are truly too limited, and there are so many things we cannot judge on our own. If we do not have God’s guidance, we truly cannot see many things clearly.