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The Beginning of the End
God of Israel.” “The children of Israel did not attack them.” The
Gibeonites had pledged themselves to give up idolatry and accept
the worship of Jehovah, and preserving their lives was not a violation
of God’s command to destroy the idolatrous Canaanites. Although
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the oath had been secured by deception, it was not to be ignored. No
consideration of reward, of revenge, or self-interest can in any way
change the binding nature of an oath or pledge. He that “may ascend
into the hill of the Lord,” and “stand in His holy place,” is “he who
swears to his own hurt and does not change” (
Psalm 24:3
;
15:4
).
How the Gibeonites Made Themselves Slaves
The Gibeonites were permitted to live but were assigned to the
sanctuary as slaves to perform unskilled services. “That day Joshua
made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and
for the altar of the Lord.” These conditions they gratefully accepted,
glad to purchase life on any terms. “Here we are, in your hands,”
they said to Joshua; “do with us as it seems good and right to do to
us.”
Gibeon, the most important of their towns, “was a great city,
like one of the royal cities, ... and all its men were mighty.” It is a
striking evidence of the terror with which the Israelites had filled
the inhabitants of Canaan, that the people of a powerful city would
resort to such a humiliating way to save their lives.
But the Gibeonites would have been better off if they had dealt
honestly with Israel. Their deception only brought them disgrace
and slavery. God had made a way so that everyone who would give
up heathenism and connect with Israel would share the blessings of
the covenant. With few exceptions such people were to enjoy equal
favors and privileges with Israel.
The Gibeonites could have been received on these terms. It was
a major humiliation to those citizens of a royal city, of which “all its
men were mighty,” to be made woodcutters and water carriers. And
so through all their generations, their servile condition would testify
that God hates falsehood.