HUMBLED, THROUGH LACK OF PRAYER

Passage: Joshua 9:1-15

Key verse: 14

NIV

The Gibeonite Deception

9 Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country,(A) in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea(B) as far as Lebanon(C) (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites,(D) Hivites(E) and Jebusites)(F)— 2 they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

3 However, when the people of Gibeon(G) heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,(H) 4 they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded[a] with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5 They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. 6 Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal(I) and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country;(J) make a treaty(K) with us.”

7 The Israelites said to the Hivites,(L) “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty(M) with you?”

8 “We are your servants,(N)” they said to Joshua.

But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?”

9 They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country(O) because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports(P) of him: all that he did in Egypt,(Q) 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon,(R) and Og king of Bashan,(S) who reigned in Ashtaroth.(T) 11 And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’ 12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. 13 And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.”

14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire(U) of the Lord. 15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peace(V) with them to let them live,(W) and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

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Footnotes
  1. Joshua 9:4 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) They prepared provisions and loaded their donkeys
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Gibeonite Deception

9 As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan (A)in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast (B)of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, (C)the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this, 2 they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel.

3 But when the inhabitants of (D)Gibeon heard what Joshua had done (E)to Jericho and (F)to Ai, 4 they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, 5 with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. 6 And they went to Joshua in (G)the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.” 7 But the men of Israel said to (H)the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then (I)how can we make a covenant with you?” 8 They said to Joshua, (J)“We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?” 9 They said to him, (K)“From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. (L)For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 (M)and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in (N)Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.”’ 12 Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” 14 So the men took some of their provisions, but (O)did not ask counsel from the Lord. 15 And Joshua (P)made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Be on your guard against deception (1-13) The kings of six nations west of the Jordan were fearful. These kings formed an alliance to wage war on Israel. The Gibeonites, however, knew that they would be defeated and devised an ingenious plan. They sent a delegation, dressing them in worn clothes and carrying moldy food. They convinced the leaders that they were from a distant land and they sought a peace treaty, declaring themselves to be their servants. They did their best to survive and it worked. God did not reveal their deception. God had a plan for these people during the conquest. 2. The results of not being prayerful (14-15) The Israelites did not inquire of the Lord. They tasted the dry, moldy food and depended on their human intellect to figure out what to do. As a result, they could not see through the deception. They were blinded and ended up ratifying a treaty by oath. Human intellect is not enough. Servants of God must always depend on God by praying.

Prayer: Lord, how often I am spiritually blind. Teach me to pray always as I serve you.

One Word: Humbly depend on God in prayer