Moldy Bread Joshua 9:3-27 Two wrongs do not make a right

Introduction Many believe (or act like) 2 wrongs make a right. “What I did is not as bad as what _____ did.” Lance Armstrong, “Everyone was doing it. I had to do it to level the playing field.” Everybody is -  Cheating on exams  Lying on applications  Falsifying their income tax forms

The Events of Joshua 9 Gibeonites knew Israel was coming They knew what happened to Jericho They came up with a plan  Men frayed their clothes, holes in their shoes  Carried moldy bread in their sacks  Make it look like they had travelled a great distance  Sought to make a peace treaty with Joshua so they would not be destroyed

The Events of Joshua 9 Gibeonites were not from a far contry They were the next area to be invaded By the time Israel and Joshua learned who they were – it was too late A peace treaty was already in place Joshua said that they could not be killed, but they could be made slaves to carry water and cut wood.

The Events of Joshua 9 Joshua 9: This we will do to them: We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them." 21 And the rulers said to them, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the rulers had promised them." 22 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, "Why have you deceived us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you dwell near us?

Gibeonites did wrong They lied about country of origin Verse 4 & 5 4 they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, 5 old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy

Gibeonites did wrong They lied about country of origin They lied about their provisions  Moldy bread  Broken wineskins  Worn out clothes  Holes in shoes Verse 12 & This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. 13 And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey."

Gibeonites did wrong They lied about country of origin They lied about their provisions They brought God into the picture Verse 9 So they said to him: "From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt,

Gibeonites did wrong They lied about country of origin They lied about their provisions They brought God into the picture Many use God's name in vain  Profanity  Make vain promises Many call God as their witness  I swear to God Makes it sound genuine

Israel did wrong Did not check with God  Make peace  Allow them to live Verse 14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.

Israel did wrong Did not check with God Swore to it  Can't take it back  Can't kill them Verse 15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them

Israel did wrong Did not check with God Swore to it Looked for a loophole Verse 21 And the rulers said to them, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the rulers had promised them."

Israel did wrong Did not check with God Swore to it Looked for a loophole Verse 23 Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves-- woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."

We often do the same thngs Did not check with God Prayer only comes in when we have made wrong choices We pray for God to get us out of the mess we are in

We often do the same thngs Did not check with God Swore to it We think that if we bring God into the conversation – that proves we are genuine, sincere

We often do the same thngs Did not check with God Swore to it Looked for a loophole We look for loopholes in God's law  Marriage / Divorce  Worship  Moral issues Boy, “I'm not pulling the dogs tail, I'm just hanging on. He is pulling.”

Lessons to Learn Two wrongs do not make a right In this event – BOTH were wrong When we get caught  Instead of repenting  We look for a loophole  We hunt for an escape clause  We find someone or something to blame