The One Thing - part 9

The One Thing - part 9 - Deception

In chapter 9 we see that Israel started to gain some attention due to their victories over Jericho and Ai. The cities to the west of the Jordan River decided that they were going to come together and wage war against the Israelite people.

But there was one group of people who resorted to deception.

The Gibeonites traveled to the Israelite camp to speak to Joshua. Before they left their home, which was close by, they loaded up their donkeys with old worn out things and moldy bread. They also dressed in worn out clothes.

When they got to the Israelite camp and stood before Joshua, they told him that they had come a long way. They showed Joshua the old wine skins and other things. They pointed out the nature of the clothes and sandals they were wearing. Then they asked Joshua to make a treaty with them because they had heard about Jericho and Ai and how Israel had wiped out those cities. So Joshua listened to them and made a treaty with them; however, he didn’t ask the Lord what to do.

Joshua then heard that they actually lived close by, and he realized that he had been deceived. So he made the Gibeonites servants of Israel.

Deception is a rough thing. There are many different instances of deception in the Bible, the biggest one being Satan deceiving Adam and Eve. But I feel that Joshua, much like any of us, was hurt by what the Gibeonites did.

If you have ever been deceived before, you know how it feels. It's not a good feeling at all. But just know that those actions of deception are not from God. They are from the enemy and we see that from the very beginning (Genesis 3).

So I want you to know if you have ever been hurt by deception before, God is not behind that. God is love and He wants you to know the truth and the truth is GOD LOVES YOU. Deception is not a part of love.
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Edited by Kay Beam

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