Title [Joshua 9:14-21] Treaty with Gibeon
Even people who live by faith often make mistakes. But that mistake should not be against the will of God. Joshua, who finished the devastating defeat of Ai with God's grace, failed to act more carefully and made another big mistake. It was a treaty with the Gibeonites (Hivites). We can learn the following lessons from this incident.
1. The Gibeonites who concluded the Treaty of Peace
After conquering the city of Ai and returning to Gilgal, Joshua's army met the Gibeonites who came to us wearing shabby clothes and tired faces. They tricked them into pretending they weren't Canaanites, and Joshua recognized them and signed a treaty of peace.
①They knew the preciousness of life. After three days of learning that they had been deceived, Joshua investigated their wrongdoing. Then let's hear what they say. “We have done this for fear that we might lose our lives because of you, because it was clearly heard by your servants that the LORD your God commanded Moses his servant to give you all the land and destroy all the inhabitants of the land. ” (24).
② I was convinced that we can live only if we are friendly, and we pursued it. Most of the Canaanites united to fight against Joshua (1-2). Fighting and defeating them was their way of life. However, the people of Gibeon believed that peace was the only way to live. It was because I had heard of their deeds when they defeated Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan (10).
③They pretended to be people from afar and tried to make a peace treaty. Joshua was deceived. The deception of Israel was a retribution for deceiving them (the Hivites) more than five hundred years ago. In Genesis 34, the sons of Israel deceived the Hivites (Shechem) to do Halle, and while they were in pain, they attacked and destroyed the Shechemites. Now they were deceived by the Hivites living in Gibeon. It confirms that you reap what you sow. Eventually, Joshua and the chieftains of Israel made a treaty of peace with the Gibeonites.
2. Joshua Makes Peace with Gibeon
By signing the treaty, Joshua and the patriarchs had disobeyed God's command to "destroy the inhabitants of the land."
① It was a big mistake not to ask the Lord (14). “The crowd had taken their food, and they did not ask the Lord what to do,” he said. It is always risky to do something without prayer. We must remember that we do not make any mistakes by praying to God and dealing with anything according to the wisdom and inspiration that God gives us, not relying solely on our own judgment. The secret to success is to pray only to God.
② It is also wrong to make a decision without careful and careful consideration. Had I been a little more careful and handled with care, I would not have made this mistake. We must be more careful when doing the Lord's work. Especially when heresy is infiltrating like a wave, more careful attention and observation are required. All heresies come in disguise (impersonation), so it is easy to be fooled. Once deceived, it is very difficult to get out.
③ I valued my vows. Three days later, they confirmed that they had been deceived, but they could not attack or kill them because they had made an oath before God. The nation of Israel took this oath very seriously. We must not forget that an oath before God is as precious as life. Even if it hurts me, I must practice it. We neglect our promises to God, but we do not know how much we can put into practice the promises we have made with our neighbors before God. Let us learn a good lesson from Joshua and the people who could not kill the Hivites because of their oath.
④ He gave them the opportunity to serve by chopping wood and fetching water (21, 23, 27). Not only did he demand this kind of service for the people, but he especially made him a helper for the sacrificial rites (27). Those who had come to life never had any dissatisfaction with this kind of slavery. Rather, he was grateful for his good deeds and did his best to serve as a servant. Those who have received life should always give thanks and serve. Because nothing is more precious than life. I sincerely hope that all of us will be able to act wisely while always drawing near to the Lord and fulfill the Lord's great will without making any mistakes.