In the book of Joshua, we are learning what happened, “when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, 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. And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy”, and in chapter nine and verse six of the book of Joshua, we learn how the people of Gibeon, “went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal” where we read,
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 you a league with us.
The verse reads, “And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and they went to Joshua” which means “and they, the envoys of Gibeon, left and departed toward Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “unto the camp” or “to the encampment” “of Gilgal” which means “belonging to Gilgal whose name means a wheel or rolling and was the first site of an Israelite camp west of the Jordan, east of Jericho, here Samuel was judge, and Saul was made king; later used for illicit worship”, “and said unto him” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed to him, Joshua” “and to the men of Israel” which means “and toward the male human beings belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants or nation of the descendants of Jacob” the following words. Joshua or the writer shared how the envoys of “Gibeon” departed to the encampment of “Israel” where “Joshua” was located and proclaimed the following words to him and the people of “Israel”.
The verse goes on to say, “we be come from a far country: now therefore make you a league with us.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “we be come” which means “we, the envoys belonging to Gibeon, are entering and arriving” “from a far country” or “separate and apart from a remote, distant and abroad territory, district and region”: “now therefore” which means “at this time wherefore, then and on this account” “make you a league with us” or “cut and cause you, Joshua and the people of Israel, an alliance, treaty, pledge and covenant with us, the people of Gibeon”. Joshua or the writer shared how the envoys from “Gibeon” told “Joshua and the people of Israel” that they had arrived from a territory that was a great distance away, and for this reason they desired that Joshua and the people of Israel cause an alliance and agreement to be formed between them.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the envoys from “Gibeon” turned from their visual deception to verbal deception. They traveled to the encampment of Israel where they encountered “Joshua and the people of Israel”. They told “Joshua and the people of Israel” that had arrived from a distant territory, and for this reason, “Joshua and the people of Israel” should fashion an alliance or covenant with them. We shall see how “Joshua and the people of Israel” respond in our next verses, but for now let us consider that this is a type of our enemy, Satan’s, way to deceive us. First, he makes an appearance that seems a particular way, and then he begins to lie about it. God wants us to know that He is aware of our enemy’s ploys, (See James 4:7) and because He loves us, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to be crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and provide the wisdom to know how to manage the evil solicitations of others.
Next time we learn how, “the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure you dwell among us”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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