Check Please

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

            The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?”

            “We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.

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

              They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt,  And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. 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.' 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. 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.” 

            The men of Israel 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. (Joshua 9:3-15) 

       The Gibeonites looked legitimate. They had moldy bread, cracked wineskins, worn shoes and clothes. They acted and sounded sincere, just enough whine to seem harmless and maybe a bit pathetic. Oh no, they couldn't possibly be from nearby. They were innocent. Couldn't everyone see that? Joshua and the leadership of Israel didn't do what they didn't do before making an agreement with Rahab, or before attacking Ai the first time. They didn't inquire of the Lord. They didn't pray about it. A pattern is developing.

            Perhaps Joshua thought the way I tend to think.  I am thankful that God has directed me before. I believe God is directing me now, even though I feel a bit like I'm spinning plates. I tend to assume that He's going to direct me each step along the way and therefore I don't always inquire of the Lord, either. What if one of the directions God is trying to teach me is to check with Him before making decisions and to trust Him, rather than my eyes, ears, tongue or mind? What if the lesson is about God's partnership with me and I'm too busy going ahead with full assurance that He either is or will be directing me?

            Had Joshua asked God about these people, what would God have told him? It's purely speculation on my part, but I suspect it would have gone better for the Israelites. At the very least, I suspect God would have exposed the lie. Either way, however, they are proof that the various nations God had commanded the Israelites to kill did have at least one option. The Gibeonites were still around to help Nehemiah repair the wall.