Progress Report

However, it came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land.  Joshua 9:16  NASB

Within – You know the story.  The Gibeonites deceive Joshua and the elders.  They use the hook of emotional compassion to get what they want, a treaty.  When the Israelites discover the deception, they choose not to negate the treaty (for reasons we have discussed).  As a result, this pagan culture continues to occupy the Land that God intended to clean up for His chosen people.  Over time the result is continued influence, eventual idolatry, and the destruction of the Kingdom.  But it didn’t have to be that way.  There is a progression here, buried in the grammar, that is a very contemporary lesson for us.

The word “within” is qereb.  It means, “midst, among, inner part.”  What’s important here is to notice that the idea of the Gibeonites occupying the same Land has already been stated.  “They were neighbors” comes from a word with the same spelling, namely qārôb.  It’s used for “kinsman” and means “being or coming into the most near and intimate proximity of the object (or subject).”^[1]  It’s as if this sentence said, “They were close and they were within.”  So, why the repetition?

Let’s review the progression.  First, the Gibeonites secure a truce.  They do so through lying, but the outcome is the same.  Israel promises to let them live.  Second, Israel discovers that they have lied and that, in fact, they live in proximity(“close by”).  That would be bad enough, but perhaps Isreal could just build a wall and keep them out.  Still alive, but separated.  However, the text reveals a third step.  The Gibeonites with “within” the community.  In other words, they infiltrated.  A little yeast.  Truce = multicultural presence = infiltration.  The result: a radical shift in God’s intention and ultimately the collapse of the nation.  It didn’t make any real difference that Israel punished the lie by demanding the Gibeonites become forced laborers.  They were still there; still retaining their pagan point-of-view, inside Israel.  It seems clear that God knew what that kind of influence would do, but because the leaders ignored God’s strict command, they doomed Israel to destruction.  The Gibeonites did not assimilate.  They did not convert.  Instead, they continued to practice their own idolatry within Israel.  Of course, Joshua and the elders couldn’t see that this “compassionate” decision would eventually tear down the entire nation.  They couldn’t see the future repercussions, but they should have listened to the One who could see the potential repercussions.  That day Israel made a tragic, preventable mistake.  It took centuries for the lesson to be learned.  If you invite the wolf to live in your house, don’t expect him not to eat.

Topical Index: close, within, truce, infiltration, qereb, qārôb, Joshua 9:16