Ep. 62. Joshua 9-10, 14 | Gibeon and Conquest

EPISODE 62

GIBEON AND CONQUEST: JOSHUA 9,10,14

You have to give the Gibeonites credit for the clever nature of their deception. They knew God had commanded the death of everyone living in Canaan, and they had seen God's power demonstrated plainly. We can't blame them for wanting to be spared. But with Joshua and the leaders failing to inquire of the Lord, we can find fault.

During the reign of King Saul, he sought to put the Gibeonites to death. Keep in mind that it was about 390 years after this story in Joshua. As a result of Saul's sin, a famine came upon the land in the days of David the king. So, this deception is still an issue nearly four hundred years later. Gibeon was also home to a high place where the Jews and their kings worshipped. In some cases, it was clearly the worship of God, while in others, it was apparently idol worship.

In Joshua chapter ten, we find an interesting tidbit: the sun stands still in the sky while Joshua is at war. Additionally, God drops large hailstones from the skies on his enemies.

Try not to get distracted by the Book of Jashar, also called the Book of the Upright. As I did in the video, I would caution you not to pursue a reading of the currently available Book of Jashar as no biblical scholar acknowledges its authenticity as the original one.

As to the division of the land of Canaan among the people of Israel, I invite you to read through it sometime. It's a challenging read, but you may find it interesting to see how large a section Judah gets compared to the rest of the tribes. That will have a lot to do with the future of the country and an impending split.

ADDITIONAL READING: 2 Samuel 21:1-9; 1 Chronicles 16:39; 1 Chronicles 21:29; 2 Chronicles 1:1,3,13; Revelation 16:21; 2 Samuel 1:18