Friday, January 16, 2004
Joshua 22 - preemptive war averted
It is easy to get things very wrong. After the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Mannasseh returned east of Jordan, they decided to build a conspicuous temple in the midst of their land. Word of this came back to the ten tribes west of Jordan and they immediately came to the conclusion that the eastern tribes were in rebellion: setting up a temple in conflict with the Deuteronomistic requirement of one site for sacrifices (Dt 12) which would be in the center of "the land" (west of Jordan).
Joshua 22:12 And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh, to make war against them.
Fortunately, the ten western tribes had the wisdom to send a high-level delegation to find out what was going on before they commenced hostilities. They sent the priest Phinehas with ten leaders, one from each of the western tribes. This is what they heard from the eastern tribes:
Joshua 22:22 "The LORD, God of gods! The LORD, God of gods! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith toward the LORD, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD; or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or offerings of well-being on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance. 24 No! We did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you Reubenites and Gadites; you have no portion in the LORD....'"
What they heard, first, was a repeated and emphatic declaration of loyalty to YHWH. Second, they heard that the eastern tribes were themselves fearful that the western tribes would disassociate from them. The action of building this Temple was, indeed, ambiguous. It could have been used to set up a separate sacrifice (a serious violation of the unity of the faith as envisioned by Moses). But, that was not the intention of the hearts of those who built it. Instead, they built it to be a symbol of unity with the eastern tribes. Only talk could determine that.
TNK Joshua 22:30 When the priest Phinehas and the chieftains of the community -- the heads of the contingents of Israel -- who were with him heard the explanation given by the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, they approved. 31 The priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, "Now we know that the LORD is in our midst, since you have not committed such treachery against the LORD. You have indeed saved the Israelites from punishment by the LORD."
It is a commonplace among cynical people today to say that "talk is well and good, but show me what you mean by your actions," -- or as President Reagan said of treaties with Russia, "trust, but verify." In reality, it is not enough simply to observe actions. Here, a tragic and unnecessary war was averted because the people who felt threatened had the wisdom to go beyond the appearances of action to inquire about intent.
Will we be wise enough to listen to the hearts of those whom we fear as enemies?
Joshua 22:12 And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh, to make war against them.
Fortunately, the ten western tribes had the wisdom to send a high-level delegation to find out what was going on before they commenced hostilities. They sent the priest Phinehas with ten leaders, one from each of the western tribes. This is what they heard from the eastern tribes:
Joshua 22:22 "The LORD, God of gods! The LORD, God of gods! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith toward the LORD, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD; or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or offerings of well-being on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance. 24 No! We did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you Reubenites and Gadites; you have no portion in the LORD....'"
What they heard, first, was a repeated and emphatic declaration of loyalty to YHWH. Second, they heard that the eastern tribes were themselves fearful that the western tribes would disassociate from them. The action of building this Temple was, indeed, ambiguous. It could have been used to set up a separate sacrifice (a serious violation of the unity of the faith as envisioned by Moses). But, that was not the intention of the hearts of those who built it. Instead, they built it to be a symbol of unity with the eastern tribes. Only talk could determine that.
TNK Joshua 22:30 When the priest Phinehas and the chieftains of the community -- the heads of the contingents of Israel -- who were with him heard the explanation given by the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, they approved. 31 The priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, "Now we know that the LORD is in our midst, since you have not committed such treachery against the LORD. You have indeed saved the Israelites from punishment by the LORD."
It is a commonplace among cynical people today to say that "talk is well and good, but show me what you mean by your actions," -- or as President Reagan said of treaties with Russia, "trust, but verify." In reality, it is not enough simply to observe actions. Here, a tragic and unnecessary war was averted because the people who felt threatened had the wisdom to go beyond the appearances of action to inquire about intent.
Will we be wise enough to listen to the hearts of those whom we fear as enemies?
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
For the next several days, I'm off to Iowa to participate in the Howard Dean campaign "perfect storm." click on their blog I'm not sure what ability I'll have to blog during that time. And remember, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is celebrated on Monday. Work for justice; commit to Jesus' way of nonviolence.
Joshua 13-22 the allotment
Joshua 13-22 is a section that concerns the distribution of the land among the 12 tribes: first of the Transjordan, then of the land west of the Jordan, and concludes with a section on the cities of refuge and the relationship between the eastern and western tribes.
This section is bracketed by parallel verses:
Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land still remains to be possessed.
Joshua 23:2 Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years; 3 and you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you.
These ten “allotment” chapters serve as a reference book for the allotment of the land given by the hand of God to the twelve tribes of Israel. They show God’s faithfulness, but mostly, they are a legal reference to establish the shalom (the economic wellbeing) of the people of God, which rests in the allotment of land. It is the allotment that serves as the basis of the jubilee “return” and cancellation of debt, which was the radical basis of economic justice in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 15.
The story of the allotment is introduced by God who reminds Joshua of territory yet to be possessed, but concludes with the bold reminder that the conquest has not been Joshua’s or the Israelites, but the war has, all along, been God’s:
Joshua 13:6-7 I will myself drive them out from before the Israelites; only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh."
If Joshua will distribute the land among the tribes of Israel, then God will drive out the Philistines and Canaanites. Salvation from the enemies in the midst, then rests not on preparing for further war, but on establishing the basis for economic justice.
Indeed, as odd as it may seem, the section repeatedly affirms that various non-Israelite tribes continue in Israel "to this day":
Joshua 13:13 Yet the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites; but Geshur and Maacath live within Israel to this day.
Joshua 15:63 But the people of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so the Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
Joshua 16:10 They did not, however, drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer: so the Canaanites have lived within Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.
I don’t know that the text sounds exactly happy about this, but the continuing presence of the alien is acknowledged as a neutral fact. The lesson then, is that our safety lies ultimately not in our success in destroying enemies (saving us from enemies is, in the end, God’s work). Rather, our safety lies in the just allotment of wealth.
This section is bracketed by parallel verses:
Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land still remains to be possessed.
Joshua 23:2 Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years; 3 and you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you.
These ten “allotment” chapters serve as a reference book for the allotment of the land given by the hand of God to the twelve tribes of Israel. They show God’s faithfulness, but mostly, they are a legal reference to establish the shalom (the economic wellbeing) of the people of God, which rests in the allotment of land. It is the allotment that serves as the basis of the jubilee “return” and cancellation of debt, which was the radical basis of economic justice in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 15.
The story of the allotment is introduced by God who reminds Joshua of territory yet to be possessed, but concludes with the bold reminder that the conquest has not been Joshua’s or the Israelites, but the war has, all along, been God’s:
Joshua 13:6-7 I will myself drive them out from before the Israelites; only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh."
If Joshua will distribute the land among the tribes of Israel, then God will drive out the Philistines and Canaanites. Salvation from the enemies in the midst, then rests not on preparing for further war, but on establishing the basis for economic justice.
Indeed, as odd as it may seem, the section repeatedly affirms that various non-Israelite tribes continue in Israel "to this day":
Joshua 13:13 Yet the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites; but Geshur and Maacath live within Israel to this day.
Joshua 15:63 But the people of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so the Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
Joshua 16:10 They did not, however, drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer: so the Canaanites have lived within Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.
I don’t know that the text sounds exactly happy about this, but the continuing presence of the alien is acknowledged as a neutral fact. The lesson then, is that our safety lies ultimately not in our success in destroying enemies (saving us from enemies is, in the end, God’s work). Rather, our safety lies in the just allotment of wealth.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Joshua 11 - the conquest is over
In this chapter, Joshua finishes the conquest narrative by overcoming the kings of the north and then slaughtering their people.
Joshua 11: 12 And all the towns of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took, and struck them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.
I have had to struggle with these texts which sound like a celebration of genocide, and particularly with verse 19, below, which re-iterates the demand we read in Deuteronomy that the enemies of God be shown no mercy. This is not the word of Jesus, who says, “you have heard it said of old...., but I say to you....” So, I find it important to look carefully again at the text to see what hints we have from within the text of the author’s purposes, in hopes, perhaps, of extracting some valuable lesson even if we have to reject any continuing divine attribution to the story on its most obvious surface level.
The first half of the chapter describing Joshua’s war in the north makes it like a short campaign but, in the concluding summary, the text clarifies that it was actually a long struggle.
Joshua 11:18-20 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
This is a hint that there is a longer and more complex factual history that is obscured by the didactic structure of the story. The next hint comes when the author raises the puzzling issue that other towns did not follow the example of Gibeon and seek peace with the Israelites. This, stiffening resistance, the text lays at God's hands:
Joshua 11:19 There was not a town that made peace with the Israelites, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon; all were taken in battle. 20 For it was the LORD's doing to harden their hearts so that they would come against Israel in battle, in order that they might be utterly destroyed, and might receive no mercy, but be exterminated, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
This, of course, is an allusion to Pharaoh and Moses, and shows again that the book is to be taken more as a typology of liberation than as history in the modern sense. We have noted before that these commandments of utter destruction and no mercy were not historically carried out (as in the early chapters of Judges), so the narrative here clearly has a spiritual lesson designed for the religious education of contemporary readers. The text then concludes the narrative of the conquest with this summary expression, as the rest of the book turns to the distribution of the land:
Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
However, two chapters further on, the text explicitly says that Joshua did not take the whole land, nor did the land have rest from the warfare:
Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land still remains to be possessed...."
So, , even under its own terms, Joshua 11 is not to be taken as history but as an allegory of liberation. And what am I able to learn from it?
The continuity of God's salvation through Moses and Joshua.
God's sovereignty in history, and ultimate rule over all countervailing force.
Most important, I hear again and again, an allegory of personal spiritual surrender; the necessity of complete and undistracted worship of God. Everything contrary must be “put to the sword.” Then, the conquest is over.
Joshua 11: 12 And all the towns of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took, and struck them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.
I have had to struggle with these texts which sound like a celebration of genocide, and particularly with verse 19, below, which re-iterates the demand we read in Deuteronomy that the enemies of God be shown no mercy. This is not the word of Jesus, who says, “you have heard it said of old...., but I say to you....” So, I find it important to look carefully again at the text to see what hints we have from within the text of the author’s purposes, in hopes, perhaps, of extracting some valuable lesson even if we have to reject any continuing divine attribution to the story on its most obvious surface level.
The first half of the chapter describing Joshua’s war in the north makes it like a short campaign but, in the concluding summary, the text clarifies that it was actually a long struggle.
Joshua 11:18-20 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
This is a hint that there is a longer and more complex factual history that is obscured by the didactic structure of the story. The next hint comes when the author raises the puzzling issue that other towns did not follow the example of Gibeon and seek peace with the Israelites. This, stiffening resistance, the text lays at God's hands:
Joshua 11:19 There was not a town that made peace with the Israelites, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon; all were taken in battle. 20 For it was the LORD's doing to harden their hearts so that they would come against Israel in battle, in order that they might be utterly destroyed, and might receive no mercy, but be exterminated, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
This, of course, is an allusion to Pharaoh and Moses, and shows again that the book is to be taken more as a typology of liberation than as history in the modern sense. We have noted before that these commandments of utter destruction and no mercy were not historically carried out (as in the early chapters of Judges), so the narrative here clearly has a spiritual lesson designed for the religious education of contemporary readers. The text then concludes the narrative of the conquest with this summary expression, as the rest of the book turns to the distribution of the land:
Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
However, two chapters further on, the text explicitly says that Joshua did not take the whole land, nor did the land have rest from the warfare:
Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land still remains to be possessed...."
So, , even under its own terms, Joshua 11 is not to be taken as history but as an allegory of liberation. And what am I able to learn from it?
The continuity of God's salvation through Moses and Joshua.
God's sovereignty in history, and ultimate rule over all countervailing force.
Most important, I hear again and again, an allegory of personal spiritual surrender; the necessity of complete and undistracted worship of God. Everything contrary must be “put to the sword.” Then, the conquest is over.
Monday, January 12, 2004
Joshua 10 saved by hailstones and light
The kings of this world are unhappy with those who enter into a covenant of peace. (We've noticed this in our own life and politics.)
Joshua 10:3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, 4 "Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites."
Why would Adoni-zedek want to attack his form friends at Gibeon rather than his present enemy, Joshua. Perhaps the betrayal by Gibeon from the way of war-resistance stung more than the much more palpable threat from the Hebrews. It is possible that the war-powers fear peace more than they do violent resistance. In any event, Adoni-zedek organized the five kings to take up arms against Gibeon. Gibeon, in response, called on Joshua as their savior:
Joshua 10:6 "Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us,...”
The Hebrew word for "save" us is yasha -- the word most often used in scripture of YHWH when God acts to save his people. What follows is one of the most amazing of the YHWH-warrior stories. First God speaks the archetypical words, "Fear not" which is the precursor to the authentic YHWH-war events. Fear is the instrument of violence. The love of God removes fear.
Joshua 10:8 The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you."
Then begins the fighting. But the real actor in the warfare is God, who overwhelms the human warfare of Joshua:
Joshua 10:9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who inflicted a great slaughter on them...11...while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down huge stones from heaven on them ... and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.
Clearly, this is no pacifist tract, and the slaughter committed by the Israelites was real. But the text is concerned to let us know that the battle was YHWH's. The rain of lethal stones from heaven was not enough; the miraculous beyond any possiblilty of rational comprehension overwhelms the story. Joshua spoke to God and said,
Joshua 10:12 "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon." 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Even more than the story of Rahab and Jericho, this text invites us to interiorize or spiritualize the event. Here darkness is swallowed up by light; night encompassed by day. Here we see that the light shined in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it. Here is Christ, the light of the world whose kingdom shall know no end.
Joshua 10:14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded a human voice; for the LORD fought for Israel.
In reality, the Lord fought for those who were in fact NOT Israel, but who had entered into the covenant of peace. May it be so with all who have made peace and broken down the dividing wall of hostility through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2).
Joshua 10:3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, 4 "Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites."
Why would Adoni-zedek want to attack his form friends at Gibeon rather than his present enemy, Joshua. Perhaps the betrayal by Gibeon from the way of war-resistance stung more than the much more palpable threat from the Hebrews. It is possible that the war-powers fear peace more than they do violent resistance. In any event, Adoni-zedek organized the five kings to take up arms against Gibeon. Gibeon, in response, called on Joshua as their savior:
Joshua 10:6 "Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us,...”
The Hebrew word for "save" us is yasha -- the word most often used in scripture of YHWH when God acts to save his people. What follows is one of the most amazing of the YHWH-warrior stories. First God speaks the archetypical words, "Fear not" which is the precursor to the authentic YHWH-war events. Fear is the instrument of violence. The love of God removes fear.
Joshua 10:8 The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you."
Then begins the fighting. But the real actor in the warfare is God, who overwhelms the human warfare of Joshua:
Joshua 10:9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who inflicted a great slaughter on them...11...while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down huge stones from heaven on them ... and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.
Clearly, this is no pacifist tract, and the slaughter committed by the Israelites was real. But the text is concerned to let us know that the battle was YHWH's. The rain of lethal stones from heaven was not enough; the miraculous beyond any possiblilty of rational comprehension overwhelms the story. Joshua spoke to God and said,
Joshua 10:12 "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon." 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Even more than the story of Rahab and Jericho, this text invites us to interiorize or spiritualize the event. Here darkness is swallowed up by light; night encompassed by day. Here we see that the light shined in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it. Here is Christ, the light of the world whose kingdom shall know no end.
Joshua 10:14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded a human voice; for the LORD fought for Israel.
In reality, the Lord fought for those who were in fact NOT Israel, but who had entered into the covenant of peace. May it be so with all who have made peace and broken down the dividing wall of hostility through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2).
Sunday, January 11, 2004
Joshua 9 - a covenant of peace
Joshua 9:3-4 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they on their part acted with cunning
This story of the wily Gibeonites who trick Joshua into making a treaty with them is faintly reminiscent of Jesus' story of the dishonest manager. Read the whole story in Luke 16:1-13, but the surprise comes when Jesus reports that:
Luke 16:8 his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth1 so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
Where we expect God to prefer the pious one who just submits to his just punishment, in this parable, Jesus holds up the shrewdness of the one who fixed up for himself a bunch of friends at this master's expense, so that when the time of his righteous punishment he would have succor. The master so admired this initiative that he praises his embezzling steward for his shrewdness. And Jesus says we should do the best with the dishonest gain we have to make friends with the poor and thus have a welcome in heaven.
Here in the bloody story of Joshua, following the destruction of Jericho and Ai, and before the destruction of the five kings of the south, we have the story of the people of the city of Gibeon. Hearing of Joshua's victories -- and more chilling, hearing of the slaughter he inflicts -- they devise a ruse by which they hope to be saved.
Joshua 9:4-6 they went and prepared provisions,1 and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, 5 with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes; and all their provisions were dry and moldy. 6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the Israelites, "We have come from a far country; so now make a treaty with us." [The word "treaty" here is berith, usually translated "covenant."]
The Israelites were no dummies, and questioned them closely:
Joshua 9:7 But the Israelites said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?"
But the Gibeonites lied through their teeth, and the result was that
Joshua 9:15 Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. [the word "peace" here is shalom.]
Three days later, when Israel discovered that they were tricked, they went up to attack, but Joshua and the leaders felt bound by the treaty and oath they had made. The Gibeonites were allowed to live, but as slaves (as "hewers of wood and drawers of water." ) (v. 27). From the point of view of the Gibeonites, noting that the alternative was slaughter, this was a good thing.
The point of view of God is obscure. On the one hand, God has clearly ordered Joshua to destroy all the inhabitants of the land. And the text offers the opinion that Joshua fell into the trap of the Gibeonites' trickery because they (Joshua 9:14) "did not ask direction from the LORD." On the other hand, the covenant of shalom, once made, was binding and took precedence over the commandment to destroy. The next chapter proves it. So, this story suggests that there is a deeper law than purity; it is the law of love.
I say, trick, lie, steal if you must in the interest of the covenant of peace. There is more than one way to overcome one's enemies, and the way of love shall have the victory.
This story of the wily Gibeonites who trick Joshua into making a treaty with them is faintly reminiscent of Jesus' story of the dishonest manager. Read the whole story in Luke 16:1-13, but the surprise comes when Jesus reports that:
Luke 16:8 his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth1 so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
Where we expect God to prefer the pious one who just submits to his just punishment, in this parable, Jesus holds up the shrewdness of the one who fixed up for himself a bunch of friends at this master's expense, so that when the time of his righteous punishment he would have succor. The master so admired this initiative that he praises his embezzling steward for his shrewdness. And Jesus says we should do the best with the dishonest gain we have to make friends with the poor and thus have a welcome in heaven.
Here in the bloody story of Joshua, following the destruction of Jericho and Ai, and before the destruction of the five kings of the south, we have the story of the people of the city of Gibeon. Hearing of Joshua's victories -- and more chilling, hearing of the slaughter he inflicts -- they devise a ruse by which they hope to be saved.
Joshua 9:4-6 they went and prepared provisions,1 and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, 5 with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes; and all their provisions were dry and moldy. 6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the Israelites, "We have come from a far country; so now make a treaty with us." [The word "treaty" here is berith, usually translated "covenant."]
The Israelites were no dummies, and questioned them closely:
Joshua 9:7 But the Israelites said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?"
But the Gibeonites lied through their teeth, and the result was that
Joshua 9:15 Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. [the word "peace" here is shalom.]
Three days later, when Israel discovered that they were tricked, they went up to attack, but Joshua and the leaders felt bound by the treaty and oath they had made. The Gibeonites were allowed to live, but as slaves (as "hewers of wood and drawers of water." ) (v. 27). From the point of view of the Gibeonites, noting that the alternative was slaughter, this was a good thing.
The point of view of God is obscure. On the one hand, God has clearly ordered Joshua to destroy all the inhabitants of the land. And the text offers the opinion that Joshua fell into the trap of the Gibeonites' trickery because they (Joshua 9:14) "did not ask direction from the LORD." On the other hand, the covenant of shalom, once made, was binding and took precedence over the commandment to destroy. The next chapter proves it. So, this story suggests that there is a deeper law than purity; it is the law of love.
I say, trick, lie, steal if you must in the interest of the covenant of peace. There is more than one way to overcome one's enemies, and the way of love shall have the victory.
