Joshua - Just one thing: Chapter 9

You may have wondered sometime: Which trumps which? Does the command to annihilate the Gibeonites trump the oath Israel took to protect them? Or does the oath trump the command?

Well, of course, both mandates originate from the Lord---the order to destroy the Canaanites, as well as the order to keep one's oaths---so the matter is not that simple. But behold how important oath-keeping is to the Lord, that because of an oath, Israel in the quandary described in chapter 9 opted (rightly) to keep their oath to protect the Gibeonites, in spite of the fact that that vow was extracted by deception.

The collateral encouragement in this story (including God's tacit approval of Israel's honoring its oath) for us is that God Himself is as zealous for oaths as the Israelites proved to be. And God's faithfulness to oaths is our hope for salvation. His word would be good enough as it is, of course, but for our sakes He voluntarily reinforces it with an oath:

"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain" (Hebrews 6:17-19).

The troublesome fallout of the ill-advised treaty does not tarry long, as Israel is soon forced to defend Gibeon from a coalition of neighbors irate at their defection (chapter 10). To Israel's credit, they come to the aid of Gibeon with the same zeal as if defending one of their own. Honorable is the man "who swears to his own hurt and does not change" (Psalm 15:4).

I find something commendable in the Gibeonites, even apart from their obvious cunning (which I think Jesus would commend as he commended the steward of Luke 16). It is not the first time---and won't be the last---that pagans exhibit more fear of the Lord than the children of God. In the days of the patriarchs, Abimelech hastened to cut a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 21:22-24). Laban noticed that his son-in-law Jacob walked under a blessing (Genesis 30:27-28). Rahab and the Jerichoites trembled at the rumors of Israel's warrior God (Joshua 2:9-10). The Ninevites were quick to repent when Jonah came to town (Jonah).

Rumors of Israel reaching Gibeon have evidently included not only the might of God but his mercy. The Gibeonites may well have said, as the Syrian courtiers would many years later when they counseled their cornered monarch Benhadad:

"We have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the kings of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life" (1 Kings 20:31).

The Gibeonites would become woodcutters and water carriers, not full citizens, for Israel. But as for servitude to God, so is servitude to Israel. Better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God (Psalm 84:10) and protected by His shield when the storm of His wrath is unleashed than to take their chances with the collected brawn of the surrounding city-states. As for the latter, as Joshua had said on the other side of the Jordan: "Their protection is removed from them" (Numbers 14:9).

Having said all this, Israel's "note to self" in the aftermath of the Gibeonite deception was probably: Next time, let's inquire of the Lord (Joshua 9:14), and not judge matters on appearances.

Read the next part in this series.

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