Hovering over Joshua 9 this morning. Familiar territory (no pun intended . . . well maybe a little). But this morning I find myself chewing on something I’ve not chewed on before.

Context? The inhabitants of Gibeon, a large and royal city, see the writing on the wall after Israel’s defeat of Jericho and Ai. They’re doomed too — unless they can somehow get the Israelites into making a covenant of peace with them. So, they set up a scam, tricking Joshua & Co. to believe they are people from a far-off land wanting to be Israel’s allies. The Israelites bite, and the Gibeonites are spared.

Before, when reading this, I’ve always focused on the folly of the Israelite leaders who “did not ask counsel from the LORD” (9:14) before entering into a pact with the sly Gibeonites. But this morning, I’m wondering if there isn’t something to be considered about the faith of the Gibeonites.

Unlike the people of Ai, who had heard about Jericho but decided to fight anyway, the Gibeonites heard of Israel’s victories and believed they could not stand against their God, the God who had delivered Israel from Egypt and was now giving them a promised land. Like Rahab (Joshua 2), they were convinced of God’s power and took action in order to cast themselves upon God’s mercy, even if it meant a little trickery. But did they fully foresee the consequences of being spared?

Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us? Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you— so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing. And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place that he should choose.

(Joshua 9:22-26 ESV)

Cutters of wood and drawers of water . . . that’s what I’m chewing on this morning. Their “curse” avoided the curse of death. While their “curse” connected them to the covenant people as servants, at least they were living servants. Sure, they weren’t their own anymore, but at least they could be someone’s evermore. They may have lost the right to a personal agenda, but they had gained the privilege of living within proximity of the Almighty.

Don’t think I can take this too far, but I’m kind of relating to the Gibeonites this morning. Not to justify their tactics, but they knew that Israel’s God was a God to be feared — and that’s the beginning of wisdom, isn’t it (Prov. 9:10)? Granted, their motives for “coming to God” were kind of self-serving, but how many of us came to Jesus because we believed He would save us from the wrath to come (Rom. 5:9)? And though we were adopted as sons and daughters of God (Rom. 8:15), didn’t we, like the Gibeonites, also became slaves of God (Rom. 6:22). While we too became no longer are our own (1Cor. 6:19-20), yet he had life — and not just life, but life abundantly (Jn. 10:10)!

Don’t know how those Gibeonites thought about where they ended up. But for me, thinking that it’s better to be a doorkeeper than an enemy.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

(Psalm 84:10 ESV)

Better to be doorkeepers, or cutters of wood, or drawers of water . . .

By His grace. For His glory.