Joshua: Servant of the Lord - Lesson 6

Overview

The Gibeonite Deception and the Battle for Gibeon

After Jericho and Ai had fallen, the kings of Canaan banded together to resist Israel Joshua 9:1-2. The Gibeonites, however, took a different path. Knowing that Deuteronomy 20:10-18 permitted Israel to make peace only with distant peoples—but required the destruction of the nations within Canaan—they staged an elaborate ruse with worn sandals, moldy bread, and patched wineskins to feign a long journey. Joshua and the leaders examined their provisions but "did not ask direction from the Lord" Joshua 9:14 and ratified the treaty by oath. Three days later the deception was exposed, yet because the oath had been sworn in the name of the Lord, Israel kept it, making the Gibeonites servants at the tabernacle. The lesson here is twofold: leaders must seek God's counsel rather than rely on appearances, and a vow taken before the Lord is binding even when it costs us. The Gibeonites, now placed near the center of Israel's worship, would daily hear the Word—a reminder that faith comes by hearing, and that bringing children, grandchildren, and neighbors under the proclamation of the Word is no small matter.

The Battle for Gibeon and the Long Day

Because Gibeon had made peace with Israel, a coalition of five Amorite kings attacked the city, and Joshua marched all night to defend his new allies. The Lord assured him, "Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you." God threw the enemy into panic, hurled great hailstones from heaven, and—at Joshua's prayer—caused the sun to stand still over Gibeon Joshua 10:12-14. The precise mechanics of the miracle remain beyond us, but its reality is certain because Scripture is the inerrant Word of God. Notably, the Canaanites worshiped the sun and moon; God overruled their very idols to fight for His people. "There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice."

Understanding Divine Warfare

The destruction of the Canaanites troubles many readers, but Scripture frames it carefully. Centuries earlier, God told Abram that his descendants would not yet inherit the land, "for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" Genesis 15:12-16. For four generations God extended patience while the Canaanites practiced incest, divination, child sacrifice, and other abominations cataloged in Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 18:9-11. Their judgment came only when the time of grace had run its full course—and God warned Israel that the same judgment would fall on them if they followed those practices. The conquest is therefore a sober prefiguration of the final judgment. As 2 Peter 3:3-9 reminds us, the Lord delays not from indifference but from patience, "not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." Yet that day will come.

Pastoral Application

For each of us, the time of grace ends at death; for the world, it ends when Christ returns to judge. This gives urgency to the Great Commission—our unbelieving neighbors, family members, and friends need to hear the Word now. We must resist the temptation to remake God in a softer image, imagining a detached deity unconcerned with sin, or a grace so cheap that repentance becomes optional (cf. Romans 6). God is genuinely the God of love and grace, who sent His Son to bear our sin; He is also holy, and His patience has limits. Finally, the land itself was preserved for an Heir: as Galatians 3:16 makes clear, the promise to Abraham's "offspring" points ultimately to one Person—Christ. The whole conquest narrative serves the larger story of the gospel, in which God preserves a people and a place for the coming of His Son, who alone delivers us from the wrath to come.

Transcript

Good morning. 6s

Let's join in prayer, please. 8s

Let's pray together, please. 10s

Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for today and this opportunity to be in your 12s

house. 17s

We pray now, O Lord, that you would feed us with your word and send us forth as bold proclaimers 18s

of Christ crucified and risen. 24s

In Jesus' name. 27s

Amen. 28s

Well, last week we took a look in our study at the defeat of I and also the defeat of Jericho 30s

and how God granted victory. 39s

And you would think at this point, perhaps the people of God might say to themselves that 42s

all matters have been settled, but that is not the case that we will see. 48s

So let's pick up in Joshua the 9th chapter. 55s

Please, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, then Joshua. 59s

Joshua chapter 9 and we'll start in verse 1. 65s

Now at all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the low land 72s

all along the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon, the hitites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, 78s

the parasites, the hivites and the Jebiusites heard of this. 84s

They gathered together with one accord to fight Joshua and Israel. 90s

Well, what did they hear? 97s

They had heard of that great victory that God's people had over Jericho. 99s

Remember Jericho was known for its fortifications and so that's what they had heard and so 104s

now they're going to band together. 111s

We'll contrast that strategy with the strategy of the Ghibbionites. 115s

We'll pick up in verse 3. 122s

But when the inhabitants of Ghibbion heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to I, 125s

they on their part acted with cunning. 131s

So they went and prepared provisions and took worn out sacks for their donkeys and wine skins, 135s

worn out and torn and mended, with worn out patched sandals on their feet and worn out clothes, 144s

and all the provisions were dry and moldy. 152s

They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgol and said to him and to the Israelites, 157s

we have come from a far country, so now make a treaty with us. 164s

They pretend to come from a distant, distant land and yet we see that they are the Ghibbites 173s

and they're actually from a city that is 20 miles away. 185s

So this is quite the ruse here, isn't it? 193s

They dress differently, they make it look like they have been on this long journey and they're coming to ask for peace. 197s

They were aware of the regulations of Deuteronomy chapter 20. 206s

Let's keep a finger here and let's go to Deuteronomy chapter 20, Genesis, Exodus, 212s

Leviticus, Numbers and then Deuteronomy. 217s

Deuteronomy 20 and we'll pick up in verse 10. 221s

Deuteronomy 20 verse 10. 233s

When you draw near to a town to fight against it, offer a terms of peace. 236s

If it accepts your terms of peace and surrenders to you, then all the people in it shall serve you at forced labor. 242s

If it does not submit to you peacefully but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 252s

And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword. 259s

You may however take as your booty the women, the children, livestock and everything else in the town, all its spoil. 266s

You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies which the Lord your God has given you. 273s

Thus you shall treat all the towns that are very far from you, 280s

which are not towns of the nations here. 286s

But as for the towns of these people that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, 292s

you must not let anything that breathes remain alive. 298s

You shall annihilate them, the hitites and the amourites, the canonites and the parasites, 304s

the hivites and the jabby sites, such as the Lord your God has commanded, 311s

so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods, 318s

and you thus sin against the Lord your God. 325s

So you see what was behind the ruse here. 331s

They knew full well that treaties could be made for those that were coming from a far country. 334s

But the close ones in the land, God said those you will annihilate. 343s

So what do they do? They become actors, and they pretend as if they have come from a long, long way away. 350s

It was an elaborate trick with convincing props and a well-rehearsed troop of actors. 363s

Let's go back to Joshua 9. 373s

Joshua 9 will pick up in verse 12. 381s

Here is our bread. 389s

It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey. 391s

On the day we set out it's a come to you, but now see its dry and moldy. 397s

These wine skins were new when we filled them and see they are burst in these garments 402s

and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey. 406s

So the leaders partook of their provisions and did not ask direction from the Lord. 411s

And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty. 417s

And the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. 423s

But when three days had passed after they had made a treaty with them, 428s

they heard that they were their neighbors and were living among them. 432s

So the Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. 437s

Now their cities were a gibion, Shapira, Biroth, and Kyrith Jereem. 442s

But the Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, 449s

that all the congregation murmured against the leaders. 457s

But all the leaders said to all the congregation, 463s

we have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we must not touch them. 467s

This is what we will do to them. 473s

We will let them live so that wrath may not come upon us because of the oath that we swore to them. 475s

The leaders said to them, let them live. 483s

So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation as the leaders had decided concerning them. 485s

They then become the servants of Israel at the tabernacle and later the temple. 498s

They replaced them at the center of Israel's worship life. 507s

And what do they hear? 513s

But they will hear the message proclaimed. 516s

They will hear the message proclaimed. 522s

There is power in the Word. 526s

You have a child, as much as in your ability, a grandchild, bring them to worship. 532s

For they will hear the Word. 542s

Encourage one another in terms of worship because it is in worship that we hear the Word. 547s

And just as if we pushed away from the dining room table and said no longer do I want to eat food, we would die so also. 554s

One can die spiritually when they are not fed the Word because the means of grace, Word and sacrament are the means whereby God births faith, keeps us in the faith and grows us in the faith. 565s

Hearing of the Word is so very, very important. 581s

Let's go over now to chapter 10. 587s

Chapter 10. 590s

Verse 1. 593s

When King Edoniazek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken I and not only destroyed it, doing to I and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, 596s

and how the inhabitants of Gibyan had made peace with Israel and were among them. 609s

He became greatly frightened because Gibyan was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than I and all its men were warriors. 613s

So King Edoniazek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Pyram of Jermuth, to King Jappaya of Lackish, and to King Debeer of Eglong saying, 625s

Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibyan for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites. 641s

Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jermuth, the king of Lackish and the king of Eglong gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and camped against Gibyan and made war against it. 652s

And he gave him nights, sent into Joshua, the camp in Gilgol saying, 669s

Do not abandon your servants, come up to us quickly and save us and help us for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country are gathered against us. 673s

So Joshua went up from Gilgol, he and all the fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors. 685s

The Lord said to Joshua, do not fear them, for I've handed them over to you, not one of them shall stand before you. 692s

So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgol, and the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel who inflicted a great slaughter on them at Gibyan and chased them by the way of the ascent of Bethhuran and struck them down as far as Ezuka and Makkada. 700s

As they fled before Israel while they were going down the slope of Bethhuran, the Lord threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Ezuka and they died. 721s

There were more who died because of the hill stones than the Israelites killed with the sword. 734s

On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord and he said in the sight of Israel, 743s

sons stand still at Gibyan and moon in the valley of a Hajjalan and the sons stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. 749s

Is this not written in the book of Jashar? The sons stopped in mid-Heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 763s

There has been no day like it before or since when the Lord heeded the human voice for the Lord fought for Israel. 772s

There are various ideas about the nature of this miracle. 784s

One is, did the earth suddenly stop rotating on its axis? 789s

Another is, did God tilt the earth so that the Middle East became the land of the Midnight Sun? 796s

Another is, did God suspend the usual laws of motion? Did he freeze astronomical time but he allowed for earthly time to keep going? 804s

Interestingly, the Canaanites worshipped the Sun and the Moon so it's fascinating here that God uses the people by the agency of their supposed divinities to defeat the people. 818s

We may never ever be able to answer the how of the miracle but that God did perform it absolutely. 837s

The normal motion of the earth, moon and sun in relation to each other ceased as the Lord fought for Israel. 846s

How do you explain that miracle? You don't. 856s

What do you say? Did it occur? Absolutely. Because it's in the infallible and errant word of God. 860s

How did God pull it off? Don't know that it did happen? Absolutely. 869s

The conquest under Joshua lasted a long time, the Scripture tells us. 878s

The intensive conquest was probably about seven years in length. 886s

In Joshua 11, verse 40, take a look at that, please. 894s

I wrote the 23, rather. 905s

Joshua 11, 23. So Joshua took the whole land according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. 909s

In Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments and the land had rest from war. 917s

That does not mean that Israel had absolute control at this point but it does mean that the Canaanites didn't have the will to organize anymore against them. 929s

When you go over into Joshua 12, you'll see there a list. 945s

These are all the lists of the conquered kings of Canaan that God conquered through the people. 950s

So how does one understand divine warfare? 963s

Because as you look at Scripture here, it is unmistakable that God is saying, annihilate them, wipe them out, put all the males to the sword. 972s

Absolutely, utterly destroy them. 986s

Well, to start getting an answer to this, let's go back to Genesis 15. Genesis 15. 992s

And we'll pick up in verse 12. 1005s

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram in a deep and terrifying darkness to send it upon him. 1014s

Then the Lord said to Abram, know this for certain that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs and shall be slaves there and they shall be oppressed for 400 years. 1023s

But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 1039s

As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace, you shall be buried in the good old age. 1048s

And they shall come back here in the fourth generation. 1055s

For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. 1061s

Now look again at 16. 1066s

And they shall come back here in the fourth generation for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. 1068s

So God here is talking about the time where the people remember the covenant that was established in the 12th chapter, the covenant of with Abraham and Sarah that through them is going to come this great nation out of this nation is going to come to the Messiah. 1077s

Those people wind up in slavery in Egypt. 1094s

Here is the promise here of release and a return to the land in 16 again and they shall come back here in the fourth generation for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. 1098s

A generation was determined by the man's age at the birth of his first son. 1113s

So we know from scripture Abraham was a hundred so there you go. 1124s

There is the fourth generation then there you've got the reference to 400 years. 1130s

Got the sin of the Amorites remember had not yet come to completion. 1137s

The sin then of those Canaanite people finally reached its full measure. 1145s

In patience God had given the people of Canaan centuries of clemency to repent of their idolatry and their immorality. 1152s

But they turned from God. 1166s

We see in scripture in Leviticus 18 and 20 Deuteronomy 18 9 to 11. 1169s

We see what they were engaged in incest, divination, consulting the dead, casting spells, engaging in cultic prostitution, sacrificing their own sons and daughters by fire, homosexuality, beastiality, and other detestable. 1176s

Here's the point. 1199s

God has the perfect right to end the time of grace for those that mock him. 1201s

God can do whatever he wants to do and whatever God does is right because God can do it wrong because he has righteous. 1215s

God has every right then to end the time of available grace for those that had mocked his love. 1222s

Remember here we see centuries of God's patience here and the people there still continuing to mock him. 1232s

God warned that he would punish his own people in the same way if they engaged in those abominations. 1245s

And God's warning is still to this day. 1256s

It is still to this day. 1262s

God's warning of the expression of his wrath. 1265s

The New Testament affirms that doing such things will incur the eschatological wrath of God. 1270s

What is that? What is that word? 1281s

Eschatology is simply that which occurs in the end times. 1283s

So in the second coming of Christ, remember when Christ came the first time he came to do what? 1288s

Came to save. 1297s

When he comes the second time he comes to do what? 1299s

Comes to judge. 1303s

And so the same warning that was upon the people of old, all of theites, right? 1305s

In the land that continued to mock God amidst his time of patience, that same warning that God said, 1314s

I will do the same thing to my people. 1323s

The same warning comes to us as it stands still. 1327s

As we can incur then the eschatological wrath of God, God today tolerates widespread evil, widespread unbelief, and widespread rebellion. 1335s

Take a look at the second Peter. 1356s

Go to Revelation, last book, and then slowly work your way backwards. 1359s

You are going to cross over the John's and you are going to bump quickly into the Peter's. 1362s

Second Peter, chapter 3. 1365s

There are some that interpret God's patience and delay in unleashing his eschatological wrath as that God simply will not come. 1371s

Again, that Christ is not going to come as promised. 1386s

But look at second Peter, chapter 3, and we'll pick up in verse 3. 1390s

First of all, you must understand this, that in the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, 1400s

Where is the promise of His coming? 1408s

Forever since our ancestors died, all things continued as they were from the beginning of creation. 1412s

They deliberately ignored this fact that by the word of God, Heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, 1418s

through which the world of that time was delusional with water and perished. 1429s

What's it referring to there? That's back Noah and the flood. 1434s

But by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction, 1440s

notice the word there, destruction of the Godless. 1452s

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day. 1459s

The Lord is patient here before the incurred wrath of that eschatological judgment comes. 1470s

He is patient for what purpose? Patient so that people might come to repentance. 1480s

Eventually, this fallen world will end and the universal judgment will arrive and the destruction that is promised will arrive. 1489s

Here's the point. 1504s

One sees in the destruction of the pagans of Canaan a prefiguration of the destruction of all unbelievers at the end of the world. 1508s

What you see God doing in the recorded scriptures for us of what He did with those that continued to mock Him, continued to mock His time offered for repentance. 1522s

That will be manifest or that is a prefiguration of the destruction that will come when Christ comes again. 1538s

God has every right to bring to an end the time of grace whenever He feels the time of end for the time of grace should be. 1547s

We all live right now in the time of grace, don't we? When does the time of grace end for us? 1561s

When we die, right? When we die. 1569s

The time then of grace ends. It's not that post-death there is going to be a second chance for the unbeliever. No. 1573s

At the time of grace, at the time of death, that period of grace concludes. 1583s

Now all of a sudden there's an urgency all the more about the great commission. 1592s

Is there not? To go there for and make the disciples of all nations and how are people made by hearing of the word? 1596s

And so for the neighbor who is unchirched for the family member who doesn't believe for the sibling that doesn't believe on the list. 1605s

There's a sense of urgency because the time of grace closes for them at the time of death. 1617s

So the destruction then in terms of the Canaanites, the destruction there of them was that God had determined that their time of grace was done. 1627s

We live in the period of this time of God calling us to repentance and we see from the New Testament that the time of grace ends at death but the eschatological wrath of God will come for destruction of the unbeliever when Jesus comes again. 1642s

Destruction does not mean that the unbeliever goes out of existence, not at all because all of us, every single human being, is an eternal being. 1663s

Will either live in hell the Scripture says or will live in heaven. 1675s

You see it's so important to allow the Scriptures to interpret the Scripture, lest we come to an understanding of God, formed in our own mind that God is a... 1683s

God's a grandpa, detached, that simply says of His creation, kids are going to be kids and it's just enjoying retirement and just not really too concerned about sin. 1702s

That's not the witness of Scripture. We can be tempted to form a God in which we focus on the grace of God and we wind up in the problem that Paul addresses when he writes in Romans, shall we sin so that grace may abound? 1723s

So you know exactly what the people were doing, right? They said this grace is fantastic. It's fantastic. 1741s

I'm forgiven. God's grace abounds. I can do whatever I want. No. Paul says, what do you do that? You're not supposed to do that? Jesus Christ came and paid the sin debt for you. 1748s

He comes to create new life in us, a life that glorifies Him. Will we be ever perfect this side of heaven? No, but what's the key? But we are constantly repenting. 1765s

When we desin things or when we say we no longer have to repent, we're just going to live in the grace of God. 1777s

You see, that's a misunderstanding of Scripture and we've created our own idol of a God that doesn't exist. 1786s

And so you let the beautiful tender, sweet passages of the grace of God that Jesus has taken our sin upon Him, that incredible grace of God, but you also hold it in understanding that in the end there will be a day when God's patience is gone. 1795s

And this comes to an end with all of this. And there is nowhere in Scripture that says that all will be saved regardless of the belief that they have. 1815s

There's absolutely nowhere in Scripture, but you'll hear some people say that. That's what's called universalism. That in the end doesn't matter what you believe who you believe in. 1827s

In the end, God's going to save everyone because God's the God of love and God's the God of grace. God is the God of love and God is the God of grace and God is also the God of holiness who abhorrs sin, who sent his own son to take the punishment for sin and God's wrath upon Him. 1836s

So that forgiveness could be born in the gates of heaven open, but there will be a day when God's patience comes to an end. 1859s

So why is it then? Why is it then that God allowed for that divine warfare because He had determined the day had come to an end of their grace? 1874s

And was God justified in His actions? Absolutely. He was justified in His actions. 1893s

Why also is God working there to preserve the land? Because the inheritor of the land is Jesus. 1903s

Now, let's take a look here at Genesis chapter 12, and I've got like one minute here. So we're going to go quick. 1918s

Genesis chapter 12, verse 7. 1931s

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your offspring, I will give this land. So we built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to Him. 1945s

Okay, now jump over to Galatians chapter 3. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans, 1st and 2nd, Corinthians, then Galatians. 1956s

If you've had Ephesians, you're too far. Galatians chapter 3 verse 16. 1965s

Now, the promises were made to Abraham, verse 16, Galatians 3. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. 1979s

It does not say, and to offspring as of many, but it says, into your offspring, that is to one person who is Christ. 1990s

My point is this. The law, which came 430 years later, does not unknown a covenant previously ratified by God. 2003s

So as to nullify the promise. Now, what's being referred to there is the covenant with Abraham, Genesis 12, and then the giving of the law, which was 430 years later. 2017s

Remember a while back, we had studied the law, was never given to save. 2030s

Verse 15, for if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise, but God granted it to Abraham through a promise. 2035s

Back into 16 again. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, and to offspring as of many, but it says, into your offspring. 2049s

That is to one person who is Christ. The land is given to the ultimate heir, and the ultimate heir is Jesus. 2060s

And the land would be preserved for the heir of the Lord, Jesus Christ. 2077s

The time of available grace is in God's hand. Lord is patient to allow for repentance. Eventually, universal judgment will arise. 2088s

The destruction of the pagan canaanites prefigures the destruction of all unbelievers at the end of the world. 2100s

What we're going to see now as we go into Joshua 12, is we're going to see that portion of the conquest come to an end. 2114s

We're going to see, following the allotments, a holding of the land. We're going to see God blessing his people and offering grace and forgiveness amidst their trust. 2123s

We'll continue next week. 2134s

you 2143s