Joshua 9:1 says. And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; All the kings of the area heard of the victory of Israel. Verse two states, That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. All these kings united to fight against Joshua and Israel. All those who do not believe in Christ today are really united in their fight against Him. They may not all be joined together, but they are all united in their purpose, and that is to deny the authority of God, if not His very existence. Verse three declares,.And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, Then verse four adds, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; There was one group of people, the Gibeonites, who weren't ready to go to war with Israel, but like the other groups, they did not accept God. They were wily, and made it appear that they were from far away and were coming to Joshua and the people of Israel in peace. These are the people that we really need to be aware of today. There are people today who profess to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, but they really are only doing so for their own benefit and not for God's glory. Verse five continues, And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. Not only did they put on old clothes and shoes, but they brought old moldy bread with them. They were determined to sell themselves as having come from a long way off. Verse six proclaims, And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. The people of Gibeon went to Joshua and the people of Israel and told them that they were from a far country. We need to realize that not everyone who comes to Christians today professing to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord have really put their faith in Him. This does not mean that we are to question their faith, but that we are simply to be aware that this does happen. Verse seven asked, And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? Here, they are referred to as Hivites, and are asked how the people of Israel can make a league with them since they lived among the Israelites. We cannot make a pact with the people of the enemies of God and still live in accordance with God's word. There can be no compromise. Verse eight answers, And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? They professed to be Joshua's servants and then he asked them where they came from. Joshua was at least trying to get to the truth, but we don't see him asking for God's guidance in the situation. This should always be our first step when confronted with a question, and if it is, we not be so easily deceived. Verse nine says,.And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, They said they came from a very far country because they had heard of the fame of God because of what He had done in Egypt. There will always be people who claim to know the power of God but are still unwilling to accept Him as their God. Verse ten adds, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. They continued to speak about hearing of the victory that God had given Israel over other kings. I really believe that people today have a hard time denying the power of God. Even when they see it, they want to deny it pretend to come to Him for their own advantage. Verse eleven continues, Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. The people of Gibeon continued to profess the lie that they were telling, just as some people today profess Christianity simply to use it for their advantage. Verse twelve states, This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: They offered physical proof of the truth of their long journey, but it was a lie. Verse thirteen adds, And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. They said even their wine skins which were new were torn, as was their clothing. We should not be surprised when people today attempt to deceive the world about their relationship to God if it is to their advantage to do so. Verse fourteen declares, And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. This was the main problem. Joshua and the people of Israel did not seek the counsel of God. We should never make decisions without consulting God first if we are followers of Christ. Verse fifteen adds, And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. Joshua made a league with the people of Gibeon, which was in opposition to God's command. Even the most powerful Christian can be deceived when he or she forgets to ask God for guidance in any situation, especially those that can have lasting consequences. Joshua was the leader of the nation of Israel, but when relying on his own judgment, he was deceived.
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