Joshua 9:1-27
1 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
2 That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.a
3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
9 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with youb for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
14 And the menc took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.
19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
21 And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
25 And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.
26 And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.
27 And Joshua maded them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
Joshua 9:1. All the kings to fight with Joshua. They realized the ancient proverb, Quem Deus vult perdere, primum dementat. He whom God destroys is first mad.
Joshua 9:4. Wine bottles, old and rent, and bound up. Bruce, our Abyssinian traveller, calls these girbashes. They are made of strong leather, and so sewed as not to ooze. Glass was not discovered till fifty years before the christian era. With regard to the moral character of this mission, the remark of our Saviour applies pertinently: “The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.”
Joshua 9:14. Asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. It was an ancient maxim of heathen priests, that nothing of importance was to be undertaken without consulting the gods. Joshua, in the throng of war, had omitted it in this case.
Joshua 9:17. Gibeon, and the three dependent cities seem to have been under one wise king. Gibeon was but a stage west-south-west of Jerusalem.
Joshua 9:20. Let them live because of the oath. They enjoyed their cities, but having deceived the Israelites, a proportion of them did the laborious service of the sanctuary. But the phrase, “hewers of wood,” designates a prohibition of bearing arms. Here is a laudable example to christians, and particularly so to christian courts, concerning the faith of treaties. Here also the papists are at issue among themselves. Some of the fathers, and after them Cardinal Cajetan, maintain that this covenant was binding on Joshua, because, as Calvin judiciously says, “it was made in the name of the Lord of the whole earth,” and he cites David's words. Psalms 15:4. Against Calvin, Tirinus the Jesuit contends, that it was not binding, because it was obtained by imposture. The jesuit has in his eye the favourite doctrine of Rome, that no faith is to be kept with heretics! So Rome is Rome still.
REFLECTIONS.
From the artifice of the four cities which surprized Joshua and the elders of Israel into a league, we see that the Canaanites were not destroyed in total ignorance. They perfectly understood that God was with the Israelites; they also understood the extent of their commission, to destroy the seven nations only. They were fully persuaded that an oath of the Lord's people would be inviolably observed, though it was given in ignorance, and even to a deceitful people. Surely it is not for the want of light that the wicked perish, but for want of fidelity to it.
Religion is often made use of as a pretence, where secular interest is only intended. The Gibeonites pretended great regard for God, and desired to join his people to become servants of him who had such power and wrought such miracles; but they only wanted to save their lives, and secure their possessions. This is too common a case. Men talk much of God and religion, to augment their secular interests: but God cannot be deceived, though men may. He desireth truth in the inward parts; and the hypocrisy of the heart is an abomination unto him.
Let us learn to avoid rash judgments. The Israelites hastily made a league, without consulting the Lord, which might easily have been done; and then they would have acted wisely and safely. Let us guard against too hasty a temper, especially in such solemn affairs as vows and engagements. Remembering Solomon's advice, Be not rash with thy mouth, or hasty to utter any thing before God, in the way of vows or promises. Consult his word by diligent search, his providence by earnest prayer. Bishop Hall, and after him Mr. Henry, caution us from this story against taking up any sentiments rashly, because they have the appearance of antiquity. Many good men have done this, and been strangely obstinate: but errors are never the better for being patched and seemingly old. When persons judge of men or things rashly, it is a sign that they have not deliberated, nor duly weighed the evidence and reasons for them, nor consulted God. Let it teach us in all our ways to acknowledge him, and he will direct our paths.
Let us learn to reverence an oath, and to keep close to our solemn engagements. We ought to stand by our word, and be punctual to our bargain, though it should be to our loss. The Israelites did so, they observed their oath, and it was well they did; for the Lord punished the breach, as we find in 2 Samuel 21:1. There was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year, for Saul and his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. It is an undoubted maxim, that men lose more by making God their enemy, than they can possibly gain by any fraudulent methods. Therefore, let integrity and uprightness guide and preserve us; remembering it is the character of one that shall inhabit God's holy hill, that he walketh uprightly, speaketh the truth in his heart; and though he sweareth to his own hurt, yet he changeth not. Psalms 15.