Joshua 9:1-6: a reflection

1When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it 2they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4they also resorted to a ruse, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and old, torn-up and bound up wineskins, 5and old and patched sandals on their feet, and wore old garments. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. 6They went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country. Now therefore make a covenant with us.”

As the Gibeonites disguise themselves to look like travelers from a distant land, cleverly deceiving Joshua into a commitment, we are warned of the danger of being taken in by convincing appearances into a hasty commitment. They resorted to a ruse, the account says, and took old sacks, worn wineskins, patched sandals, and moldy bread, to make it appear they had come from a far country; and they said to Joshua, make a covenant with us. The Gibeonites carefully staged an appearance, worn gear and stale provisions, to convince Israel they were distant travelers rather than near neighbors, so that Israel would make a treaty with them. It was a convincing appearance, deliberately staged to deceive and to secure a commitment. And, as the fuller story shows, Israel was taken in, committing themselves on the basis of appearances, without seeking God's guidance. This shows the danger of being taken in by convincing appearances into a hasty commitment. Do not be taken in by convincing appearances into hasty commitments. Appearances can be staged to deceive; look beyond them. Seek God's guidance before you commit to something. A convincing appearance is not proof; do not commit hastily on it.

Notice how the deception worked and where it led. The Gibeonites wanted a treaty with Israel, but knew they would not get one if their true identity as near neighbors were known. So they staged a convincing appearance: old, worn gear, patched sandals, moldy bread, all to make it look as though they had traveled from a far country. The appearance was convincing, deliberately crafted to deceive. And, as the fuller story shows, Israel was taken in: judging by the convincing appearance, and without seeking God's guidance, they committed themselves to a treaty they would not have made had they known the truth. This holds a practical warning. Appearances can be staged, deliberately crafted, to deceive us and to draw us into commitments. A convincing appearance, however persuasive, is not proof of the truth; things are not always as they appear, and some appearances are designed to mislead. And there is a particular danger in committing ourselves, entering into obligations, decisions, or agreements, hastily on the basis of appearances, without looking deeper or seeking God's guidance. We do well not to be rushed into commitments by convincing appearances, but to look beyond the surface and to seek God's guidance before we commit, lest a staged appearance draw us into what we would not have chosen. We do well not to commit hastily on the basis of appearances, but to seek God's guidance before committing. Do not be rushed into a commitment by a convincing appearance. Appearances can be staged to deceive; a convincing look is not proof. Seek God's guidance before committing to something. Look beyond the surface before you enter into obligations or agreements.

That is worth taking to heart, for convincing appearances can be staged to draw us into hasty commitments, and we do well to seek God's guidance before committing, as Israel was taken in by the Gibeonites' staged appearance. We can be rushed into commitments by convincing appearances; but Israel, judging by appearances without seeking God, committed to a treaty they would not otherwise have made. Do not commit hastily. When a convincing appearance would draw you into a commitment, do not be rushed; look beyond the surface and seek God's guidance before you commit. Do not be rushed into a commitment by a convincing appearance, but look beyond the surface and seek God's guidance before you commit, as when the Gibeonites disguised themselves to look like travelers from a distant land, cleverly deceiving Joshua into a commitment, resorting to a ruse with old sacks, worn wineskins, patched sandals, and moldy bread to appear as if from a far country and asking Israel to make a covenant with them; for the Gibeonites carefully staged an appearance to convince Israel they were distant travelers rather than near neighbors, a convincing appearance deliberately staged to deceive and secure a commitment, and as the fuller story shows Israel was taken in, committing themselves on the basis of appearances without seeking God's guidance, which holds a practical warning, since appearances can be staged and deliberately crafted to deceive us and draw us into commitments, and a convincing appearance however persuasive is not proof of the truth, things not always being as they appear and some appearances designed to mislead, and there is a particular danger in committing ourselves hastily on the basis of appearances without looking deeper or seeking God's guidance, so that we do well not to be rushed into commitments by convincing appearances but to look beyond the surface and seek God's guidance before we commit.

Lord, as the Gibeonites disguise themselves to look like travelers from a distant land, cleverly deceiving Joshua into a commitment, I am warned of the danger of being taken in by convincing appearances into a hasty commitment. They resorted to a ruse, the account says, and took old sacks, worn wineskins, patched sandals, and moldy bread, to make it appear they had come from a far country; and they said to Joshua, make a covenant with us. The Gibeonites carefully staged an appearance to convince Israel they were distant travelers rather than near neighbors, so that Israel would make a treaty with them. It was a convincing appearance, deliberately staged to deceive and to secure a commitment. And, as the fuller story shows, Israel was taken in, committing themselves on the basis of appearances, without seeking your guidance. Show me how the deception worked and where it led. The Gibeonites wanted a treaty, but knew they would not get one if their true identity were known. So they staged a convincing appearance, all to make it look as though they had traveled from far away. The appearance was convincing, deliberately crafted to deceive. And Israel was taken in: judging by the appearance, and without seeking your guidance, they committed themselves to a treaty they would not have made had they known the truth. This holds a practical warning. Appearances can be staged, deliberately crafted, to deceive me and draw me into commitments. A convincing appearance, however persuasive, is not proof of the truth; things are not always as they appear. And there is a particular danger in committing myself hastily on the basis of appearances, without looking deeper or seeking your guidance. Take that to my heart. When a convincing appearance would draw me into a commitment, keep me from being rushed; help me look beyond the surface, Lord, and seek your guidance before I commit, lest a staged appearance draw me into what I would not have chosen.