The Priority of God’s Word

Transcript

GRS 206
7/11/2021
The Priority of God’s Word
Joshua 8-9
Gil Rugh

We’re going to the book of Joshua in your bibles. We’ll be in Joshua chapter 8. We’re moving through Joshua more as an overview than looking at all the details. So, encourage you to have time to read through the book of Joshua. Some of you listen to it while you’re doing other things, that’s a good way to make your way through as well.

Chapter 6 had very familiar account of the conquering of Jericho. That was done in just miracle fashion. It was no war, there was no attempt to battle the city. They simply marched around it for seven days and then blew the trumpets, shouted and the walls fell down. Then they went in and cleaned up and killed the people. So, that was just a miracle fashion.

Chapter 7 moved, and they moved to the next city. And that looks like that’s going to be an easy task. So, those who went and scouted out Ai said, well we don’t need to move the whole army there. Just take a contingent of men and we can handle that city pretty easily. It kind of turned into a disaster. And we had the sin of a man named Achan. Remember Ai was a city under what we would call the ban. It was devoted to the Lord, devoted to destruction. Meaning that it belonged to the Lord. And everyone and everything was to be destroyed except certain valuable things. Metals like gold, silver, iron were to be put into the treasury of the Lord, to be used for worship purposes of Israel. Achan saw some things that he coveted. He took them in his tent. And as we noted, it resulted in disaster for him and his family. To settle it, Achan and his entire family and his possessions; first his family is stoned to death and then their bodies are burned with all of their possessions. Obviously, a severe punishment, but earlier in this point of Israel moving into the land, it is essential that they understand, God is serious about His word and the obedience of His people. So, Achan becomes an example that will not soon be forgotten. And yet it will be forgotten. But it sets down that God is serious when He tells His people to do something, He expects obedience.

We have a similar case that happens at the beginning of the church period. Why don’t you turn over to Acts 5. Just see a parallel, if you will, not the exact same account, but sin, early in the church’s history, resulted in the death of the people who committed it in Acts 5. At the end of chapter 4, we meet Barnabas, Acts 4:36, now Joseph a Levite, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles. We’re familiar with Barnabas because the book of Acts proceeds along, he becomes a key connection with the apostle Paul’s ministry. He sold a track of land, brought in the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet, in Jerusalem there. And that will help meet the needs of the early church. The church just began in Acts chapter 2. There are needs, people have lost their jobs for example. There is some persecution. Chapter 5 opens up, a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. And they kept back some of the money. And then they brought what they had left over and presented it as though they were doing what Barnabas did. They wanted the recognition and honor and credit so to speak. Barnabas did it without desiring that, he just wanted to encourage the people and help meet the needs. Ananias and Sapphira, they keep back a portion but said they had given it to the Lord, all of it. You can see the similarities; it belongs to the Lord. You’ve committed it to Him. But now you’re keeping back and you’re lying before the congregation. So, verse 2, he kept some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, keeping back some of the price of the land? While it remained, did it not remain your own? After it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? Now, note this, you have not lied to men, but to God. So, the sin here was not that he sold a piece of property and decided to keep, he could have kept all of it for himself. But what his sin was, he said he was giving it all to the Lord. But he was really keeping a portion of it for himself. You have not lied to men, but to God. So, verse 5, when he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last. He’s immediately struck dead by the Lord. So, you see a similarity, sin early in Israel’s moving into the land, God chose the seriousness of honoring Him, being faithful to Him, being truthful for Him. Ananias becomes an example early in the church’s history. His wife wasn’t there on that occasion. The young men carry him out, bury him. Three hours later, his wife came in and Peter asked her, verse 8, tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price? And she said, yes, that was the price. Peter said to her, why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well. Immediately she fell at his feet, breathed her last. They came in, carried her out, buried her beside her husband. Great fear came over the whole church and over all who heard of these things. Verse 13, this is a word of warning, none of the rest dared to associate with them, they were held in high esteem.

God expect His people to be a separated people and honor Him with their obedience, their faithfulness because they have a similar situation. At the beginning of the church, it is very much like what had happened at the beginning of Israel functioning as a nation in their own land. You note, God is serious. And it’s good for us to be reminded because as I mentioned this morning, in our study in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Sometimes we get a rather loose attitude. And this is how Israel moved along, they progressively assumed it was all right to be less than completely faithful to the Lord. That He would be pleased just to have what they chose to bring and do. Sometimes in the church, we settle down to that as well over time. God is just as serious today as He was in Acts 5, as He was in Joshua 7. We want to take God’s word seriously.

We’re moving into a section in Ephesians where God is telling us what He, not only expects but requires of His people. There are consequences and over time, Israel becomes somewhat deadened to the consequences. So, the judgement of God becomes progressively more sever. And we want to be alert to that danger. It’s the same God today. He’s a gracious God. He is a merciful God. But He is a demanding God.

So, come back to the book of Joshua. Achan’s sin impacted his whole family. They are stoned, their bodies are burned, stones are heaped over them and it’s an ongoing memorial. Anytime any of the people in Israel asked, what were those stones for? That was Achan and his family, God brought judgement on them for unfaithfulness. These kinds of things, Israel will forget. We look and say, well, why would they do that? But we find we are all more like them than we want to admit. And we need to be faithful. Come to chapter 8, in 8, Ai is conquered. We’re not going to go through it, but you’ll note, God has His own way of working. Jericho was conquered without an army working. All they had to do was when the walls fell down supernaturally, was go in and execute the people. Ai, now in chapter 8, is going to be more of a traditional military action. By that I mean, there will be a plan to deceive the people in Ai. Remember as a result of Achan’s sin, the army that went up from Israel, was defeated and they ran away. A number of the soldiers died. That’s the only time in all the battles to take the land, that we have recorded the death of Israelite soldiers.

So, now Joshua’s plan is, the Lord has directed him, and you see the Lord works in different times, different ways, but He’s always working His purposes. There’s going to be some deception take place. Divide the army, hide some of them, then you lead a contingent up to the city. And when they open the gates and come out, the one’s that are right before them, that portion of the army turn around and run away. Then when all the men of the city come out to chase them, cause they think, we’re going to do to them what we did to the previous time they came up. Those who were in hiding, come out of hiding and go into the unprotected city and set it on fire. And they quickly set it on fire, so that when the smoke goes up, the army from Ai looks back, and see our city is on fire, and they realize they have been tricked. Now they are trapped, because Joshua with his men, who have been running, turn around now to face them, and they army from Israel that’s been in hiding behind them comes out, and the army of Ai is defeated. Then the Israelites will go in, and all the people are executed, men, women and children. And then the whole city is burned down.

Some of the cities in Canaan are going to be spared, so that the Israelites can take them over. They don’t have to start from scratch. But certain cities are totally destroyed, so Ai will be destroyed. Down in verse 27 of chapter 8, Israel took only the cattle and the spoil of that city as plunder for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which He had commanded Joshua. It’s not good to get ahead of the Lord. If Achan had waited, he could have benefited. But God has to come first. But now, in Ai, even though the people and the city are going to be destroyed, the Israelites are allowed to keep the spoil of the city. The animals and the other precious things, but people have to die. They hang, verse 28, they burned Ai, made it a heap forever. This is one of those cities that is completely destroyed. They portion of the army that went in when the army of Ai moved out of the city, they left the gates open, they’re thinking they’ve got the Israelites on the run, that portion of the army came in and immediately set structures on fire so that the army from Ai would be thrown into fear and confusion, as they saw their city on fire. But now, the through burning and destruction of the city takes place. And the people have spared these goods for themselves. This will happen on a number of occasions throughout the land.

The king of Ai is hung on a tree until evening, then they take his body down and it is buried under a heap of stones as well. These become a memorial, reminders of God’s working, God’s action. They are doing what God instructed.

Now at the end of chapter 8, we want to look a little bit at this. Joshua built an alter to the Lord, the God of Israel in Mount Ebal. I’ll just give you an idea where we are on the map in Israel. Here we are at Jericho, now what I’m trying to do this for is, we’re going to Mount Ebal, Mount Ebal is right about here, where Shechem is. It’s right under west Manasseh. There we are, that’s Shechem, that’s where Mount Ebal is. I believe we’re about twenty miles up from Jericho and Gilgal. Gilgal is right near Jericho. That becomes the center of operations from which Joshua moves out, and he will come back to Gilgal. Obviously, the large number of the people, wives and children and so on, remain at Gilgal, with a portion of the army to protect them should something happen. But that becomes their center for moving out. Now they’re going to go about twenty miles northwest. And they are at Shechem, it’s a little over one third of the way between the Dead Sea, we’re down toward Jericho and up to the Sea of Galilee. They’re going up to there to two mountains. Say something about it, but we’ll read this first here. Mount Ebal, he’s building an alter there. Just as Moses, verse 31, the servant of the Lord had commanded the sons of Israel, it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones which no man wielded an iron tool; because this was not to be man made worship. These were natural stones that were put there, where you can see Jericho there and up by west Manasseh, just under west Manasseh you can see Shechem, which is the city that’s near Mount Ebal that we are talking about here, and Mount Gerizim that we’ll talk about in a moment.

So, they are going to offer burnt offerings. And then they are going to take some stones and whitewash them. And they will write on those stones, the Mosaic Law. So, he wrote on the stones, a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel. All Israel with their elders and offices, their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lore, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in the front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had given command at first to bless the people. Then afterword he read all the words of the law, the blessing and curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them. They picked up along the way and so wanted to become a part of the nation Israel.

Now, these two mountains, don’t think of the Rockies, they are two mountains, north and south, they are about 3,000 feet high, rounded off here, each. But we are all ready 2,000 feet above sea level, where we are that I’ve showed you, at Shechem. So, where they are standing it’s only about 1,000 feet high on each of these mountains. You might call them mounds, although they’d be mountains in Nebraska too. But, they are 1,000 high, which is roughly three football fields. So, I don’t want you to think of rugged mountains you know, because what’s going to happen, you have two mountains, Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Then they com down and then there’s a flat spot between them at about 500 feet, less than two football fields.

What’s going to happen is, the ark of the covenant with the priests is there. And this sort of forms a large amphitheater. And you’re going to put six of the tribes down the front of one mountain and six of the tribes down the other mountain. And then, the priests will be there to repeat the law in the large amphitheater. And the people will respond. So, you have this response after the reading. They will read the blessings and then read the curses. Mount Ebal will be where the people that are going to have the curses they respond to, and that’s where the altar will be built. Because that’s where you need the provision of God when sin occurs. And God’s curse can come down, so the altar is built at Mount Ebal. So, this is the setting. You have like a natural amphitheater, six of the tribes of Israel down the one side and six on the other, with the ark in the middle. So, as they read off this list of blessings and curses, there will be a response, Amen, after evidently when one is read, a curse and their agreement, their commitment. What God is doing at this point, is drawing the people’s attention back to His word, to His Law. Remember Joshua, chapter 1, this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, you meditate upon it day and night. So, He’s bringing Israel back to the core, their law, God’s word to them. It’s essential it’s a center. In a sense, He’s taken them to basically really the center of the land of Canaan. You say, well this is an awkward time, now we’ve got another major worship service. We’ve got a land to conquer, we’ve got enemy out here. When we get to chapter 10, you’re going to find that an alliance of kings coming together to try to defeat Israel. What’s Israel doing in chapter 9? They’re having a major worship service because we keep our priorities. Sometimes it seems there are other things that should be done, but the most important thing is, that we are doing what God wants us to do. We’re centered on what He has focused our attention to be. That’s what’s happening in chapter 9.

Come back to Deuteronomy 11. This is the days of Moses. Deuteronomy chapter 11. Moses is speaking here, encouraging them. Look at verse 1 of chapter 11, you shall therefore love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, His commandments. As God’s people, we never want to lose what the basic thing is, God’s word, God’s instructions for us, God’s commands for us. Here, he reminds them. Verse 2, know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not know and who have not seen the discipline of the Lord you God—His greatness, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm. What He did in Egypt at the army and so on. He reminds them of these things. Then down in verse 24, he tells them, verse 19, you shall teach them to your sons, that you’re constantly, this is what your life is built around, it’s the focus of life, for your family. Then as you come into the land, verse 24, every place on which the sole of your feet tread shall be yours. He gives the boundaries of the land. Verse 26, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse. That’s what’s going to happen at Mount Ebal, Mount Gerizim, a blessing and a curse. Blessing for obedience, curse for disobedience. The blessing if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God which I have commanded you today, the curse if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God.

So, this is what’s going on now, carried out as they enter the land. Reminder, obedience is the most important thing. So, verse 29, it shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing of Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. They are well familiar with the geography of the land here. This is where you’re to be. So, when Joshua moves the Israelites up to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, this is in accord with the instructions Moses gave.

So, we’ve had these two battles, Jericho and Ai. We’ve had the great victory at Jericho, then we had the defeat at Ai, then we had the victory at Ai. Let’s get ourselves centered and focused again. So, when you get to the land, you’re going to go to these two mountains. Verse 30, are they not across the Jordan, west of the way toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites, opposite Gilgal. And so on. And the instructions give the exact geography. Verse 32, you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgements that I’m setting before you today.

Come over to chapter 27 of Deuteronomy. We’re getting near the ministry of Moses. And my bible, in chapter 27, has the curses of Mount Ebal. So, you can see we’re going to talk more about what’s going to happen there. Verse 1, Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people saying, keep all the commandments which I command you today. How many times we have this, as we move through God’s word? Keep My word. The same thing for us in the New Testament. We’re in this section of Ephesians, where with chapter 4, 5 and 6, he’s going to give specific commands. They’re not given as ideas for us to take under consideration. Somehow, I think the church today, sort of lightens things up and says, well I think it’s good that we do it, but you know. . . That’s what happened to Israel. This is a requirement of God what will bring consequences for not doing it.

So, He gives instructions regarding when you cross the land. Verse 2, so it will be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall set up for yourselves large stones, coat them with lime and write on them. They take these stones, and you get flat surface then you could scribe on them the writing of the Mosaic Law. You set large stones, coat them with lime, write on them all the words of this law when you cross over. So that you may enter the land which the Lord your God gives you. A land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. So, it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up on Mount Ebal, these stones, which I am commanding you today, coat them with lime. Moreover, you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. And again, you’re not allowed, according to the instructions given in Exodus, to put your own labors in this. They are not like the pagans that make some kind of fancy altar here. You just take the natural stones and build this altar to the Lord your God. Uncut stones. You offer your sacrifices, burnt offerings and peace offerings. We’ll see that is what’s offered there. The peace offerings, the fellowship offerings, the burnt offerings. We’re going to take care of the sin; we’re going to enjoy the fellowship with God and His people.

Then Moses and the Levitical priests, verse 9, spoke to all Israel, be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for the Lord your God. You shall therefore obey the Lord your God, do His commandments, His statutes which I command you today. That’s what’s going on now in Mount Ebal. This is telling what to do there. And that was the time when Israel went down to Egypt, they were a family of about 70 people. A large family, put it’s a far cry from being a nation. But when they come out of Egypt, they are about two million people. They are a nation, promised a land that would be theirs. Now they cross the Jordan, and they are into that land. So, now here, you’ve got the law of Moses, the law that God gave to Moses. So, it really becomes like the constitution of the nation for their political, spiritual, moral, all aspects of their life as an earthly nation, living in an earthly land. So, now they come together and the reminder that takes place very early, that’s why we are at Mount Ebal and Moust Gerizim at the end of chapter 8. God had instructed Moses to give instruction to Israel when they crossed the Jordan. Here’s one of the first things you’re going to do. Now they’ve got a foothold in the land with Jericho and near by Gilgal. Delt with Ai, now we’re going to move up. We’re in the center of the land. What a great place to be reminded, this is our land. We are a nation. We’re planted here.

Then Moses charged the people verse 12, when you cross the Jordan, these shall stand at Mount Gerizim, so even tells which six tribes are to be on Mount Gerizim, the people that belong to those six tribes, and then verse 12, when you cross the Jordan, these shall stand at Mount Gerizim to bless the people. You have Simon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. Then for the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal, and He lists those tribes. And then here’s what goes on, that’s why I say it’s like this big amphitheater. Verse 14, the Levites shall then answer and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice, cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, sets it up in secret. All the people shall answer and say, Amen. So, you have like this amphitheater going back and forth, of the curses and the blessings, and the people are joined in, they give their agreement, Amen, Amen we have it in the New Testament, it’s a Hebrew word. In the Old Testament its true, let it be so, their agreement. So, they are committing themselves again. You are now a nation in our land that God has promised us, we’re redoing as the laws asked, the promise for obedience, the promise for disobedience. Judgement for disobedience, blessings for obedience. And so you have listed here some of the curses. Then you’ll come down in verse 28, the blessings that are associated with Gerizim. The way it seems, the people on one mountain, are responding amen with the curses and then you have the blessings recited, but they are one people, God impressing it. Everybody didn’t take a copy home with them like we take our bibles home. But God held them accountable for it all. How much more accountable we have, every day of the week, anytime of the day, if we think we’ve forgotten something God said for us to do, we can open up and read it. Are we going to say to Him, well, You’re right, I didn’t do that; You said that I was responsible, but I had my reasons. I’m sure Achan had his reasons, he gave them, he saw, he liked it, seems a waste to burn it up, put it in the treasury. It doesn’t matter, and it’s a serious business. This is what’s going on at this worship center. You can read at your own leisure, Deuteronomy 27 and 28 on blessings and curses and the seriousness of it. This is what’s going on at Mount Ebal.

Come back to Joshua chapter 8. You see how God has set things out, all in order. His purpose and plan, it’s simple. I didn’t say it’s easy, but it’s not complicated. We look at Israel and say, why wouldn’t they go it? We ourselves read and think, there’s not excuse for them to not do what God told them. There was no excuse for Achan. Why would he do that? We just find ourselves; I just can’t understand why they would do that. But for us, we live out our responsibility day by day. We have our excuses. Are we doing what the word of God says? We’re going to move through, for example Ephesians 4, 5 and 6, are we doing all those things? Well, I don’t know if we’re doing it, but nobody’s perfect. Although we begin to slide back. That’s why the word of God has to be constantly brought before.
For Israel, the most important thing is, the word of God constantly being brought before their attention. What did we just do with the gifts this morning for the church? The speaking gifts, which are responsible for constantly bringing the word of God before the people. Because that’s what God is requiring of us. The further we move away from the word, the more we fill in with men’s ideas. And then we’re in trouble. And if something doesn’t happen to us immediately, we think, oh well, it wasn’t that serious. Sometimes God responds and intervenes immediately, like He did with Achen, like He did with Annias and Sapphira. Sometimes He delays it, but He doesn’t forget. He hasn’t gone to sleep. He’s not indifferent. The seriousness of it is still there.

So, Israel is reminded, verse 35 of chapter 8, there was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel. With the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them. You all heard. You know what that means? They are all responsible and accountable. That’s it.

Now we’re ready to move on. And what we have is an alliance of kings. Why they’re having a worship time, the enemy in the land is trying to pull together a sizeable army to defeat the Jews. But the Jews were doing what was most important. This is what assures their victory. So, chapter 9 opens up, it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, and in the low land and in all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, the Jebusite, heard of it, they gathered them together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

So, you see the alliances coming together. Now, we’re going to take a break. Cause you know now; this is what’s going on in Canaan. We get down to chapter 10, you’ll see that the leader of this alliance is Adonizedek, and he is king in Jerusalem. And he is assembling this alliance of city kings together. But we have to see the break in here, that there are some in the land that really believe the God of Israel is going to do, to the Canaanites what He said He would do. And we’re reminded again in this chapter, of how much of God’s work in past years, all the way back 40 years earlier into Egypt, the deliverance of Israel, has permeated through the land of Canaan. And then things that had happened in the wilderness, where God preserved Israel. So, even though God didn’t send “the missionaries” from Israel into the land of Canaan, the mighty workings of the God of Israel, have become well known in Canaan.

So, what’s going to happen, you’re going to have people from the city of Gibeon. And there are some cities associated with them, Gibeon is focused here. Chapter 9:3, when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they acted craftily. Because they put this together, look what happened to Jericho and Ai, we know what the God of Israel did to the Egyptians. Then we know what the God of Israel did to the kings of Sihon and Og. And we’re in trouble! They have no doubt the Israelites win. So, they have something like the faith of Rahab. I know all the people around, they are afraid, but they’re going to make a last stand, and hope they will win. Rahab believed the God of Israel will win. The Gibeonites believe the God of Israel will win.

So, here’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to act like they are people from a distant land. How much of God’s word they have learned, how they learned it, how God’s word seeps in. They knew something about what God had told the Israelites about alliances with the Canaanites. So, they don’t come just offering to make an agreement. We want to surrender. They knew the God of Israel had told the Jews, take no captives. So, we just can’t go and say, we’re surrendering, we put our hands up, because the God of Israel is not allowing for any of that. So, they come up with a plan, we’re going to just say, we’ve heard about your God, we live in a faraway country, but we’ve heard about your God. So, we’ve traveled this long way because we want to identify with you. And of course, since we’re not from Canaan, we’re not part of what would be restricted. So, we just want you to promise us, you won’t attack us. Well, if you’re from a faraway country out of Canaan, we Jews don’t have any problem with you, we only want the land God promised to us. So, they go through all of this, everything looks worn out, verse 4, they acted craftily, set out as envoys, put worn out sacks on their donkeys, wine skins worn out, torn and mended, worn out patched sandals on their feet. Worn out clothes one themselves. All the bead of their provision was dry and crumbly. We’ve traveled a long way. Journeys of those days, when you came from a far country, I think took a long time. I was watching a program on our country, and when they said they developed the railroad, the journey went from six months to get to one place to another, to six hours. Wow, that’s how it happens. So, these people have come a long way. They went to Joshua, verse 6, to the camp at Gilgal. You see, this is headquarters. They will be going out from here to the south, we’ll see and then to the north. But this is where the women and children and so on, this is the home base.

They come to them, they say, we have come from a far country. Now make a covenant with us. The men of Israel said to the Hivites, they don’t know they are the Hivites, but perhaps you’re living within our land, how can we make a covenant with you? They said to Joshua, we’re your servants, we’re your slaves. Joshua said to them, who are you, where do you come from? Verse 9, your servants have come from a very far country. Because of the fame of the Lord your God; for we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt, all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. So, our elders of, so you see they’ve gone back to prior days. They don’t mention Jericho, they don’t mention Ai, because then they would know, oh you’re nearby. No, we heard about what happened so many years ago, I mean it’s been forty years since Israel left Egypt. So, we go back there, and then those battles, way back years ago with Sihon and Og. The fame of your God has spread far. So, our elders and all the inhabitants of our countries, said take provisions in hand for the journey. Go meet them, we’re your servants. You note, they don’t want an agreement of equals. We recognize the power of your God. And we’re outside the land. The Canaanites know what God has promised Israel. But we’re outside that land. We consider ourselves just your servants, your slaves. Well, Israelites, why wouldn’t we make an agreement with a country like this?

Our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses, when we left. But look at it. You grab it, it just crumbles to pieces, like stale bread. The wine skins, they were new, look at it. Look at our clothes, we started out in great shape. So, verse 14, the men of Israel took some of their provisions, they did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. They didn’t go and say, Lord, is it alright for us to make a covenant with these people? And we’ll see, come over to chapter 11:19, we’ve jumped ahead here. But there was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon. Verse 20, for it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So, the hand of the Lord is in this. He didn’t harden the hearts of the Hivites living in Gibeon. Just like Rahab, it’s always an intervention and mercy of grace, when somebody responds positively in faith the the Lord. That’s true here, the Lord chose not to harden them.

The Canaanites, as a land had developed in their sin. It had built to the point there was to be no mercy. But even there, there was mercy for Rahab. There’s mercy for these. So, the Lord hardened the hearts of the others. He didn’t cause their sin, but He withdrew the grace that would have enabled them to respond. Because they had ripened to judgement. You say, well I don’t think that’s right. Well, then respond early because you may not have the time to respond tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation, as Paul encouraged the Corinthians. Now is the day. The Canaanites had plenty of time to respond in faith. Now the judgement comes. People stand at the Great White Throne, they may regret their sin, but there is no salvation for them.

So, the reminders of this, God is showing grace. So, there was grace for these Canaanites. Now there are different groups, as you’re aware, of Canaanites. We lump them all together in the land of Canaanites, but here these are Hivites living in the city of Gibeon. So, the children of Israel, enter into a covenant with them. And the Gibeonites, you see, the Lord has prepared them even though they are deceiving Israel, and Israel didn’t seek the Lord. That was all part of the Lord’s plan because they have a great faith. Verse 25, behold, we are in your hands, do as it seems good in your sight to do to us. Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hands. . . they, three days later revealed, it becomes clear to the Jews what they did, when they are challenged by it. They, verse 24, we knew what you were going to do. And now they throw themselves on the mercy of the Jews. Do what you see is good.

You know they have a faith in the God of Israel, that His people will keep His word. They’ve made a covenant here. Joshua and his people with them. When they find out they were tricked, they still made a covenant. You think, well they shouldn’t be held to an agreement that both parties weren’t honest with. No, they entered into this covenant and it’s binding. In fact, four hundred years later, Saul will be king, and in his enthusiasm, to clear the land of Canaanites, he kills Gibeonites. When David becomes king, there’s a famine in the land. When he asks God what is wrong, well Saul killed Gibeonites, that violated the covenant, My covenant that Joshua made with the Gibeonites. What do I have to do to rectify this, he asked the Gibeonites. How can I make this right? Saul killed many of your people, not God is punishing us for violating the covenant. Four hundred years, the covenant is still enforced. You know what he had to do? The Gibeonites said, we want seven of the sons of Saul to be hung as payment for his crime. And David takes seven of the sons of Saul, hangs them on a tree. They hang there, and you can read the account, 11 Samuel 21:1-14, it’s where David has to hang seven of the sons. You say, boy that’s pretty cruel. Actually, you feel bad when the mother of some of those sons sits out there and drives the birds off through all kinds of weather, so they won’t come and nibble on the bodies hanging on those trees. To sit there and see her son hang. We ought to take God serious. We think, oh, would God do that? God is a God to be feared. Best thing, safest thing, do what He says. There are serious consequences for not.

So, this covenant is enforced. What happens is, these Gibeonites will become slaves to the Israelites. But they are spared, they get their lives. They’d rather be slaves of the Israelites and they do things because of all of the sacrifices and the gathering of wood and all that takes work. They are going to be doing that. Verse 27, that’s chapter 9, Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place which He would choose. They were permanent. That’s going to go on through time. That’s the curse, verse 23, that is put upon them. They don’t escape the curse. But being destroyed, they are spared. But verse 23 says, therefore you are cursed, you shall never cease being slaves. Hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. So, there is a penalty to be paid, they are Canaanites, but God has spared them. You think there would have been others in Canaan to try to trick them.

What has happened is, the day of salvation for Canaan is passed. There are four hundred years, well Israel was in bondage for four hundred years and you had the forty years, we have four hundred plus years. They have been ripening for judgement. Six hundred years along from the days of Abraham, when he says he won’t get the land yet because it’s not ripened for judgement. So, much time has gone by. God hasn’t forgotten. It’s like the end of Romans 1, into chapter 2, chapter 2 starts out, what? God has talked about sin, it’s consequences but ripening for judgement. Ripening for judgement. People think because time goes by, God forgets, God overlooks it, it’s ok. No, it’s just building, we’ve been reminded of that with our own country, as we see what happens. It happens to countries; it happens for individuals.

So, things are going on now, we pick up in chapter 10, we’ll pick up our next time. What was going on in chapter 9:1-2, the nations that gathered together against Joshua. But you need to know something else that was going on for a few cities that are going to be spared. The city of the Gibeonites and a couple of cities aligned with them, that were part of this deception, but the covenant that came out of deception. But now in chapter 10, we’ll come back to the alliance and the battle that will take place. And really, we’ll have the maps there, but we show in chapter 10, they’re going to begin the conquest of going across the middle of the land. And then they will conquer the south. Then they’ll go north, then conquer the north. And they will be ready to divide the land. And it will be a process. What they are really doing is, breaking the back of the enemy, they are weakening the enemy. But there’s much to be done. So, when the land is divided as we mover further into Joshua, each tribe will be responsible for cleaning up. Because there’s pockets of the Canaanites that are still battling. But he major opposition and a unified opposition has been defeated. Major cities have been defeated in the north and the south. Now, we can divide the land and then part of it is your responsibility as an individual tribe, to clean up there.

And we’ll get done with Joshua and Israel will have the land. Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for Your word. Thank You for these Old Testament stories. Lord, they are stories that are the riches of Your word, written for our admonition. We, who live at the end of the ages, there are things for us to learn. How mighty and powerful You are. The God who keeps Your word, fulfills Your promises, protects Your people. You are a God who brings sever consequences for disobedience, and unmerciful judgements on unbelievers. Even in judgement, we find some who experienced Your mercy, like these Gibeonites who had come to believe in You, the God who keeps His word, the God of Israel. They are slaves but they are privileged to be slaves among Your people. Lord, may we be faithful in the week before us, as we represent You, serve You in a variety of ways, variety of places. In difficulties and blessings, may in it all we be faithful. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen