Joshua 9:6-14 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. 7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? 8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? 9 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, 10 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. 11 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. 12 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: 13 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. 14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
Joshua and the people of Israel are duped into making a league with the Gibeonites because they failed to check with God. The Gibeonites, hearing of Israel's sweeping victories over Jericho and Ai, decide there is no way to defeat Israel, so they decide to deceive Israel. Through the use of old clothes, food, and wine bottles, they are able to give Joshua and the elders of Israel the impression they have come from a great distance when they have not. The Israelites fall for the ruse and soon find that the Gibeonites are their next door neighbors. It doesn't take long for this league with these Gibeonites to begin to cause Joshua and the people trouble as they find themselves drawn into a war to protect their new friends.
All of this could have been avoided if Israel would have simply asked counsel of God. We too are prone to be deceived by the flesh and the devil because of what appears to be harmless decisions or actions. We often find ourselves in deep trouble because we thought from the looks of things we could handle it. God has given us unsurpassed counsel in the Bible and the Holy Spirit. We need to make it a priority to test all things by what God has said in His word. This will keep us from bad decisions and dangerous allegiances. Things are not always as they seem.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Daily Devotional: Romans 8:1-17; Galatians 5:16-26 Life By the Spirit
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