Gospel Prism

The story of the Gibeonites in Joshua 9 is an interesting one because it’s hard to figure out who is honoring God. Joshua and the leaders failed to take counsel from the Lord about these people (v. 14), and surely not consulting the Lord was a tenuous act. One has to feel for the Gibeonites because they are simply trying to save themselves and their families. Furthermore, what’s interesting is what they say to Joshua in verse 24: “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.� Who told them this and why did they believe it when those in Jericho or Ai did not have the same response that they did? I’d like to make a couple of observations from this intriguing tale:

1. Israel failed to honor God by not seeking His counsel. Verse 14 is no accident and its inclusion certainly leads the reader to infer that God was not pleased by this action. God had led them thus far, in particular in the battles of Jericho and Ai with very specific instructions. To leave Him out of the process of discerning the true motivations of the Gibeonites was a mistake.

2. The Gibeonites responded to the hearing of God’s deliverance of the people of Israel with clear actions. This was exactly God’s reason behind His deliverance of Israel from Egypt and other nations. It was always about God receiving the glory so that His renown and worship would grow.

3. Despite Israelites’ sins and failures, God still uses those sins to bring about His plans. Nothing can thwart His plans, not even the wrong intentions and sins of people. He still saves people despite the rebellion of His creation, and so Gibeon responded to His renown even though they were supposed to be destroyed.

4. This is indicative of a future where sinners would be save despite themselves, as Christ died for us while we were still in sin (Romans 5:8). This is the wondrous and gracious God we serve.