Attack on Gibeon

Joshua 10

As we have discussed earlier – Joshua’s strategy for conquering Canaan was first to split the land by attacking Jericho and Ai first – disrupting the coordination between those many adversaries and also, probably more importantly, disrupting trade routes between the various cities which in turn, preventing those armies the necessary supplies such as food, water, and the movement of armed men. This strategy undoubtedly provided some ‘shock and awe’ value as evidenced by the reaction of the Gibeonites – we read in chapter 10 that the other nations believed that the men of Gibeon were ‘mighty’ in warfare! Of all the city-states in Canaan they might have been the most able to put up a mighty army yet they were also the most eager to make peace. After conquering Jericho and Ai and making a treaty with Gibeon the nation of Israel occupied the central plateau of Canaan and could threaten both the northern and southern confederacies.

And that brings us to the start of Chapter 10 –

Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, that he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, “Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.” the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

Why is Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem fearful? This king recognized that Israel’s treaty with Gibeon and the previous destruction of Jericho and Ai provided Joshua with a wedge between the northern and southern confederacies. Furthermore, they now possessed a strategically dominating presence on the central plateau of Canaan. He could see the writing on the wall, so to speak, and was determined not to allow further incursions of these foreign invaders. He determined to re-take Gibeon with hopes that by doing so he may retain some of those ‘mighty’ Gibeonite warriors including their supplies and arms for the defense of his land.

Remember, from the previous chapter in the book of Joshua, that the Gibeonites, in requesting a treaty with Israel (Joshua 9:11) were also submitting themselves and their countrymen as subjects to a stronger power, namely the conquering nation of Israel (see also verse 11 where they state, “we are your servants”) and in their submission to Israel they were also submitting themselves to God. As submissive subjects, they were officially agreeing to pay tribute and honor due their stronger partner and in exchange Israel would take responsibility for their protection. All in all, a fair deal considering the other option was extinction!

As we read chapter 10 the drama builds as the narrative reveals the first consequence of this unwise treaty between Israel and Gibeon.

Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.”

So the men of Gibeon appealed to the treaty – in exchange for their tribute and honor they expected Israel to assist in the defense of their land. In God’s providence this served to advance the next part of Joshua’s strategy – the conquering of Southern Canaan. Nevertheless, it must have seemed a bit of an imposition since the treaty ink was barely dry and the sting of deception remained in the air.

Verse 7 tells us that Joshua, “he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors” went to the defense of Gibeon. They made a promise to the people of Gibeon and they were more than willing to put aside any past bitterness for the opportunity to be useful in the cause.

Verse 8 the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” This is the same promise that the Lord gave to Joshua in Chapter 1, verse 5. Do you wonder why the Lord gave this promise again?

Application 1 The Lord’s repetition of His promise to Joshua is typical. In the days of old, as well as in our day, the Lord’s way of reassuring his children is not by revealing some new truth that has never been known. The Lord delights in reminding us, through Scripture, of his many promises. That is what God’s people need: not some new truth but the old truth freshly applied to our current needs. And that is primarily the work of the preacher!

Application 2: Notice that though the promise is for victory, Joshua still engages his mind and body toward the battle. Some might wrongly equate God’s sovereignty with the notion that, ‘if God already has ordained the outcome, why should I make the effort?’ This Old Testament saint, brother Joshua, entertains no such thought! He actively strategizes and organizes, and prays, with maximum effort to assure victory.

Next month, Lord willing, we will look at the battle and Joshua’s extraordinary request ...

Robin