Joshua 9:1-15 Living life abundantly without fear of punishment

Joshua 9:1-15

1 Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, 2 that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

3 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they also acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn- out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn- out and torn and mended, 5 and worn- out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn- out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled. 6 They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” 7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?” 8 But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the Lord your God; for we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt, 10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.”’ 12 This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. 13 These wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.” 14 So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. 15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

Background

When the news of Israel’s mighty exploits spread throughout Canaan. Battle lines were drawn and alliances made in anticipation of Israel’s military onslaught. It was well known that Israel was tasked by God to destroy all inhabitants of Canaan. The Gibeonites being fully convinced of Israel’s invincibility decided to capitulate themselves. They came by deceit fooling the Israelites with dry bread, worn out clothing and scandals in order to make a peace treaty with them. Israel erred in accepting the treaty without consulting God. The consequence of Joshua’s mistake reverberated through the generations resulting in a protracted famine and the death of 7 innocent men. Today’s passage teaches us to be mindful of the consequences especially of God’s discipline when we yield to temptations. Then, we need to quickly turn our eyes from the fear of punishment to the life of the Holy Spirit. And we will begin to overcome the power of sin and live life abundantly.

Observation

That they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

The dread of the Israelites had come over the Canaanites because of their victory over Jericho and Ai. Battle lines were drawn as six Canaanite kings allied themselves against Israel and those who would not join them. Gibeon (a bigger city than Ai) decided to capitulate themselves to Israel and risked alienating the coalition of Canaanites.

We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.

The Gibeonites came craftily to convince Israel that they have come from a far country and they went into great detail in concealing their true origin. Their petition: to make a treaty of peace by becoming servants of Israel. The Gibeonites were unanimous in their decision to capitulate themselves to Israel: So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us“We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.” They confessed their fear of Israel because of what God did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth.

Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

Joshua and his leaders were taken in by their elaborate ruse of crumbled bread, torn wineskin, worn out clothes and scandals. He made a covenant with them and swore an oath to them. Sadly, the decision Joshua made was made independently of God for they did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. The Lord had earlier commanded Israel that all inhabitants in Canaan were to be totally destroyed. Israel could accept a peace treaty from cities very far away but not cities that were nearby (see Deuteronomy 20:10-15). The consequence of Joshua’s illegal treaty with the Gibeonites reverberated 400 years later when Saul attempted the genocide of the Gibeonites. As a result, a protracted famine in Israel followed. The remedy for the famine – the execution of 7 innocent descendants of Saul as payment.

Truth

Regardless of one’s religious affiliation, he will be rewarded for the quality of his work. The Gibeonites were evil and God devoted them to destruction together with all the inhabitants of Canaan. Even though they were relegated to destruction, they did all they could to escape death. They came deceiving and fooling the Israelites concerning their place of origin. Rahab was rewarded and spared despite her treachery and deception. The Gibeonites were similarly spared because they acknowledged the supreme God of Israel and did all they could by lying and deceiving in order to survive. On the flip side, despite Israel’s affiliation with God saw them sending 36 of their own soldiers to their deaths.

Many churchgoers were dissatisfied that their non-Christian counterparts seemed to be doing better than they did. Because these non-Christians did all they could to the best of their abilities and were duly rewarded. On the contrary, some churchgoers sat on their hands supposing their “exclusive” relationship with God has secured them a place of eminence. Whereas for non-Christians, who having no knowledge of God did their level best for they only had themselves to depend on. What is supposedly an advantage for Christians became for them an excuse for slack and mediocrity. God sees the heart of one who works to the best of his ability and will reward him accordingly. However, our religious observances do not buy us credit towards success. For God rewards man according to the posture of his heart and the quality of his work.

Every unrighteous deed will carry a corresponding consequence. Joshua’s illegal treaty teaches us that mistakes of this kind would result in some time later a penalty that must be paid by the individual or the nation. Joshua’s mistake resulted in a protracted famine and the death of 7 descendants of Saul. This is the principle of sowing and reaping, for when sin is sown, something must be reaped later. Hosea said, “For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind.” Hosea 8:7. However, the new covenant superseded the old covenant laws in that each person will bear his own sin. No longer will children be punished for the sins of their forefathers (see Jeremiah 31:29-30).

Nevertheless, each person will reap the consequences of his own actions. Some decisions that concern faith carry eternal consequences. A person who indulges in addictions and habitual sins bears the consequences of hardening of his heart against the things of God which in turn affects his eternal destiny. James taught, “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” James 1:15.

Every decision small or great carries a definite consequence. Hence, we must be mindful of the consequences especially of God’s discipline when we face temptations.

The Holy Spirit is the key to abundant living. Joshua failed to consult the Lord because there was no prompting of the Spirit in them. They were led by the law which stipulated the commandments, blessings and curses. Once we’re convicted by the truth that carried a consequence, we must very quickly turn to the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. For the fear of punishment (or curses) has no power against the sinful nature. However, when we yield our heart wholly to the Spirit, the bondage of sin is broken and we are set free to live righteously and abundantly. The old covenant was ineffective as it utilized fear primarily as a deterrent against sin. In the new covenant, the Holy Spirit sanctifies our desires and regenerates our hearts freeing us to live life abundantly and effortlessly. The Spirit’s work of sanctification is set in motion by believers’ willingness to turn away from sin and turn to God in righteousness.

Application

Do you as a child under God’s protection allow yourself to become conceited? Beware of the devil’s strategy of eroding your values system causing complacency to set in. Complacency is like leprosy which eats away at your flesh and dulls your senses. The end of which is a painful and horrific death. Write a list of the habits that have been eroding your joy, creativity and your receptiveness to the truth. Find someone who is willing to hold you accountable and to pray with you as you yield yourself to the power of the Spirit.

Dear Lord, I praise you for blessing those who have yet to know you. Use me to be a light to those whose hearts are seeking for you. Remind me of the consequences of sins and help me overcome the sinful habits that constantly bind me to its darkness. Fill me with the Spirit and sanctify me from the passions of the flesh. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.


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