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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Wednesday, 4 June 2025:
Joshua 9:1–2 – As soon as all the kings… heard of this, they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel.
God’s work provokes opposition. When the enemy sees God’s people advancing, unity often forms among enemies who would otherwise be divided. The world will always resist the forward movement of God’s kingdom.
- Psalm 2:1–2 – “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves… against the Lord and against His Anointed.”
- John 15:18 – “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
Joshua 9:3–6 – But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard… they on their part acted with cunning…
Unlike the other nations, the Gibeonites don’t try to fight—they use deception. They pretend to be from a distant country to trick Israel into making a peace treaty. The enemy doesn’t always attack directly; sometimes he lies to get inside the camp. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
- Genesis 3:1 – “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast…”
- Ephesians 6:11 – Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Joshua 9:7–13 – The Gibeonites offer convincing evidence.
They show moldy bread, worn-out clothes, and cracked wineskins to support their story. Everything looks believable. But just because something appears right doesn’t mean it is. Discernment requires more than eyes and logic—it requires seeking God.
- Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
- 1 John 4:1 – Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…
Joshua 9:14, 15 — So the men 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.
God continually warns us not to make decisions based upon our own limited understanding but rather based upon His counsel. The Bible also continuously warns us not to get entangled in covenants and contracts with the ungodly.
Failing to ask counsel from the Lord, rather trusting in their own reasoning, the Israelites became entangled in commitments with the ungodly which resulted in tremendous conflict for the Israelites (war against a coalition of five kingdoms). The Bible warns us time and time again not to establish dependencies with the ungodly or to bond with them.
Proverbs 6:1-5 says that if we have become “ensnared” in a pledge to a “stranger,” we should seek to save ourselves “like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter.” Our faith teaches that unrepentant sinners are trapped in sin. What partnership can the godly have with the ungodly, the servants of God with the servants of Satan? “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” (Amos 3:3) How do we agree with both God and man?
The Christian is on a mission of reconciliation (reunion with God) that by definition requires God at the center of all agreements – it is impossible to achieve unity and peace without this essential.
As slaves to Christ, we have no authority to make covenant with the world. Even among believers, promises are often made falsely, with the wrong motives. Commitments always involve promises based on trust; trust is based upon an assumption about the heart or character of the other party. The Bible says that no one can really know the thoughts, heart, and character of another person — only God knows. (1 Corinthians 2:11; Proverbs 15:11) Often all we have to go on is reputation. As someone once said, “Reputation is what others say about you; character is what God knows about you.” Only God can reveal another person’s true motives and character to you.
So, the first place to start when you are considering a partnership with another is in earnest prayer. If the partnership clearly doesn’t conform to the Bible’s standard, your prayer has already been answered. Beyond that, God can reveal through the Holy Spirit what you do not see through His written word. Key is to not rush into a promise but to wait on the Lord.
Another point the Bible drives home is that God expects His people to honor their commitments and promises, even the ones made rashly. Once you have made a decision, you own that decision – your “yes” must be a yes, and your “no” must be a no.
The importance of avoiding entanglements with the ungodly and waiting upon to Lord in decision-making cannot be overstated. We can only do what God has told us to do. Does God want you to make that promise? The Israelites’ careless vow to the Gibeonites is a terrible, permanent mistake. Israel made a decision based on observation and assumption, but not revelation. They neglected prayer. One moment of un-consulted decision-making leads to long-term consequences. Perhaps you have made decisions like that in the past with which you are now stuck. Now what? Honor God and love others by fulfilling your vows in a godly, obedient way, with joy and thanksgiving, and trust that God will bring good out of your situation. God can bring the best relationships and circumstances out of your worse decisions, but we shouldn’t presume upon His grace by being careless and disloyal.
- Proverbs 6:1-5 — My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
- 2 Corinthians 6:14 — Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
- Psalm 1:1 — Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
- Proverbs 13:20 — Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 — Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
- James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God… and it will be given him.
Joshua 9:15 – “Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them…”
Without seeking God, Joshua makes a binding covenant with people he thought were distant. Even good intentions, when not grounded in prayer, can entangle us in unintended consequences. The Gibeonites were deceptive, but Israel was negligent.
- Ecclesiastes 5:2 – “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God…”
- Matthew 5:37 – “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more… is from evil.”
Joshua 9:16–21 – The truth is revealed three days later.
Israel discovers the Gibeonites are neighbors, not foreigners. But because of the oath they swore, they do not attack them. Even when deception is uncovered, they honor their word. Integrity matters—even when it’s inconvenient.
- Psalm 15:4 – “[He] swears to his own hurt and does not change.”
- Romans 12:17 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”
We will see the theme of avoiding covenants with the ungodly when we get to the story of king Jehoshaphat and God’s disapproval of his ungodly alliances in 2 Chronicles 19-20. He was one of the good kings who made some bad choices and suffered the consequences. We don’t want that to be our story.
Joshua 9:19 — “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them.”
Again, God expects you to keep your commitments even if you made those commitments without the right information or if the commitment is later discovered to be unfair. We are called to demonstrate godly fidelity despite the infidelity of others.
Joshua 9:22–27 – Joshua confronts the Gibeonites and assigns them to serve at the altar.
Joshua rebukes them for lying but allows them to live—under one condition: they will be “cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” Ironically, their deception places them near God’s presence. Though they entered by falsehood, they become servants in sacred service. God’s mercy even reaches those who come the wrong way.
- Romans 11:32 – For God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all.
- Luke 5:32 – “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Joshua 9:26 — So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them.
God expects you to show mercy while still holding others accountable.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 4 June 2025: “They did not ask counsel from the Lord.” (v. 14) The lesson of Joshua 9 is clear: spiritual discernment requires dependence on God. Today, pause before any major decisions—ask yourself, “Have I truly asked God for wisdom here, or am I leaning on appearances?” Don’t assume what looks good or harmless actually is. Just like Israel was tricked by old bread and worn sandals, we can be deceived by surface-level “evidence.” We must test everything by the Word and seek the Spirit’s counsel. Also, reflect on your integrity: are you keeping your word, even when it costs you? Israel’s commitment to truth, even after being tricked, showed they feared God more than they feared embarrassment or inconvenience. Finally, marvel at God’s mercy: the Gibeonites were liars—but ended up serving in the presence of God. We too came to God in weakness and deception, but He made us His own. Pray: “Father, help me not to lean on my own understanding. Teach me to seek Your counsel in every decision—small and great. Guard me from deception, and give me discernment by Your Spirit. And when I fall short, thank You for mercy that still brings me near to Your presence. Let me live with integrity, and let even my failures lead me closer to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 