We Have Met the Enemy Joshua 9:1-27

There’s a popular game show on ABC called To Tell the Truth. The original version of the show began in 1956 and ran through 1968. If you’ve not seen it, there are three contestants on a panel who are questioned by four celebrity judges. The central character on the panel has an usual job or has had a significant life experience of some kind. Two of the people on the panel are imposters and one is the actual person. The judges question each contestant and then have to decide which person they think is telling the truth. In many cases, the celebrity judges pick one of the imposters because they’re so convincing and skilled at deception.

Have you ever been deceived by someone? I’m sure all of us have. Our study today in the book of Joshua brings us to chapter 9. In Joshua chapter 9, we find the story of a lie that Joshua and the children of Israel fell for. It was a lie that could have been detected had they sought God’s wisdom. But instead, they made a binding covenant with one of their enemies. What happened as a result of falling prey to this deception? What lessons can we learn about spiritual discernment and why it’s so vital in our walk with God? Let’s take a moment to put Joshua chapter 9 into context.

In taking possession of the Land of Promise, the sequence of battles recorded in half of this narrative shows that Joshua’s first objective was to conquer the center part of the land. Jericho was first city they conquered – then came Ai. Joshua and his army were moving west toward the next city – which was Gibeon. The Gibeonites posed a unique challenge because, as we’ll see in this 9th chapter, they were skilled at tradecraft.

Chapter 9 begins: Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)—they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel. However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said 2 to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.” As we see in verses 1-6, this chapter begins with:

1. A daring deception. When verse 1 mentions that the Canaanite kings heard about “these things” it’s talking about how they heard that Jericho and Ai had been conquered by Joshua and the army of Israel. They undoubtedly heard that Joshua and his army were taking no prisoners. That’s why these kings decided to form a coalition of forces. It was their only hope of survival.

But the Gibeonites came up with a more clever strategy. They knew that Joshua and his army wouldn’t willingly enter into a deal to spare them – so they employed the use of deception.

The late politician Adlai Stevenson once said tongue-in-cheek that “a lie is an abomination unto the Lord—but it’s also a very present help in times of trouble.” The Gibeonites would prove both sides of that statement. What did they do? First: a. They pretended to come from a distant land. They put on worn shoes and clothing and packed moldy bread and cracked wineskins to make it look like they had been traveling for a long time. This ruse worked better than they could have imagined. When they got to Gilgal, Joshua and his army questioned them and decided they were telling the truth. Second: b. They used flattery. Look at verses 9-10: They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. It’s interesting to note in this passage that the Gibeonites used the name of God – Yahweh – God Almighty. They had their spiritual lingo down. They said, “We’ve heard stories about your powerful God and how He delivered you from Egypt and gave you victory over the kings east of the Jordan. You guys are awesome!” The use of flattery was clever because it appealed to their pride - and their belief that with God on their side, they were invincible.

Hank Ketchum was an artist and creator of the Dennis the Menace cartoon series. He once said, “Flattery is like chewing gum – enjoy it, but don’t swallow it.” Joshua and the other leaders were skeptical at first about the 3 sudden appearance of these strangers - but they swallowed the chewing gum because they weren’t expecting a ruse. All things considered, it’s surprising how easy it was for the Gibeonites to fool them.

But herein lies an important spiritual lesson we dare not miss: Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and a servant of righteousness. Elsewhere in Scripture, we read that Satan’s emissaries – his false prophets go out among God’s people as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Satan is a master of deception and the father of lies.

It may sound like a strange question to ask, but do you believe Satan is real? You may be surprised, but I don’t take it as an accepted fact that all Christians believe that Satan is real. In my first ministry, one of the most devoted, sincere followers of Christ in the church I served didn’t believe Satan is real. She had been a member of a conservative Baptist Church her entire life. I remember her saying that Satan was invented by pre-scientific man to explain the problem of evil in the world. I nearly fell out the chair in her kitchen when she told me that.

In 2013, a Barna Organization poll revealed that 32% of people who claim to be born again don’t believe Satan is real. But when we look in the Scriptures, we find that Satan and his diabolical work is talked about as a matter of fact. 20% of the miracles of Jesus recorded in the gospels have to do with Him casting demons out of people. Satan is alive and active in this world. He hates Jesus - and those of us who follow Jesus. His goal is to devour us and to destroy our faith in God – and he’ll use any means necessary.

The next thing we see in this narrative is that the deception of the Gibeonites caused Joshua and his people to make:

2. A foolish blunder. Look at verse 15: Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. In swearing this oath, they promised before God not to harm the Gibeonites. In Scripture, swearing an oath before God is serious business. The Bible says that we can’t make a promise in God’s name and then break it because we decide sometime later that we don’t like the deal anymore. Psalm 15 begins with a question: Who may dwell in your sanctuary? What’s the answer to that question? He who keeps an oath even when it hurts. God 4 takes our promises seriously, even when we don’t. That’s why Ecclesiastes 5 tells us that it’s better not to make a promise before the Lord than it is to swear an oath and break it later. God expects us to keep the promises we make. Having sworn an oath, the Gibeonites were spared from harm.

This narrative begs us to ask: Why did Joshua and his leaders enter into this covenant with the Gibeonites – and, quite possibly, imperil their security and their spiritual life as a nation? We find the answer in verse 14: They did not inquire of the LORD. Think about this for a moment. Joshua made a costly mistake shortly before this when he listened to his spies instead of seeking the Lord for His plan on how to take the city of Ai. Israel was defeated and they lost 36 fighting men. He repeats the same mistake here. Joshua didn’t inquire of the LORD as to what to do with these strangers. He trusted his gut instinct instead of asking God for wisdom.

There’s a part of me that says, “How could Joshua have been so foolish?” But then, I’m reminded of the countless times I’ve made decisions without talking with God about them - the countless times I’ve relied on my own wisdom - the countless times I’ve made decisions because I had a hunch I was making the right choice. It grieves me to admit that I’ve made a lot of bad decisions because I didn’t seek God’s guidance.

But I don’t think I’m alone. We make decisions all the time without seeking God’s direction in prayer - despite the fact that the Bible says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

The late Christian author Alan Redpath offered this advice in his book titled Victorious Christian Living, “Never, never, never trust your own judgment in anything. When common sense says that a course is right, lift your heart to God, for the path of faith and the path of blessing may be in a direction completely opposite to that which you call common sense. When voices tell you action is urgent, something must be done immediately, refer everything to the tribunal of heaven. Then, if you’re still in doubt, dare to stand still. If you’re called on to act and you have no time to pray, don’t act. If you’re called on to move in a certain direction and can’t wait until you have peace with God about it, don’t move. Be strong enough and brave enough to dare to stand and wait on God, for none of them that wait on him shall ever be ashamed. It’s the only way to outmatch the devil.” 5

You might be thinking, “God has all kinds of things on His plate these days. He’s dealing with a global pandemic. He’s dealing with a big election coming up in November. He’s dealing with an economy that’s teetering on the brink. God is too busy to deal with the stuff going on in my life.” But that’s not true. God never says, “Can’t you see I’m busy?” He loves it when we commit our way to Him. There’s an ancient Jewish proverb that says, “It’s better to ask for directions ten times than it is to go down the wrong road once.”

In whatever decision you may be facing - we will never get to the place where we don’t need God and His wisdom. My friends, you’re not a bother to God. You’re His beloved child!

Three days later, the Israelites discovered they had been duped by the Gibeonites. How did they find out? The passage doesn’t say. But when the people found out, they began to grumble. Look at verses 18-20: The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” To the consternation of the Israelites, Joshua and the leaders kept the oath they made in the name of God. You might be thinking, “Why didn’t they break this covenant – especially since they were lied to?” It’s because of what Joshua read to the people from the Law of Moses just days before at Gilgal: If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Now, if someone snatched our Bible away - and we were asked to guess what happened next – it’d be very easy to conclude that things ended badly for Joshua and his people. But the story concludes with:

3. A surprising blessing. Look at verse 21: They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept. The Gibeonites became the servants of Israel. Specifically, they would perform essential tasks required in Israel’s worship life as a nation. When Joshua asked the Gibeonites why they lied, they came clean. Look at verses 24-25: We feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you. 6

The Gibeonites lied to save their lives, which obviously doesn’t justify the lie, but in the end, they found mercy. The final verses of this chapter give us a glimpse of the grace of God at work. Look at verses 26-27: So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. And that is what they are to this day.

What happened in the end? Dr. Francis Schaeffer ran the clock forward when he wrote these words: “The Gibeonites, remained close to the altar of God. Though they were only hewers of wood and drawers of water, their activity was on behalf of worship of the living God, and it led gradually to a place of religious privilege. When the land was divided, Gibeon was one of the cities given to the line of Aaron. It became a special place where God was known. 400 years later, David put the tabernacle in that city. This meant that the altar and the priests were in Gibeon as well. One of David’s mighty men, those who were closest to him in battle, was a Gibeonite. At the solemn moment when Solomon, David’s son, ascended the throne, Solomon made burnt offerings at Gibeon. It was there he had his vision, when God spoke to him about his coming rule. Later still, 500 years before Christ, in the time of Zerubbabel, the genealogies of those Jews who returned from captivity under the Babylonians included a list of the Gibeonites. In the days of Nehemiah, the Gibeonites were mentioned as being among those who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. The Gibeonites had come in among the people of God, and hundreds of years later they were still there.”

What’s the takeaway? God can turn our blunders into blessings if we will trust Him.

Are you facing a situation that’s testing your integrity? I want to challenge you to do the right thing even if it’s painful – even if you can’t envision a good outcome right now. Dare to trust God. He can take the hard situation you’re going through and bring good out of it.

In 1991, the new owner of the fired their 73-year-old play-by- play announcer, . Harwell was the radio voice of the Tigers for several decades and was a sports icon in the city of Detroit. Harwell was surprised and hugely disappointed when he was let go. Harwell stood tall among the baseball broadcasting legends such as , and 7

Harry Caray. But the real measure of Harwell’s greatness was seen in how he handled his unceremonious dismissal. Rather than bad-mouthing the new owner of the club - as a born-again Christian, Ernie Harwell chose to accept the circumstances as God's will for his life and forgive the new owner. When asked later about his reaction to being fired, Harwell said, “I refused to allow myself to be bitter. Romans 8:28 says that God causes the circumstances of our lives to work together for good. I had an assurance that God was in control and that I could trust him.”

Tiger fans were relentless in their demand that Ernie Harwell be brought back into the broadcast booth. As providence would have it, the Detroit Tigers were sold to Mike Illitch less than two years later – and the first move Illitch made was to hire Ernie Harwell back. Harwell continued with the Tigers until his retirement at the age of 84. All in all, Ernie Harwell was a baseball announcer for 55 years. In his last broadcast on September 29, 2002 – Ernie Harwell signed off by saying, “Even though I love baseball – I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ much more.”

What the enemy means for our defeat can be turned into a victory, if we will wait on God and trust Him to work.