“THE BOOK OF JOSHUA ~ a Type & Shadow” A-047 (05-25-22) Joshua 9:22-27
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Joshua 9:22 (New English Translation) says, “Joshua summoned the Gibeonites {Heb. them} and said to them, “Why did you trick {or, deceive} us by saying, ‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby?”
● This is the point chapter 9 has been pointing to the entire time, in that the Gibeonites set out to “lie to deceive” Joshua and the children of Israel from the start. So, for me, I have believed for years now that a half-truth is still a lie. Here in Joshua chapter 9, the Gibeonite tribes pre-planned to deceive the children of Israel and deliberately put on old clothes, worn-out sandals, brought with them stale-food, and wineskins that were already cracked and ready to burst. And it came down to Joshua wanting to know, Why have you deceived us?
● Joshua 9:23 (NET) says, “Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
● From a translator’s note (tn) it says the Hebrew reads, “Now you are cursed and a servant will not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” In other words, based on their lie of deception, they will hereafter be known as “a servant” as in “a servant will not be cut off from you,” and judged to serve the house of God” perpetually, meaning forever.
● Joshua 9:24 (NET) says, “They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects {Heb. your servants} how the LORD your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified {or, afraid} we would lose our lives, so we did this thing.”
● When our thoughts are conformed to the Christ-mind, there is no consideration for any “lie to deceive” remaining, which are of the works of the flesh that are motivated from unrenewed thinking. There is a quote that says, “The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci. And that is the problem with the human-psyche, in that we often battle between two lines of thought, which are God-thoughts, and unrenewed-thoughts. I think the “wandering tribes” of Canaan realized that the children of Israel did not come to Canaan to join them as just another group of “wandering tribes” with no place to settle down, even though they were already in a vast land.
● Joshua 9:25 (NET) says, “So now we are in your power. Do to us what you think is good and appropriate.”
● So, as it were, the Gibeonites submit to Joshua’s decision, which could be considered as the consequences they were to face for their intent to deceive. In other words, to serve in the tabernacle of the Lord was better than facing death as the consequence for their lies and deception. In fact, after Joshua’s ruling on the matter, he delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them,” fulfilling his promise to let them live.
● Joshua 9:26-27 (NET) says, “26 Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them 27 and that day made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD at the divinely chosen site. (They continue in that capacity to this very day.)”
● According to some historical findings, the Gibeonites are destined to serve the tabernacle of Israel forever, which can literally mean even to this day. Also, it is said that the Hebrew could read, “and Joshua made them in that day woodcutters and water carriers for the community, and for the altar of the LORD to this day at the place which he chooses.” Now, whether this proclamation is still honored in the twenty-first century or not, does not matter, but in biblical times, it was a perpetual decree. Think about it, Joshua whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation,” came to the rescue of the Gibeonites, so they could live.
● The bottom line is that for the Gibeonites, this looks like a best-case scenario for them, and even though they lie and attempted to deceive Joshua and the children of Israel, this situation shows us a type & shadow of the “grace of God in action,” of which many of us who have made mistakes in our lives, bad choices, bad financial decisions and more, have experienced consequences but in a best-case scenario meaning that it could have been worse for us if not that our mess was already predestined to be covered by the grace of God. I hope you are enlightened and inspired to “dig deep into the well of Father’s mind within” as you watch this video lesson!