Joshua 9: Jesus Mercifully Curses the Gibeonites, Cunning as Faith

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 9. Has the total destruction of Ai backfired? In chapter 9, the Canaanites unite in their refusal to make peace with Israel. That is, except for the Gibeonites. They dress up like poor foreigners from a distant land, and they fool Joshua into making a treaty with them so that they won’t get wiped out. We sympathize with the Gibeonites, who made the best of their situation, but is their deception justified? And was it really so bad for Israel to spare them? It’s in our nature to sweep sin under the rug, but God actually deals with it. Joshua prefigures our Lord Jesus as he demonstrates that God’s mercy is so abundant that even His curses and punishments are blessings.