Israel won a great victory at AiIsrael won a great victory at Ai..

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The neighborsneighbors heard and feared Israel's God.

Some banded together in an alliancean alliance against Israel.The GibeonitesGibeonites sought a treaty with Israel;

Used deceptiondeception to obtain it.

Israel did notdid not seek Counsel at the Mouth of the Lord.

We have to wonder whywhy Joshua did not ask God whether to make this treaty or not.

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Perhaps he thought it a routineroutine matter,

The answeranswer obvious -- a "No brainerNo brainer".

It's the little foxes that spoil the vineyard. SS 2:15

The devil gets in the detailsdetails, if we don't stay before Godstay before God with all things.

There is nothing too smalltoo small to bring to God.

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. 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 neighbors, and that they dwelt among them.

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Sometimes we just need to slow downslow down,

And waitwait on the Truth.

Joshua got fooledfooled by the enemy.

He made promisespromises he could not break.

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Worshippers of false gods are among themamong them.

BondsBonds of friendship will be formed.

There will be intermarriageintermarriage with their sons and daughters.

Israel will be drawn awaydrawn away from The True GodThe True God.

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 Kirjath-jearim.

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A lying tongue will soon be found out. Prov 12:19

Twenty miles

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.

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We must keep our wordkeep our word, even to our own hurt.

More harmMore harm is done by lies and deceit,

Than by keeping our word, eveneven to a hurtful thing.

Business deal

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Friendship

MarriageThere is no easy way out.

Every time we fail to keepkeep our word,

We fail GodGod, our Father,

We fail ourselvesourselves,

We createcreate hard consequences.

Almost a thousand years later, King Saul broke broke this oaththis oath to the Gibeonites.

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2 Samuel 21 1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answeredthe Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

19 But all the princes said unto all the congre-gation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. 20This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrathwrath be upon us, because of the oathoath 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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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 bondmenbondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

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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 givegive you all the land, and to destroydestroy 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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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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The Gibeonites paidpaid for their deception with bondage:

WaterboysWaterboys and woodcutterswoodcutters for the Tabernacle, and for the congregation.

By God's GraceBy God's Grace this curse became a blessing.

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In chapter 10 we will see God work a miracle on behalf of the Gibeonites.

Later the Tabernacle was at Gibeon.

Still later Gibeonites help Nehemiah rebuild the wall at Jerusalem.

BKC

Such is the grace of God. He is still able to turn a curse into a blessing. Though it is usually true that the natural consequences of sin must run their course, the grace of God can not only forgive but also overrule mistakes and often bring blessings out of sins and failures.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

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25 And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.

Our mistakes will have consequencesconsequences, and we must accept that and live with it.

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But, by God's Grace, we can still be blessedbe blessed and of useof use in the Kingdom of God.

A mistake is not a failure unless we quitunless we quit.

The longer I live the more I understand the boundlessboundless Grace of God.

He will forgive and cleanse allall who comecome to Him in

humility.

Which side of a situation are you on?

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Pray and study

Consider all the

consequencesconsequences

Choose God's WayWay

Repent, turn

AcceptAccept God's Will

Receive God's

GraceGrace

God didn't removedidn't remove the consequences from either the Israelites or the Gibeonites.

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But, by God's Grace, good thingsgood things came to both.

Both were usefuluseful in God's Work.

We have allall made mistakes and bad choices.

We must never assumenever assume that God is through with us, and thereby compound our errorcompound our error.

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18January 3, 2010