The Two-Sided Story

 Joshua 9:22 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? 23 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.” 24 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. 25 And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” 26 So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27 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.

The people of Gibeon had heard about everything God had done for His people, and they were rightly afraid of them.  Since Israel was fast approaching them, they came up with this plan to trick them. So, on the one hand, this incident shows the wisdom of God's plan thus far.  On the other hand, what makes this incident especially significant is the phrase found before in verse 14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. That is the real story here.  The leaders fell for their deceit because they did not seek the Lord for wisdom.  They were already forgetting that He was the one calling the shots and giving the victory. They were self-assured. How quickly do we do the same?