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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 9
Gibeonites by craft obtain a league with Isreal—Joshua makes them
servants to congregation of Israel.
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The Gibeonites, who were the remnant of the Amorites (2 Samuel 21:1-2),
craftily devised a league with Israel—They whom Israel had been
commanded to be destroyed enitially would become 'servants to the congregation
of Israel, but later they would again be found to be an enemy which should
have been priorly destroyed (Deuteronomy 20:17).
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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 asea 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.
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3 ¶ And when the inhabitants of
aGibeon heard what bJoshua had done unto
Jericho and to Ai,
4 They did work awilily, and went
and bmade as if they had been ambassadors, and took old
sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
5 And aold shoes and clouted upon
their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision
was dry and bmouldy.
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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
aleague with you?
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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
aheard 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
aOg king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
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11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of
our country spake to us, saying, Take avictuals with you
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.
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14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not
acounsel at the mouth of the LORD.
15 And Joshua made peace with
thema, and made a
league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation
asware unto them.
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15a And Joshua made peace with
them It ought to be noted here the truth that Prophets of God ARE
NOT perfect and can be beguiled and fooled just as any man can so be. And
such decessions so made by that prophet in behalf of the membership of the
church can readily come back to 'bite' the church and have repercussions.
These 'Gibeonites' WERE NOT who they represented themselves to be and their
intent WAS NOT as they had proposed it. Thise 'Gibeonites' were such
remnants of the Amorites who had been commanded to be destoryed. This peace
which Joshua committed to only allowed these 'Gibeonites' to latter war
against Israel in the days of Saul (Samuel 21:1-2). One must wonder when, and
if, and with what consequences other such beguilings of prophets and church
leaders have left open future problems of which will later come upon the
membership of the church. Is the 'friendship' and 'tolerance' of the 'gay
movement' being handled with or without 'counsel' at the mouth of the
LORD or by the human feelings of sympathies felt by the prophets of God when
looking upon a supposedly down trodden group who may or may not be so
truthfully representing themselves and their true intents and hiden agendas?
Are we today in a sense courting the devil even as did such as Joshua did
in his agreements with the Gebionites?
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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
aGibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.
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 [the body of the membership of the church]
amurmured against the princes [church leaders].
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19 But all the princes [church leaders] 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 ahewers of wood and drawers of water unto
all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
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22 ¶ And Joshua called for them, and he spake
unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye abeguiled 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 adestroy 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 made 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 aplace which he should choose.
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