1 Lady, the Golden Eagle

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6 Joshua 9:3-16 The people of Gibeon were wily. They took: old sacks old sacks Old, torn wine bottles Old, torn wine bottles old shoes old shoes old garments old garments dry, mouldy bread dry, mouldy bread old sacks old sacks Old, torn wine bottles Old, torn wine bottles old shoes old shoes old garments old garments dry, mouldy bread dry, mouldy bread

7 And said to the Israelites: This our bread we took for our provision out of our houses while it was hot And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new.

8 These our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

9 Joshua did not ask God first but made peace with them and agreed to let them live. Three days after they had made a treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned they were really their neighbors. Did Joshua break his word with them?

10 No, but the Israelites said the Gibeonites would have to be their hewers of wood and their drawers of water (v. 20).

11 The Gibeonites lied to the Israelites, but the Israelites did not lie to the Gibeonites. They had promised to let the Gibeonites live, and they kept their promise, but the Gibeonites were punished for lying to the Israelites. They had to cut all the wood and draw all the water for the Israelites.

12 Whenever we give our word to do anything that Christian ethics allow us to do, we must keep our word, even if it is to our own hurt. God expects us to stand by it, so we must be very careful when we agree to something. However, if in our ignorance or if before we become Christians, we make a vow contrary to the principles of God’s law, God does not expect us to fulfill that vow when we become Christians.

13 Credits Slide 2: Tony Hisgett at flickr Slide 3: jack_spellingbacon at flickr Slide 4: Mike Baird at flickr Slide 5: Ross Elliott at flickr