JOSHUA 9
We see here in the coming of the Gibeonites a picture of how the enemy would work, not now in the way of unfaithfulness among the people of God as in Achan, but as introducing foreign elements and getting them accepted.
The responsibility rested on the princes; they answer to those who lead among the people of God in our day. They might have thought according to Deuteronomy 20 that they were right to make peace with those at a distance, but we have to distinguish between things that differ. Evangelical principles, if not kept in their right place, might be destructive of assembly principles. It shows the importance of enquiring of the Lord when people want to come into fellowship; otherwise there may be a very fair show of being right, but in receiving persons principles may be received that are not of God. The New Testament speaks of those who had come in surreptitiously to spy out their liberty; there were those who had got in under false pretences. Jude speaks of those who had crept in unawares; they got in slyly and unobserved. That kind of thing seems to be illustrated here, the subtle ways of the enemy to get foreign elements introduced among the people of God. The Gibeonites were Hivites, and they never ceased to be Hivites; they never became Israelites, so that their presence as being in league or covenant with Israel must always have been a lowering of the true character of Israel.
The Gibeonites were persons who had not come under spiritual motives. Such persons see that there is a certain selfish advantage to be derived from being in league with the people of God. That is how Satan works; he presents a certain advantage to be gained by walking with the people of God, some benefit to be derived that is not of a spiritual character. The Gibeonites used the name of Jehovah: “We have come because of the name of Jehovah”. They say, “We are your servants”. They present themselves in a nice way, and it is these nice people that we have to beware of, not the people who come gnashing their teeth.
It is a striking thing that they took of their victuals; it is a very serious matter to take victuals from people until you know where they come from. If you take victuals from them you have given yourself away. They were deceived; there was all the appearance of what was right; the Gibeonites’ shoes and clothes were ragged, their bottles were rent, and their bread mouldy; it seemed to show that they had come a long way. All that they had appeared to be old. In a general way in christendom Satan works by what is old; people are impressed by what bears the mark of antiquity. It all seemed very pious; they seemed to be honouring the Lord. We are often deceived by pious talk. I know how easy it is, for I have been deceived myself by pious talk and a pious demeanour, and have not seen that underneath that talk and appearance there are principles that are altogether foreign to the Israel of God. We have to consider what the true character of the Israel of God is. The danger is that the Hivites come in the guise, not of a foe but of a friend, and say, Make a league with us. They come without a sword and a spear; if they had come with them the Israelites would have known what to do. That is the way that unspiritual elements have come in among the people of God. It is much easier to let them in than to get rid of them. Israel never got rid of the Gibeonites and it was not God’s way that they should; but it was a constant reproach in Israel that there should be service connected with the house of God and with the altar that was of a servile nature, and not the service of sons. If the Gibeonites are connected with the house it is only to serve as bondmen and not as sons. Every time an Israelite had his wood chopped by a Gibeonite, and every barrow full of wood he saw carried into the temple by a Gibeonite, must have reminded him of that element which came in through their not seeking counsel of the mouth of Jehovah.
We read later (2 Samuel 21) that “in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah” Saul slew the Gibeonites. Saul was an impatient man, and he applied a human remedy to an acknowledged defeat. He said, These Hivites were not of Israel, and in his impatience and zeal he would have destroyed them. But he dishonoured the Lord as much and more than Joshua [p. 54] and the princes did by letting them in. Mistakes may be made by the people of God, and it is not God’s way that they should be removed. In a general way His people have to abide by the results, and have to act in such a way as is suitable to God. We may make mistakes, but it is no use to say, I have made a mistake and I will undo it. No, God says that if we make a mistake we have to abide by it; we have to submit and learn to behave in a way that is suitable to His name. Israel had to learn what was suitable to the name of the Lord; it was not a question of what was suitable to Israel or how to deal with the Gibeonites, but what was suitable to the name of the Lord.
The princes did not enquire at the mouth of Jehovah. It is a searching thing that we do things without enquiring at the mouth of Jehovah and then find out that we have made a mistake, and it is no wonder. The government of God came in because of the mistake, and they had to suffer the presence of this people for evermore. It is not always God’s way to correct mistakes in the church. The effects remain and have to be worked out to a final issue — that makes it so solemn if we make a mistake, especially an assembly mistake. Perhaps people think it is a very nice thing to have a few more in fellowship. The Gibeonites came and presented themselves as allies, and perhaps the princes thought it a nice thing to have a few more to give a helping hand with the enemies, so they took them in.
I should be afraid to suggest to anyone that they should take a path of separation if they were not up to it. If people take that path without being prepared for it they will only do it in a servile spirit, and then after thirty years go out and say, Now I have found liberty — that is a Gibeonite. It is a serious thing to serve in a spirit that is under God’s curse, a servile spirit. Joshua said, “Now therefore ye are cursed” — and they remained as a cursed, servile people who never ministered to the pleasure of God; they were tributaries but not contributory. These things are written as warnings for us — if I read this chapter it should raise an exercise, Am I a Gibeonite? Have I a place among the people of God more or less under false pretences? The Lord can make anything tributary; the very presence of unspiritual elements in the assembly can be made tributary, but not contributory. All the elements of weakness and failure which Satan has introduced are tributary because God uses these things to exercise His people, therefore [p. 55] He overrules it and turns it to good account, but that does not make it pleasurable to Him. The Gibeonites’ service was never pleasurable to Him; He says, “Let my son go, that he may serve me” — the Gibeonites were never sons, they were servile to the end. Someone was talking to me today about the absence of spring among Christians; there is not the spring there should be in the service and praise of God, hearts breaking forth happily and freely; we get on to the line of what is servile. Hewing wood and drawing water was always for others. It is possible to be in fellowship for many years without having much real touch with divine things.
The princes recognised that nothing but a servile character of things could be taken up by such a people; and, though they had been wrong in swearing to them, they had to stand by their oath because Jehovah’s name had become connected with it. If people are received among us, it does not alter the obligation. We see that we behave towards them according to Jehovah’s name. What is due and worthy of that name is always to govern us.