Tag: Joshua 10

Joshua 10: Military Genius Joshua

Chapter 10 is deja vu of chapter 8. Chapter 10 shows the second account of a genius aspect in the military affair by Joshua. It also shows an effective partnership between the LORD and Joshua in defeating the five kings of central Canaan. 

Summary

Five kings in the center region of the Canaan decided to join their force to attack the Gibeonites, who just made a covenant with Israel. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua, asking for help, and Joshua came to their rescue. Against the cohort of five kings, Joshua made a quick, sudden attack, and with the LORD’s raining of hailstones, he fought the five kings and defeated them in a single, lengthened day. After the victory over the united army of five kings, Joshua and Israel subsequently conquered one city at a time to occupy the entire southern area of the Canaan. 

Military Genius II 

When Joshua received a help request from the Gibeonites to rescue them from the united force of the five kings, he instinctively knew that this was a great opportunity. Joshua knew that the five kings would be busy preparing to attack the Gibeonites. They concentrated their effort solely to destroy the Gibeonites. Considering some distance between their location and Gilgal, where Joshua and Israel were stationed, approximately 35 to 40 miles, the kings probably did not anticipate a sudden attack by the Israelites as a high possibility. 

Against this backdrop, Joshua quickly formed a force composed of best-mobile men of war to make an expeditious move to march over a distance of 35 miles all night (Joshua 10:9) to make a sudden attack on the armies of five kings. This attack must have confounded them because they were solely concentrating on the Gibeonites and they did not expect the Israelites to appear that soon given some distance between them and Gilgal. 

Once and for All II

This surprise attack by Joshua was just the beginning of the victorious process. The LORD sealed the deal with the shower of hailstones on the enemies (Josh 10:11). As he did in the Ai battle (Joshua 8), he was determined to “crush the enemy” once and for all. Joshua asked the LORD to lengthen the day, and the sun stood still to lengthen the day for Israel to utterly destroy the enemies (Josh 10:12-15). 

A complete destruction of enemies in a single, day-long battle was very important for Israel, especially in a foreign land surrounded by other potential enemies. Joshua maximized his military genius, with critical help from the LORD God, he was able to quickly destroy the cohort of five kings. 

Conquest of Southern Canaan

After achieving a quick victory over the five kings, Joshua and Israel went on to conquer the rest of the southern area of Canaan – one city at a time. We see a continual, consistency of Joshua and Israel to destroy one city at a time. 

Lessons

We see a risk taken by Joshua. Joshua made a bold decision to launch a sudden attack against the cohort of five kings. He spotted the opportunity and quickly made a move to attack the enemy at the most vulnerable time. 

What about you? 

Are there certain God-given tasks that you need to be courageous and take risk to tackle?

Joshua 9: Silent God =? Merciful God

Summary

After hearing the news of the defeat of Ai, six nations of Canaan came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel. In contrast, the Gibeonites took a different approach and acted craftily to make a covenant (peace treaty) with Joshua and Israel. Not having asked for the counsel of the LORD, Joshua and Israel accepted a covenant with the Gibeonites to let them live. Three days later, Israel found out that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, not a nation far away, and the Israel congregation started to grumble. Because of the oath made before the LORD, however, Joshua let them live as wood cutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD. 

Conventional Message vs. Unconventional Perspectives

When a message is preached from this passage, a usual focus is on two aspects: 1) a national mistake committed by Joshua and Israel by not having asked for the counsel of the LORD when the Gibeonites approached to make a covenant; and 2) the deception and trick displayed by the Gibeonites. Often, the main application that arises from this chapter is that we should be diligent to seek God’s counsel for every matter in order not to be deceived. 

Although I do not entirely disagree with these interpretations and associated applications, I would like to extract a new insight by examining this event from the perspective of the Gibeonites and by focusing on the grace and inclusiveness of the LORD our God. 

What Gibeon Did Well

Although not explicitly stated in the book of Joshua, here’s my educated imagination of what the Gibeonites did prior to sending their delegates to Joshua. The Gibeonites took a different approach from the rest of the Canaan nations. Having heard many mighty miraculous acts by the LORD, including the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan River on a dry ground and the defeating of many kings on both sides of the Jordan River, Gibeonites started to fear and recognized that the land of Canaan was given to the Israelites by the LORD God. They finally concluded that they would not stand a chance against the Israelites. Having made this decision, Gibeonites formulated a strategic plan to maximize their survival and devised two major tactics to do so. 

From the Gibeonites’ “negotiation” with Joshua and Israel, we can learn a few lessons on what the Gibeonites did well. From verse 6, what the Gibeonites said to Joshua, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us” indicates that the Gibeonites conducted a thorough research of the Law of Moses. In this statement, I want to highlight two elements: first, they told Joshua that they came from a far country; second, they want Joshua to make a covenant with them. 

First, the Gibeonites told the Israelites that they were a far away nation because the LORD instructed the Israelites through Moses that if a nation that is far away offered a peace treaty, Israelites were to accept it (Deut 20:11-15). If the nations were nearby, such as the nations in the land of Canaan, they were to be utterly destroyed (Deut 7:1-2). The Gibeonites knew this aspect of the law of Moses and used this to maximize their chance for survival. 

Second, the Gibeonites wanted to make a covenant. Gibeonites also knew that the oath made in the name of the LORD was not to be recanted in Israel (Numbers 30:1-2). Therefore, if the Gibeonites were somehow able to make a covenant with Israel, they knew that their chance of survival would be assured.

In addition, in order to make their case of a far country  more compelling, the Gibeonites showed the worn out sandals, crumbled bread, and torn wine skins. 

Finally, the Gibeonites timed their delegation well. They might have looked for an opportune time to send their delegates. Israel and Joshua just came from a difficult, one day fight against the Ai inhabitants. It was possible that Joshua and Israel were spiritually and physically exhausted, and perhaps, for that reason, they did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. Also, the food that the Gibeonites brought could have won the hungry Israelites. Anyways, the Gibeonites fully used their knowledge to convince the Israelites to form a covenant with them.

It worked!

What does God think about this? 

Achan’s sin in chapter 7 was taken very seriously by God. The anger of the LORD burned against Israel (Josh 7:1). Regarding making a covenant with the Gibeonites, however, the LORD God did not say anything to Joshua. Nor did God let Israel be defeated by enemies in the subsequent battles. Why did God overlook the covenant made between the Israelites and the Gibeonites?  

Although we cannot possibly fully understand God’s silence in chapter 7, we may be able to project God’s mercy and encompassing heart for all the nations. When God commanded the Israelites to completely destroy nations that resided in the land of Canaan, it was primarily because of their evil acts (Lev 18:25-30). Absent evil practices and institutions, God, being merciful, may have given an opportunity for the Gibeonites to live. Perhaps, seeing a softening process of the heart of the Gibeonites as a whole nation, leading to a genuine attempt to turn around from evil acts, God kept His silence to give an opportunity for them to live. 

Joshua’s Brilliant Decision

Joshua decided to put the Gibeonites close to the presence of God. God forewarned that the nations in Canaan, if they were not utterly destroyed, would lead the Israelites away from worshiping the LORD. Perhaps for this reason, Joshua placed the Gibeonites very close to the presence of the LORD by forcing them to serve the altar. Even though Joshua cursed them to do this job, it could have been a blessing for the Gibeonites to be influenced by the presence of the LORD. 

Gibeonites vs. Rahab 

Rahab and the Gibeonites were the only survivors from the expedition of the Israelites. The major difference between the two was the degree of their confession before the LORD. Rahab made an explicit, full confession that the LORD God is the God of heaven above and on earth beneath (Josh 2:11)  whereas the Gibeonites greatly feared the power of the LORD God, but stopped there. If the Gibeonites had made a full confession, they might have been integrated to the Israelites in a different way. 

Gibeonites Many Years Later

The decision that God and Joshua made in regards to the Gibeonites did not turn out in vain. Many years lates (about 900 years after), when Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, came to Jerusalem to rebuild the city wall from the Susa Palace, men from Gibeon played an important role in repairing the wall (Nehemiah 3:7). 

Lessons

The Gibeonites had some fear of the LORD, although not perfect. The LORD grasped that small seed of the fear of the LORD and gave an opportunity for the Gibeonites to live.

I see the God the LORD who gives a second chance. Our God gave many second chances for us. Let this encourage you today.