Jos-Lesson 10

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JOSHUA 9-10:14
Lesson #10
BE AN OVERCOMER BY KEEPING THE WORD OF YOUR MOUTH

• Memory verse: Mat 5:37
• The battle for the Promised Land continues. With these subsequent battles we can gain more knowledge of how to be a believer that overcomes adversity by making wise decisions in life.
• Read Exo 23:31-33 God’s command to the Israelites in the Promised Land.
• Read Joshua 9:1-15
• The people that occupied the Promised Land:
• Some of these people were mountain tribes and some lived in the valleys (shephelah=low areas).
• Six tribes are mentioned in this chapter that inhabited the land while seven are mentioned in other places in Joshua. (Jos 3:10 Jos 24:11). The tribe missing here in Joshua 9 is the Girgashites.
• The number six spiritually represents the number of man, so these six tribes represent the flesh nature that the believer fights against in the Christian life.
• The Israelite strategy:
• After the victory at Jericho and Ai, the Israelites went to Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim to worship.
• The battle plan was for the Israelites to conquer the southern portion before the northern portion, so they RETURN ed to their camp in Gilgal.
• The enemy:
• The enemies of Israel banded together to oppose this new foreign threat. (1-2) The Israelites had the advantage since they now possessed the mountain passes. The enemy sent a group to meet with Joshua at Gilgal. They were the people from the city of Gibeon.
• Who were all the Gibeonites?
• They were Hivites who lived in the important city of Gibeon. There was a federation of 4 Hivite cities (Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim). The most important city was Gibeon and therefore, this group of Hivite people that approached Joshua was called Gibeonites.
• Other groups of Hivite cities did not join the Gibeonites, but they remained enemies of Israel all through history.
• What was the deception?
• They used old wineskins, moldy food, and old shoes to deceive the Israelites into thinking that they came from outside of the Promised Land.
• They mentioned the battles only east of the Jordan River as though they had not heard the latest news about the conquest of Jericho and Ai.
• Was the treaty with the Gibeonites God’s perfect will? No it was not. (14)
• A decision was made by what they saw.
• When we make decisions we are to be people of faith not by sight.
• They did not ask God what was His will. (14)
• What was the nature of the treaty?
• God had told the Israelites to destroy all the tribes in the Promised Land.
• Because the Israelites thought the Gibeonites were from outside the Promised Land, they quickly made a treaty with them.
• The Israelites agreed not to destroy the Gibeonites.
• The Gibeonite agreed to serve the Isrealites forever.
• Read Joshua 9:16-27
• Why didn’t Joshua cancel the treaty when he found out it was made through deception?
• Because he made it in the name of the Lord. (18)
• Because Joshua was a man of integrity. He believed that his word was a binding contract before God and before man.
• What kind of servant position were the Gibeonites to have?
• They were to be servants in the House of the Lord because they came as a result of hearing about God and what He had done. (Jos 9:9)
• They were to carry wood for the offerings. (It reminds us of the man that carried the cross of Christ. Mat 27:32)
• They were to carry water for the purification rites. (It reminds us of the woman at the well that brought water to Jesus. Joh 4)
• To bring the water was not an easy task.
• Archaeologists have found a huge cistern in the center of the city of Jerusalem. It is 37 feet in diameter and 82 feet deep. It has a circular staircase with 79 rock steps cut into the cistern wall. Then to get to the water they had to go through a tunnel 167 feet long with 93 more steps. At the end of the tunnel was a room filled with water from a spring outside of the city.
• Therefore, they will now serve the God they feared.
• Later when Joshua divided the land among the 12 tribes, the Gibeonites were given a special place called the city of Gibeon. In other words, they were given the land that they already possessed.
• This city was given to the tribe of Levi to administer.
• Remember that the tribe of Levi had no land of its own.
• 400 years later, David put the tabernacle in this city of Gibeon.
• The Gibeonites went into the Babylonian captivity with the Israelites and came out of it with them.
• Read: Psa 15 Mat 5:33-37 Eze 17:16-20 Heb 6:13-20
• Is it ever justified to break one’s promise when that promise was obtained deceitfully by others?
• All oaths or promises are binding as far as God is concerned. But how far is what we promise to others binding as far as God is concerned?
• Even if it hurts you, God will bless it and use it for your good—or He will get you out of it.
• We are going to see how this works out in Joshua’s situation.
• Read Joshua 10:1-14
• A confederation of five Amorite city-states (Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon) had formed to oppose the Israelites. The confederation was dominated by the king of Jerusalem.
• These cities were upset at the Gibeonites for defecting to the enemy.
• The city-states decided to attack the Gibeonites to teach a lesson and set an example to other possible defectors.
• The Gibeonites called for help from Joshua.
• This was God’s testing of Joshua’s word.
• Joshua remained faithful to his oath. Therefore, God gave them the victory. (11)
• God’s intervention:
• God sent hail and stopped the rotation of the earth to cause more daylight. (Jos 10:12).
• The Amorite people were worshippers of the sun God, Baal, and the moon goddess, Ashtoreth.
• This then is Jehovah God’s demonstration of power over heathen gods.
• Scientific evidence:
• It is interesting that a computer check indicates a missing 24 hour period somewhere back in history.
• In 2Kings 20:9 it talks about another change in time. (10 degrees = 40 min.)
• This 40 minutes plus 23 hours and 20 minutes in Jos 10 would add up to a 24 hour period. (Jesus is the creator. Col 1:17)
• Jos 10:13 mentions the book of Jasher. This is a lost book of poetic history.
• God rewarded the Gibeonites for their faithfulness to Israel through history.
• Therefore, we see that an oath is taken seriously by God and reaps its own consequences.
• The Gibeonites remained faithful servers in the house of God.
• The city of Gibeon was given a special honor by Joshua.
• When Joshua divided up the land, the city of Gibeon was given a special place among Aaron’s family descendants.
• Read Jos 21:17
• The treaty between the Israelites and the Gibeonites was supposed to be binding on both groups of people forever.
• We have seen that the Gibeonites kept their part of the treaty. (1Chr 16:37-39)
• However, the Israelites did not. King Saul broke the oath and caused a famine.
• Read 2Sam 21:1-9, 14b.
• David discovered that the breaking of the oath caused a famine in the land.
• The famine didn’t end until the oath was reinstated and the breaking of it settled.
• David set the tabernacle in Gibeon as a center of worship. (1Chr 16:37-39)
• The Gibeonites RETURN ed from the Babylonian captivity with the Israelites to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 3:7; 7:25)
• These people were still faithful to the Israelites even after the captivity.
• The Gibeonites were the only group of people saved out of the land because they heard about God, just as Rahab’s family was the only heathen family saved because she heard about God.
• Application:
• Why do you think an oath or a promise is so important to God?
• It is important because God made an oath to us and God keeps His word. He wants us to become like Him
• Read Heb 6:13-20
• Summary of principles:
• God would have us consult Him before making decisions and promises so that we walk by faith in His perfect will and not by sight.
• When we have made a promise, whether it is in His perfect will or not, we are to keep our word even if it costs us something.
• We can know God will use it for good to us and to those with whom we have made the promise.
• We can trust God and have faith that God can release us from the promise by his miracle power if he so desires.

HOMEWORK
JOSHUA 10
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joshua 9 and 10:1-14
• Do you have a problem keeping your commitments and promises?
• If so, ask God for forgiveness in prayer.
• Ask Him to help you to keep your word and write your progress this week.
• Preparation for Joshua 10:15-28
  • What do you think is the significance of this new memorial in Jos 10:27 which is different from the others?
  • What principles from Joshua 10 can we use in our present Christian life?
  • Memory verse: Galatians 3:13