The Gibeonite Exception

Passage: Joshua 9:1-10:15

As the Israelites pursue their God-mandated onslaught, nation after nation falls to their swords. The pagan nations of the Promised Land hear of the Israelite threat, and they arm themselves. The nations of the world adopt the only strategy they know: kill or be killed.

There’s one exception. Joshua 9 introduces us to the Gibeonites. As the Israelites approach, the Gibeonites assess the situation. The Israelites are undefeated. The Gibeonites are a small nation with an underequipped military. They know which side of the “kill or be killed” dichotomy they’ll fall down on. So they devise a new approach. They send emissaries to the Israelite camp. They present themselves as the impoverished ambassadors of a distant nation – no threat to the Israelites. They cast themselves on the mercy of Joshua and his people, and request a hail-Mary peace treaty.

The Israelites take the bait. They assume they’re dealing with representatives of some nation outside the Promised Land. They conclude that this nation is excluded from God’s kill order – after all, God has told them only to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan. It’s only until they arrive at Gibeon that Joshua and his army realize they’ve made a treaty with an enemy nation.

At first glance it seems that Joshua 9 and 10 are “the story of how Joshua and the Israelites get duped.” But there’s something else going on. The Gibeonites recognize that something big is happening with the Israelites. That they’ve been empowered by an irresistible force – a God who is greater than any other. All the other nations of the Promised Land are gathering their armies and joining forces to try to destroy the Israelites and defeat their God. The Gibeonites are the only nation to recognize the truth: the God of the Israelites cannot be defeated. So they devise another plan. They, essentially, cast themselves at the mercy of the Israelites and their God.

The end result is that the Gibeonites are humbled. They present themselves as pitiable in order to save their own lives. They subject themselves to a lifetime of subservience to the nation of Israel. In the balance, this is preferable to them. They’d rather be servants than be wiped off the face of the earth. Yes, the Gibeonites are deceptive. But they’re also realistic. They know that if they face off against the God of Israel, they will lose. They’re the only nation to do so. In a strange way, the Gibeonites' deceptive appeal is a statement of faith. They know without a doubt that the God of the Israelites is the real thing. They know there's only one way to respond: falling on their knees.

We recoil at the Israelites entering the Promised Land and committing genocide. This seems at odds with everything we believe about right and wrong. It seems at odds with everything we believe about God – the gracious and compassionate, abundant in mercy and steadfast in love.

What the story of the Gibeonites establishes is that God isn’t bent on bloodshed. That the rule for God is not eliminating all but his chosen people. The rule for God is convincing the world that he is God – almighty Creator and sovereign LORD. The nations that get eliminated are those that encounter God and position themselves as his enemies. These are nations that will never back down from a fight, and would rather die than be anyone’s servant. God says, “When it comes to me, there’s only one choice. You can be nothing but my servant.” Any person, and any nation, that refuses to bow before God is a lost cause. God can’t work with them. God can’t save them. Their destination is destruction – in the immediate, or in the long run.

This is what sets the Gibeonites apart. They don’t know much about God, but they know he’s the boss. They accept that the only way to encounter God is on your knees. So they become the exception. They become the nation that God spares. They are allowed to live in proximity, and relative harmony, with God’s chosen people.

This is still how it works. Those who encounter God and make him their enemy will go to their graves fighting. Ultimately they will be lost. Why? Because they’d rather die than be anyone’s servant. This may be your approach to anyone and everyone. But God is the exception. God is the boss. He is the Creator and the Ruler of all, and all things are subservient to him whether they acknowledge it or not. Make God your exception. Humble yourself and let him be the boss. Those who do so find that they are not reduced to humility or slavery, but embraced as lost loved ones. When it comes to rulers, God’s the exception.