INTRODUCTION: As great a leader as Joshua is, he has one flaw that is a warning to us all. He tends to trust his own wisdom too much at times. In the incident with Achan, he planned the battle against Ai without consulting the Lord. In this chapter, he figures out what to do with the inhabitants of Gibeon without checking with God. But this is not just Joshua’s sin. Do you have a tendency to act on what you see and understand without asking God and seeking His wisdom? We all need to be careful not to fail in this area.

1. THE GATHERING OF THE ENEMY (Joshua 9:1-2 [1] And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; [2] That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
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1. The Kings Heard of the Coming of Israel (Joshua 9:1And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
   See All...; Joshua 10:1-4 [1] Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; [2] That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. [3] Wherefore Adonizedec king of Jerusalem, sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, [4] Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
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1. In multiple locations
1. In the hills
2. In the valleys
3. In all the coasts
2. Multiple people groups
1. The Hittites
2. The Amorites
3. The Canaanites
4. The Perizzites
5. The Hivites
6. The Jebusites
2. The Kings Gathered To Fight against Israel (Joshua 9:2That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
   See All...; Psalm 2:1-2 [1] Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
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1. All the nations united in the cause against Israel.
2. This is still one cause for which much of the world can unite.
2. THE DECEIT OF INHABITANTS OF GIBEON (Joshua 9:3-13 [3] And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, [4] They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; [5] And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. [6] And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. [7] And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? [8] And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? [9] And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, [10] And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. [11] Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. [12] This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: [13] And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
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1. Their Plan (Joshua 9:3And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
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1. The inhabitants of Gibeon heard about Jericho and Ai.
2. They feared destruction.
3. They will not unite with the other nations, but instead have another plan.
4. Note: Joshua focuses on the obvious enemy, but he will be taken by a hidden one.
1. First, he was surprised by Achan’s sin, and here he is taken by deceit.
2. Satan is a deceiver (Genesis 3:1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
   See All...; 2 Corinthians 11:3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
   See All...; Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
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3. We should always be on guard for his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
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2. The Snare of Fraud (Joshua 9:4-6 [4] They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; [5] And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. [6] And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
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1. They did work wilily (Joshua 9:4-5 [4] They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; [5] And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
   See All...) meaning with wile : a sly trick, a deceitful stratagem.
1. They pretended to be ambassadors from a far country (Joshua 9:4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
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2. They presented evidence to attest to their testimony (Joshua 9:4-5 [4] They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; [5] And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
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1. They had old sacks (Joshua 9:4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
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2. They had old broken wine bottles (Joshua 9:4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
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3. They had old shoes (Joshua 9:5And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
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4. They had old garments (Joshua 9:5And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
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5. They had dry mouldy bread (Joshua 9:5And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
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3. Note: We are warned against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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2. They presented themselves to Joshua as innocent men (Joshua 9:6And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
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3. The Snare of Flattery (Joshua 9:7-11 [7] And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? [8] And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? [9] And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, [10] And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. [11] Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
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1. They come in peace (Joshua 9:7-8 [7] And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? [8] And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
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1. The people of God question the Hivites (Joshua 9:7And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
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1. We often think of these people as Gibeonites which is one of their identifications in the Bible (2 Samuel 21:2And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
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2. The passage, however, informs us that different people groups dwelt within Gibeon. Here we see that some Hivites dwelt there, and later we see that some Amorites dwelt there (2 Samuel 21:2And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
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3. Some of the Hivites from other areas gathered together to fight against Israel, but the inhabitants of Gibeon did not.
2. The Hivites present themselves as servants (Joshua 9:8And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
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2. They praise the fame of Israel’s God (Joshua 9:9-11 [9] And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, [10] And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. [11] Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
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1. We have heard of your God’s greatness (Joshua 9:9-10 [9] And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, [10] And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
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2. We have come to offer our service (Joshua 9:11Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
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3. Please make a league with us (Joshua 9:11Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
   See All...b).
4. The Snare of Falsehood (Joshua 9:12-13 [12] This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: [13] And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
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1. Mouldy bread (Joshua 9:12This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
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2. Rent bottles of wine (Joshua 9:13And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
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3. Old shoes and garments (Joshua 9:13And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
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3. THE FAILURE OF THE ISRAELITES (Joshua 9:14-15 [14] And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. [15] And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
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1. Their Reliance on Human Wisdom (Joshua 9:14And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
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1. They took of their vittles; that is, they accepted what they saw with their own eyes at face value (see 2 Corinthians 5:7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
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2. They asked not counsel of the Lord  (Ephesians 5:10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
   See All..., 17; Colossians 1:9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
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2. Joshua’s League with the Inhabitants of Gibeon (Joshua 9:15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
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1. They made league (covenant) with those they were to destroy.
2. They promised them peace and life.
4. THE TRUTH COMES TO LIGHT (Joshua 9:16-21 [16] And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. [17] And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. [18] And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. [19] But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. [20] This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. [21] And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
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1. The Discovery of Their Error (Joshua 9:16-17 [16] And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. [17] And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
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1. Three days would have made the difference (Joshua 9:16And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
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2. They came upon the cities of the Gibeon (Joshua 9:17And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
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2. The Murmuring of the Congregation (Joshua 9:18And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.
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1. The princes were required to keep their covenant (Proverbs 15:4A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
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2. The congregation murmured against them; when leaders lead in the wrong direction, much trouble is caused (Jeremiah 23:1-2 [1] Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. [2] Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
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3. The Burden of Their Sin (Joshua 9:19-21 [19] But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. [20] This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. [21] And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
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1. They cannot be killed (Joshua 9:19-20 [19] But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. [20] This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
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2. They will be servants (Joshua 9:21And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
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5. THE POSITION OF THE PEOPLE OF GIBEON (Joshua 9:22-27 [22] And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? [23] Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. [24] And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. [25] And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. [26] And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. [27] And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
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1. Joshua Curses Them (Joshua 9:22-23 [22] And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? [23] Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
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1. Scolded because of their lies (Joshua 9:22And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
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2. Cursed because of their trickery (Joshua 9:23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
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2. They Accept Their Position (Joshua 9:24-25 [24] And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. [25] And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.
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1. Their other choice was death (Joshua 9:24And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
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2. They accept whatever happens (Joshua 9:25And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.
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3. They Become Servants to the Israelites (Joshua 9:26-27 [26] And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. [27] And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
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1. They lived because of the oath (Joshua 9:26And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.
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2. They served the congregation and the altar of the Lord (Joshua 9:27And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
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CONCLUSION: The will of the Lord must be preeminent in our lives.  Never fail to seek God’s will in the decisions you make in your life.