Joshua 9

              Just like how Jericho knew of what happened with the Red Sea and the battles during the 40 years in the wilderness, the other cities knew about the Israelites and their God. How powerful He is and what happened in Jericho and Ai. They understand the greatness of God. So, even though people have the chance to turn, they think of that they want to defeat this powerhouse. However, the people of Gibeon did not want to do that. They wanted to find a way have peace with the Israelites. They wanted to make sure they would be safe from death. So, they wanted make a treaty with the Israelites.

               The Gibeonites decided to lie to the Israelites, and say that they came from a far country, even though they actually are nearby. The Gibeonites wanted to be as vague as possible to make sure they could have peace with the Israelites. They were so scared and worried about their defeat that they gave just vague answers. Joshua continued to ask questions about their travels and insisted on their long travels and that they came from a far away city. Now, Joshua and the Israelites decided to make a treated with them. However, there were some problems. The first is that the Israelites did not consult God in the decision. They just took the answers as they were. Just like before, when they did not consult God before making a decision, something bad happened. The other reason is that even though the evidence was questionable, or as kids today might say, “sketchy or suspect.” They agreed to the making a treaty with these people.

               However, Joshua and the Israelites realized that the Gibeonites lied and confronted them. They said that they were afraid of what the Israelites would do to them. Joshua knew that the treaty can not be broken, so he decided to have the Gibeonites would be slaves and do jobs that are difficult to do.