The Gibeonite Deception

Today  I read in Joshua 9 the story of the Gibeonite Deception. The Israelite have been empowered by God to go into the  promised land to destroy all the local inhabitants and to claim the land as their own inheritance. This story is not unlike the saving of Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute who assisted the two spies from Israel to escape when they were in the city of Jericho (Joshua 2). Rehab and all who were with her in her house were then spared from destruction (Joshua 6:17). DesiringGod.org has a nice blog about this. It pointed out that indeed God's promise to bless all the families of the earth through Israel will be fulfilled. The Gibeonite Deception highlighted that God's mysterious providence made this happen through the disobedience and failures of his people Israel.

SermonCentral.com has these take home points:
1) The Danger of Carnal Reasoning: Impetuous Decision-Making - when facing these strangers who seemed to produce a convincing story, Joshua 9:14-15 says "The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath." Instead of taking the time to ask for God's guidance, we too find ourselves easily deceived. "For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:16)
2) The Importance of Keeping Our Promises - Joshua 9:19 says "The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.". Despite the deception which gives ground to nullify the treaty, and the pressure from the people, we must give credit to Joshua and the leaders of the assembly to honor their promise. We ourselves have learned to trust God's unwavering promises despite our own failures and unfaithfulness.
3) The Evidence of God’s Over-ruling Providence - the Gibeonites eventually became part of God's community. "So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. And that is what they are to this day."(Joshua 9:26-27). We can see that God's blessings are now extending to the gentiles and eventually to all the nations on earth. God can use our mistakes for his own plan. Praise God!