JULY 16, Joshua 9:3-13

The Canaanite city of Gibeon was “greater than Ai” – meaning it was a more powerful city (Joshua 10:2). But when its people heard of what happened to Jericho and Ai, they were afraid of the God of Israel. Gibeon was part of Canaan and within the territory of the Promised Land. The Hivites of Gibeon did not want to fight any battle with Israel. They sought to make a peace treaty with Israel.

A peace treaty means both parties must protect and help each other. However, God did not want the nation of Israel to mix with the heathen nations and had forbidden Israel to make any treaty with any of the Canaanites. Even the Hivites knew about God’s orders to the people of Israel. So how did the people of Gibeon make the children of Israel agree to a treaty of peace?

The Hivites decided to use deceit and tricked the people of Israel into believing that they were ambassadors from a faraway land outside Canaan. To keep up their pretences, they put on old clothes and worn out shoes. They carried old sacks with dry and mouldy bread and torn wine bottles.

The people of Israel believed what they saw with their own eyes. They went ahead with the peace treaty without seeking God’s guidance. They depended on their own intelligence and not on God’s wisdom and were fooled by their enemies in the close neighbourhood.

Many today are tricked by Satan in so many ways. Many believe selfishness and pride are good. Others believe they should be unkind for otherwise they would be taken advantage of. Students are tricked by Satan that to be accepted by classmates, they have to act “cool” and do things or use words or phrases deemed “cool”.

Dear child, are you tricked by Satan?

Thought: May I not be tricked by Satan.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me know what is true and what is not, by closely depending on Your guidance, and not my own or man’s intelligence. In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.