(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 9:22–27, “And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.”
The people from Gibeon were afraid for their lives. They developed a plan to save their lives but had to massage the truth for their plans to work. Even though Joshua had been tricked he had made a sacred promise and kept his word. Israel had to bear the consequences of this mistake because the people from Gibeon were always in the Land, worshipping their own gods and leading Israel astray. On the other hand, the Gibeonites had chosen to live their lives as second class citizens and never have full access to all the privileges that belonged to the average Israeli.
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