Joshua 9:7–15

Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?”

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

And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

So they said to him: “From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God; for we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. Therefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” ’ This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.”

Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD. So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

This feels just a bit too stupid, like Joshua knew they were lying and just made the covenant anyway. The Gibeonites don’t answer either question. They never say who they are or where they’re from. Their response to the questioning is awkward, even silly. They just repeat, “far country,” and, “We are your servants.” That sounds rehearsed. Might Joshua have been tempted by the line, “We are your servants.”?

The text makes a point of saying what the Israelites did wrong. They did not ask counsel of the LORD. That’s the takeaway, especially given the context. Joshua has done many things that look crazy from a secular point of view, but they were all under the direction of the LORD. This one looks just as crazy.

But this time it’s Joshua’s idea, not God’s.

Always seek the council of the LORD. In other words, always pray first. This is trickier than it sounds. We’re used to asking God for favors. Asking Him for instruction, or help with a decision, is a different kind of prayer. There are ways to do this terribly wrong.

The Bible mentions casting lots and other methods that are analogous to flipping a coin. That is exactly what we must not do. Our seeking the LORD in prayer should be more like Gideon’s prayer about fleece.

Whenever we seek the LORD’s will in prayer, we must leave room for the LORD to not respond—where He effectively says, “This decision is up to you.”

A sign from the LORD must be clear. It can’t leave you wondering, “Was that was just a coincidence?”

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.