Have I Got a Deal for You!

Read Joshua 9:1–12:24

3. But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
4. they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins.
5. They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy. . . .
14. So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.
15. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.
16. Three days after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived nearby! Joshua 9:3-5, 14-16

To be an American is to be a connoisseur of sales pitches. We can’t go to the store or even answer the telephone without someone trying to sell us something. They keep coming because they know we’re vulnerable—many people cave in to the salesperson’s pressure.

Shortly into their campaign to take over Canaan, Israel falls prey to something very similar. The sales pitch that does them in comes knocking door-to-door, the old-fashioned way. Observe their folly and learn from it.

You’ll find other lessons here, too, on keeping your word and overcoming overwhelming odds.

Israel’s leaders got fooled (Joshua 9:3-17). When they sampled these men’s provisions, they saw that the bread was dry and moldy, the wineskins cracked, and the clothes and sandals worn-out. But they did not see through the deception. After the promise had been made and the treaty ratified, the facts came out—Israel’s leaders had been deceived. God had told Israel to make no treaties with the inhabitants of Canaan (see Exodus 23:32; 34:12; Numbers 33:55; Deuteronomy 7:2; 20:17-18). As a strategist, Joshua knew enough to talk to God before leading his troops into battle. But the peace treaty seemed innocent enough, so Joshua and the leaders made this decision on their own. By failing to seek God’s guidance and wisdom and rushing ahead with their own plans, they had to deal with angry people and an awkward alliance.

Take the time, and have the courage, to consult God before making important decisions—especially when those decisions affect others. Read the Bible daily so that you will know what God wants.