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April 21 - Joshua 9 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Tuesday, it's the 21st of
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  April and it's great to have your company.
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  Thanks for tapping on play, thanks for inviting me in.
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  Whether you are just getting things kicked off, whether you
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  are kicking back on holidays, having a lovely relax, or
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  whether you're thinking, ah, holidays, ah, this is the time
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  when the world of the retiree becomes awfully busy because
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  everyone else has got the day of two or wherever you are in
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  between. So good to have your company as
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  we put down all of that and we come before God to read his word
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  together and to learn a little bit more about who God is and
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  how he has moved in our world. And today we continue the story
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  of the Israelites settling into their land as they are led by
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  Joshua to take possession of this their inheritance.
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  Yesterday they took possession of the town of I and burnt it.
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  And now after conquering the centre of this land of Canaan,
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  they begin to the South where they will encounter some more
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  folk. So let us continue with this
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  journey together friends, as we read together Joshua Chapter 9.
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  Now all the kings West of the Jordan River heard about what
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  had happened. These were the kings of the
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  Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
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  Jebusites who lived in the Hill Country and the western
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  foothills and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far
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  north as the Lebanon Mountains. These kings combined their
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  armies to fight as one against Joshua and the Israelites, but
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  when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho
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  and I, they resorted to deception to save themselves.
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  They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with
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  weathered saddlebags and old patched wineskins.
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  They put on worn out patched sandals and ragged clothes, and
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  the bread they took with them was dry and mouldy.
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  When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told
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  Joshua and the men of Israel, We have come from a distant land to
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  ask you to make a peace treaty with us, The Israelites replied
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  to the Hivites. How do we know you don't live
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  nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a
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  treaty with you, they replied. We are your servants.
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  But who are you? Joshua demanded.
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  Where do you come from? They answered, Your servants
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  have come from a very distant country.
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  We have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all he
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  did in Egypt. We have also heard what he did
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  to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, King Saihon of
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  Heshbon and King Ogg of Beshan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
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  So our elders and all our people instructed us take supplies for
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  a long journey. Go meet with the people of
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  Israel and tell them we are your servants.
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  Please make a treaty with us. This bread was hot from the
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  ovens when we left our homes, but now, as you can see, it is
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  dry and mouldy. These wineskins were new when we
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  filled them, but now they are old and split open, and our
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  clothing and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.
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  So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult
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  the Lord. Then Joshua made a peace treaty
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  with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the
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  community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. 3
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  days after making the treaty, they learned that these people
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  actually live nearby. The Israelites set out at once
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  to investigate and reach their towns in three days.
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  The names of these towns were Gibeon, Kefira B Roth and
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  Kiriath Jiram, but the Israelites did not attack the
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  towns, for the Israelite leaders had made a vow to them in the
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  name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
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  The people of Israel grumbled against their leaders because of
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  the treaty, but the leaders replied, Since we have sworn an
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  oath in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel, we
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  cannot touch them. This is what we must do.
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  We must let them live, for divine anger would come upon us
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  if we broke our oath. Let them live.
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  So they made them woodcutters and water carriers for the
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  entire community. As the Israelite leaders
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  directed, Joshua called together the Gibeonites and said, Why did
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  you lie to us? Why did you say that you live in
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  a distant land when you live right here among us?
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  May you be cursed. From now on you will always be
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  servants who cut wood and carry water for the House of my God,
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  they replied. We did it because we, your
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  servants, were clearly told that the Lord your God commanded his
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  servant Moses to give you this entire land and to destroy all
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  the people living in it. So we feared greatly for our
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  lives because of you. That is why we have done this.
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  Now we are at your mercy. Do to us whatever you think is
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  right. So Joshua did not allow the
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  people of Israel to kill them, but that day he made the
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  Gibeonites, the woodcutters and water carriers for the community
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  of Israel and for the altar of the Lord, wherever the Lord
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  would choose to build it. And that is what they do to this
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  day. Our Lord, thank you for the
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  story. Thank you that as we read it, we
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  read of this deception that was perpetrated against your people
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  and against you. And Lord, we see that when
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  others become deceivers and lower themselves to that, I mean
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  desperate times and desperate measures and all that, but when
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  they choose to tread that path, Lord, you continue to be
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  trustworthy and faithful. And when that promise was made,
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  you honour that promise even under those circumstances.
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  Ah, Lord, may you inspire us that no matter what we
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  encounter, no matter what tricks we have played against us, that
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  we maintain who we are. We are your children, we are
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  members of your family, and we belong to your Kingdom.
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  And no matter what happens to us, that identity is rock solid.
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  And that and that alone shapes how we engage this world.
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  Thank you for first loving us and for choosing us and
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  forgiving us. And we did nothing to deserve
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  that. And Lord, may we, your people,
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  choose to be like this in the world around us.
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  And you know we're going to need the help of your spirit to do
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  that. So Lord, embolden us and shape
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  us through your Spirit so we truly can bring your Kingdom
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  here just as it is in heaven. And we pray all of this in your
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  saving name, Jesus, Amen.