Joshua 9:16-21 – Be careful who we invite into our life

Earlier in a dialogue between the Gibeonites and Joshua, recorded in Joshua 9:8-9, we can see that he was skeptical about their story. For his first two questions on hearing their account were “Who are you? And where do you come from?” But the mistake he made was to believe them so easily without checking. Unwittingly, Israel was hoodwinked by their story that they came from a distant land. They told Joshua that they came because of the name of the Lord their God. When shown the clothes, food and broken wineskins, Joshua believed their story without further investigation. The Gibeonites had deceitfully used the name of the Lord God. This could result because Israel failed to seek the counsel of the Lord. We know this because Joshua 9:14-15 said, “So the men (of Israel) took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.” When they came to their senses it was too late to reverse. They were three days late. They learned that the Gibeonites were, in fact, people from nearby. We get a sense here that our enemy is always lurking nearby our life. In our day, people are talking about a new morality, which in fact is just the bad, old immorality.  

Another observation we make is that people still use the name of the Lord to deceive and to achieve their own end. From this account, we should learn not to fall so easily to all claims that are purported to come from the Lord. We should check everything we have heard with the Word of God. One of the devil’s tricks is to blur the line of truth for us. If we neglect the Word of God and prayer, we will become more susceptible to the tricks and traps of the enemy. This underscores the necessity for us to be diligent, to stay connected with God through careful investigation of the Word and through prayer.   

In Deuteronomy 7:2, God through Moses had already told Israel that “…when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.” Yet in Joshua 9, they unperceptively entered into a treaty with the Gibeonites. This had resulted in their inability to stay undisrupted in living a wholly set apart life, totally consecrated to the Lord. This is an example for us to be prudent and selective who we run with. It is true that “if we run with a skunk, we will smell like the skunk.” When we enter into an unwholesome alliance with the enemy, we will be handicapped and prevented to live as devoted to the Lord as we would have desired. Be selective and discerning who you choose to invite to run with in life. A wrong decision made could mean bearing a lifelong burden. Take seriously the warning of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:33. He warns us saying, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’”