Deception

O. T. #463  "Deception"
February 19, 2015
Joshua 9-Part 1
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.   Joshua 9:6

LET IT GLOW

Deception. Who likes being deceived? None, I am sure. One of my sayings that life has taught me is: "Not all things are as they appear." That includes people. So I looked in Webster's Dictionary the meaning of deceive and found that it is to give a false impression.
Have you ever had a person pretend to be something they are not? Maybe someone said something that made you wondered if it was true. Perhaps you caught them in a lie. Did they even deny it when confronted? Oh, I can't stand all that. My respect for them is zilch. Yeah, it upsets me with myself when I allow myself to be deceived.
Did Joshua feel the same way when he found out that he and Israel had been deceived?

You will recall, Joshua and Israel, with the powerful hand of God, conquered the two cities of Jericho and Ai in the land of Canaan.
What is happening with the Southern Campaign of Israel?

The MacArthur Bible Commentary informs us:

• Gibeon of the Hivites was northwest of Jerusalem and about 7 miles from Ai. It was a strong city with capable fighting men (10:2). Three other towns were in league with it (9:17).
• The Gibeonite plot to trick Israel worked. Israel's sinful failure occurred because they were not vigilant in prayer to assure that they acted by God's command (verse 14). 

Are you scratching your head, inquisitive on what happened? Let's look back up at God's previous instructions for Israel while conquering the Promised Land:

1. In Deuteronomy7:1-3, God directed Israel to utterly destroy these people, make no covenant with them, show no mercy to them, nor intermarry with them.
2. In Deuteronomy 20:15, Israel was allowed to make treaties with those in far-off places, and accept their surrender.
3. The six nations who lived in their Promised Land were to be destroyed because of their idolatry so they would not tempt Israel away from God. (Deut. 20:18)

If you think about it, Joshua, the priests, and the elders of Israel sure should have remembered those directions given them. Yet did anyone even consider one of the three?
Another thing, how did the Gibeonites find out about #2 above?

Do we keep God's instructions fresh in our mind by reading it daily? 

LET IT GROW

What happened is:

• The kings of the southern region of Canaan must have been threatened by the advancement of Israel and their powerful God. They formed a coalition in order to slaughter the intimidating Israel. (Gergashites were not included.)
• This league of deceivers devised a crafty plan. They pretended to be from a far off country, (were actually living near) by having old sacks, torn wineskins, wearing worn-out shoes and old garments, with moldy and dry bread. (verses 4-5)
• The deceivers were not asking to become slaves of Israel, but for Israel to enter a mutual pact with them. (verse 6)
• The deceivers lied when they told Joshua that they had come in the name of LORD thy God. (verse 9)
• They pretended to have left home with bread hot out of the oven and full bottles of wine, which supposedly molded and was drank along the long journey. (verses 12-13) (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Was this a convincing story or what? They had it well planned, even down to the very shoes they wore (old looking). Oh, but their hearts were deceiving. It was a false story. Don't sign that treaty, Joshua. They are liars. (Of course, we can read the rest of the story and he couldn't.) We can't rewrite the story or change the events, though.

Are we aware of what is truth and lies around us? Do we seek discernment from God's wisdom?

Ephesians 5:6 NIV says, Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.


LET IT GO

Turn from the worldly ways.

Look for the truth of the appearance of things.

Know what God's Word says and apply it to my life.

Do not be deceived by lies and half-truths.

Ask God for wisdom concerning a situation.