Nevi'im Rishonim Weekly Study Series

Sefer Yehoshua Chapters : 7-9 Week: 3

Shabbat shalom Chaverim, Our thematic elements of Covenant and Witnesses continues this week as we move into Chapters 7-9. Chapter 7 Jos 7:1 But the children of Yisral committed a trespass regarding that which is under the ban, for Ak an son of Karmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Yehudah, took of that which is under the ban. And the displeasure of burned against the children of Yisral. Jos 7:2 Now Yehoshua sent men from Yerih to Ai, which is beside Byth Awen, on the east side of B yth o l, and spoke to them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai. Jos 7:3 And they returned to Yehoshua and said to him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai. Do not make all the people toil up there, for the people of Ai are few. Jos 7:4 And about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. Jos 7:5 And the men of Ai smote about thirty-six men, for they pursued them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and smote them on the descent. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water. Jos 7:6 And Yehoshua tore his garments, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of until evening, both he and the elders of Yisra l, and they put dust on their heads. Jos 7:7 And Yehoshua said, Oh Master ,why have You brought this people over the Yardn at all, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay beyond the Yardn! Jos 7:8 O ,what do I say when Yisral turns its back before its enemies, Jos 7:9 and the Kenaanites and all the inhabitants of the land hear, and shall surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What then do You do for Your great Name? Jos 7:10 And said to Yehoshua, Rise up! Why are you lying on your face? Jos 7:11 Yisral has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of that which is under the ban, and have both stolen and deceived, and also put it among their own goods. Jos 7:12 And the sons of Yisral shall not be able to stand before their enemies. They are going to turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I am not with you any more, unless you destroy that which is under the ban from your midst. Jos 7:13 Rise up, set the people apart, and you shall say, Set yourselves apart for tomorrow, because thus said Elohim of Yisral, That which is under the ban is in your midst, O Yisra l. You are not able to stand before your enemies until you put away that which is under the ban out of your midst. Jos 7:14 And you shall be brought near in the morning, according to your tribes. And it shall be, the tribe which takes comes according to clans. And the clan which takes comes by households. And the household which takes comes by men.

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Jos 7:15 And it shall be that he who is taken with that which is under the ban is burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of ,and because he has committed wickedness in Yisral. Jos 7:16 So Yehoshua arose early in the morning and brought Yisra l by their tribes, and the tribe of Yehudah was taken, Jos 7:17 and he brought the clan of Yehudah, and he took the clan of the Zarhites. And he brought the clan of the Zarhites by men, and Zabdi was taken. Jos 7:18 And he brought his household by men, and Akan son of Karmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Yehudah, was taken. Jos 7:19 Then Yehoshua said to Akan, My son, now give esteem to Elohim of Yisral, and make confession to Him. And please declare to me what you have done, do not hide it from me. Jos 7:20 So Akan answered Yehoshua and said, Truly, I have sinned against Elohim of Yisral, and this is what I did: Jos 7:21 When I saw among the spoil a lovely garment from Shinar, and two hundred sheqels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty sheqels, I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the ground in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it. Jos 7:22 And Yehoshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. And see, it was hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. Jos 7:23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Yehoshua and to all the children of Yisral, and laid them out before . Jos 7:24 Then Yehoshua, and all Yisral with him, took Akan son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his donkeys, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Akor. Jos 7:25 And Yehoshua said, Why have you troubled us? does trouble you today! Then all Yisral stoned him with stones. And they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. Jos 7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones, which remains to this day. Then turned from the fierceness of His displeasure. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Akor to this day. The sin of Achan, the first attempted taking of Ai, the sin of Achan is the order of chapter 7 with many dynamics within each section. There are actually 4 witnesses against Achan in our text. (1) Yehoshua the writer himself in the opening of the chapter even before the frst attempted siege of Ai,(2) YHWH Himself inadvertently without calling him out individualy by name just yet after the failed battle.(3) YHWH Himself by the miraculous process of elimination as all the Tribes pass before HIM in which Achan is found out, and(4)All of Israel in hearing Achan's confession resulting in his stoning. I am always in awe of the Perfection of Abba YAH's Word, not only the amazing intertwining of it within itself, but also how phenomenal HE uses it to affirm things in or own personal journey's at the perfect timing. This week particularly this sense of awe is heightened within my own life, and hopefully those collectively who are going thru this series with me, and here is why. As we have experienced in this study in just 3 short weeks now in the area of witnesses, by now most of us know and probably have experienced on some level personally that this is Scriptural principle within the Hebrew mindset, as well as an attribute of YHWH that HE often uses for affirmation on our behalf. Today,

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I can positively, and confidently declare to you today, that whenever your personal situation, journey, particular study, or dilemma that you are currently experiencing lines up with the current Torah portion of that week, rest assured it is Abba YAH witnessing and telling you to listen up, or affirming something in your life. It has happened to me a few times now, and it may seem trivial in some cases, but it lifts our spirit individually at times that we need it. This week we will see that there a few instances that our text in chapters 7-9, take us back to Bereshit and this weeks Torah portion with Avraham. The timing of our current text alongside the interwoven Scriptures of this week's Torah portion is a pretty amazing confirmation from Abba YAH and speaks volumes of encouragement, if only to this one man in Kansas. I have also noticed that there is an underlying theme in our study thus far that mirrors prior enterings of the Promised Land by the forefathers Abraham,Yitschak, and Yaakov. We will explore some of these instances as they arise. There are two instances in this week's reading in Yehoshua. The first is seen in the trekking of the Nation of Israel and their location in verse 2; Jos 7:2 Now Yehoshua sent men from Yeriho to Ai, which is beside Byth Awen, on the east side of B yth l, and spoke to them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai. Which also mirrors the location of Abraham in Bereshit 12: 8; Gen 12:8 And from there he moved to the mountain east of Byth l, and he pitched his tent, with B yth l on the west and Ai on the east. And he built there an altar to ,and called on the Name of . As of this moment, the difference I personally see in Abraham's trek and the Israelites during the early stages of each conquest is the direction of travel. Bereshit 12 tells us that Abraham continued to move south in verse 9.. Gen 12:9 And Abram set out, continuing toward the South. While it appears that Yehoshua and Israel moved came into the Land further south and had to trek north in the beginning of the conquest. This locational weaving of this week's Torah portion, Abraham's journey upon entering Canaan, and our current text this week in Sefer Yehoshua is only one of 2 occurances. We will explore the other after reading Yehoshua Chapter 8, and soon see that identical locations held identical actions in our text, this week's Torah portion as well as in other Scriptures. Moving on in our text of Chapter 7, I wanted to briefly make mention of the awesome process that YAH used in finding out it was in fact Achan who committed the sin amongst the Israelites. Of course we know that YaHuWaH is all knowing and does not need to do some process in order for HIM to know things. However HE did do something quite remarkable when it came to this situation. While there is much speculation onto exactly what was used , one particular book I am using for this study is called The Living Nach by Yaakov Elman and he has compiled notes from various Jewish and rabbinical resources on the verses through out the Nevi'im Rishonim. Here is what his note says for verse 16 and the process used: Some suggest that the represenatives of each tribe, family etc. passed by the Ark, which then 'trapped the guilty party(Radak). Others maintain the High Priest's Breastplate, which contained 12 precious stones corresponding to the 12 Tribes, was consulted. First the stone of the guilty Tribe dimmed and then the investigation was completed by casting lots (Rashi,Radak). I have also read that it is possible that only the heads of the Tribes first appeared before the Ark or Breastplate instead of every individual in order for the elimination process to run faster in determining the guilty party. Either way the process was conducted, it is obvious that it was quite a system and is an

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element that we may sometimes overlook . One other thing to remember is that even though Achan's sin belongs to him, Abba YAH says in verse 11 that Israel has sinned. That is because Israel is communal nation, a covenant nation, and if sin effects one,and is allowed into the fold by one, it will eventually effect all, which is in fact what ultimately led to dispersion and exile. So although there is no awesome visual miraculous event in the upcoming 2 nd battle of Ai like we witnessed with the walls of Yericho, the key element that must be learned and recognized is that in order for victory to occur in Battle for Israel, complete obedience by all must be maintained. Then and only then does YHWH go with them! Which is one reason why I personally believe that there will be a future purging of sin as a Nation during the Second exodus,before we can enter back into Eretz Israel.

Chapter 8
Jos 8:1 And said to Yehoshua, Do not be afraid, nor be discouraged. Take all the soldiers with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the sovereign of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land. Jos 8:2 So you shall do to Ai and its sovereign as you did to Yeriho and its sovereign. Only its spoil and its livestock you take as plunder for yourselves. Set for yourselves an ambush for the city, behind it. Jos 8:3 And Yehoshua and all the soldiers rose up, to go up to Ai. And Yehoshua chose thirty thousand mighty brave men and sent them away by night, Jos 8:4 and commanded them, saying, See, you are going to lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you shall be prepared, Jos 8:5 while I and all the people who are with me approach the city. And it shall be, when they come out against us, as formerly, that we shall flee before them, Jos 8:6 and they shall come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, as though saying, They are fleeing before us as formerly. And we shall flee before them, Jos 8:7 then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city. And your Elohim shall give it into your hand. Jos 8:8 And it shall be, when you capture the city, that you burn the city with fire. Do according to the word of .See, I have commanded you. Jos 8:9 And Yehoshua sent them out. And they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between B yth l and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Yehoshua stayed that night in the midst of the people. Jos 8:10 And Yehoshua rose up early in the morning and inspected the people, and went up, he and the elders of Yisral, before the people to Ai. Jos 8:11 And all the soldiers who were with him went up and drew near, and came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai, with the valley between them and Ai. Jos 8:12 And he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between B yth l and Ai, on the west side of the city. Jos 8:13 So they stationed the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, and Yehoshua went that night into the midst of the valley. Jos 8:14 And it came to be, when the sovereign of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hastened and rose up early and went out against Yisral to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the desert plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. Jos 8:15 And Yehoshua and all Yisral let themselves be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the

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wilderness. Jos 8:16 And all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Yehoshua and were drawn away from the city. Jos 8:17 So there was not a man left in Ai or B yth l who did not go out after Yisra l, and they left the city open and pursued Yisral. Jos 8:18 And said to Yehoshua, Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I give it into your hand. And Yehoshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city, Jos 8:19 and the ambush rose up quickly from their place, and they ran at the stretching out of his hand, and entered the city and took it, and hastened to burn the city with fire. Jos 8:20 And the men of Ai looked behind them and saw the smoke of the city rising to the heavens. And there was no power in them to flee this way or that way, for the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers. Jos 8:21 For when Yehoshua and all Yisral saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city went up, they turned back and smote the men of Ai. Jos 8:22 The others also came out of the city against them, so they were in the midst of Yisra l, some on this side and some on that side. And they smote them until none were left, and none had escaped. Jos 8:23 But the sovereign of Ai they caught alive, and brought him to Yehoshua. Jos 8:24 And it came to be, when Yisral ended slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Yisralites returned to Ai and smote it with the edge of the sword. Jos 8:25 And it came to be that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand all men of Ai. Jos 8:26 And Yehoshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had put all the inhabitants of Ai under the ban. Jos 8:27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Yisra l took as booty for themselves, according to the word of which He had commanded Yehoshua. Jos 8:28 And Yehoshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a ruin to this day. Jos 8:29 And he hanged the sovereign of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Yehoshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, and throw it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones, to this day. Jos 8:30 And Yehoshua built an altar to Elohim of Yisral in Mount ybal, Jos 8:31 as Mosheh the servant of had commanded the children of Yisral, as it is written in the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, an altar of unhewn stones over which no man has wielded iron. And they offered on it burnt offerings to ,and slaughtered peace offerings. Jos 8:32 And there, in the presence of the children of Yisra l, he wrote on the stones a copy of the Torah of Mosheh, which he had written. Jos 8:33 And all Yisral the sojourner as well as the native with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the L wites, who bore the ark of the covenant of . Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount yb al, as Mosheh the servant of had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Yisra l. Jos 8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the Torah, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Torah.

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Jos 8:35 There was not a word of all that Mosheh had commanded which Yehoshua did not read before all the assembly of Yisral, with the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who accompanied them. Chapter 8 begins with the strategic plan by Yehoshua and soon thereafter victoroious besiege of Ai. This time clarity that YHWH kept His promise in aiding the victory once the sin was purged from the camp is clearly evident. Before moving onto the new account of stones we have in this chapter, I briefly want to make mention of verse 29 in preparation for seeing Mashiyach Yahushua in next week's study. Jos 8:29 And he hanged the sovereign of Ai on a tree until evening... Many of you are already aware that this is a commandment that when a man is put to death and hung on a tree, he must be taken down before set... Deu 21:23 Let his body not remain overnight on the tree, for you shall certainly bury him the same day for he who is hanged is accursed of Elohim so that you do not defile the land which your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance. Keep this in mind, for in next week's text we will touch on this again with a shadow that at least I never seen before. Now, in last week's Chapter 4 commentary, I mentioned that we would be discussing the 12 stones again this week as the again come up in our text. We read that the first set of 12 stones was set up by Israel at Sinai in Shemot 24... Exo 24:4 And Mosheh wrote down all the Words of ,and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve standing columns for the twelve tribes of Yisra l. Then we discussed last week the second and third sets of 12 stones, and this week we see a fourth set being set up at Mount Ebal in fullfillment of what Moshe instructed in Debarim 27.... Deu 27:1 And Mosheh, with the elders of Yisral, commanded the people, saying, Guard all the commands which I am commanding you today. Deu 27:2 And it shall be, on the day when you pass over the Yard n to the land which your Elohim is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and plaster them with plaster, Deu 27:3 and write on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go into the land which your Elohim is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you. Deu 27:4 And it shall be, when you have passed over the Yard n, that on Mount yb al you set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall plaster them with plaster, Deu 27:5 and build an altar to your Elohim there, an altar of stones do not use an iron tool on them. Deu 27:6 Build the altar of your Elohim with complete stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to your Elohim, Deu 27:7 and shall offer peace offerings, and eat there, and rejoice before your Elohim. Deu 27:8 And you shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones plainly and well. Deu 27:9 And Mosheh and the priests, the Lwites, spoke to all Yisra l, saying, Be silent and hear, O Yisral: This day you have become the people of your Elohim, Deu 27:10 and you shall obey the voice of your Elohim, and do His commands and His laws which I

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command you today. Deu 27:11 And Mosheh commanded the people on that day, saying, Deu 27:12 These are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have passed over the Yardn: Shimon, and Lwi, and Yehudah, and Yissaskar, and Yosph, and Binyamin. Deu 27:13 And these are to stand on Mount ybal to curse: Reubn, Gad, and Ashr, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. Deu 27:14 And the Lwites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Yisra l: Deu 27:15 Cursed is the man who makes a carved or moulded image, an abomination to ,the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Am n! Deu 27:16 Cursed is he who makes light of his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Am n! Deu 27:17 Cursed is he who moves his neighbours boundary. And all the people shall say, Am n! Deu 27:18 Cursed is he who misleads the blind in the way. And all the people shall say, Am n! Deu 27:19 Cursed is he who twists the right-ruling of the stranger, the fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amn! Deu 27:20 Cursed is he who lies with his fathers wife, because he has uncovered his fathers bed. And all the people shall say, Amn! Deu 27:21 Cursed is he who lies with any beast. And all the people shall say, Am n! Deu 27:22 Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amn! Deu 27:23 Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say, Am n! Deu 27:24 Cursed is he who smites his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Am n! Deu 27:25 Cursed is he who takes a bribe to slay an innocent being. And all the people shall say, Am n! Deu 27:26 Cursed is he who does not establish the Words of this Torah. And all the people shall say, Amn! A note to add concerning the writing on the stones in Yehoshua 8:32 and in Debarim 27:8 is that there is a midrash that only the stones for the altar were here and that the Torah was written, or inscribed on these stones and there was no other stones set up in this instance. I believe this to be untrue due to Moshe instructs Israel in Debarim 27:5 that no iron tool can be used on stones for an altar... Deu 27:5 and build an altar to your Elohim there, an altar of stones do not use an iron tool on them. If Israel was to write a copy of the Torah on the stones at Mt Ebal, that meant inscribing rock,which to my recollection reguired a metal chisel in ancient times.. Rashi on Shemot 20:22 comments that... Iron is used for destructive purposes while the altar serves a constructive purpose. So by the scriptural evidence, I am convinced that we are in fact seeing a fourth set of 12 Stones being set up along with the altar. Now we move onto see our second instance of this week's study tied into our current Torah portion. As I mentioned earlier, we can see similar occurances in locations in several different Scriptural events. The setting up of the altar in Shekem/Mount Ebal, has been done before...

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This week's torah portion... Gen 12:6 And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shekem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. At that time the Kenaanites were in the land. Gen 12:7 And appeared to Ab ram and said, To your seed I give this land. And he built there an altar to ,who had appeared to him. Same location, same act of building an altar but now by Yaakov in Bereshit 33... Gen 33:18 And Yaaqob came safely to the city of Shekem, which is in the land of Kenaan, when he came from Paddan Aram. And he pitched his tent before the city. Gen 33:19 And he bought the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shekems father, for one hundred qesitah. Gen 33:20 And he set up an altar there and called it l Eloh Yisra l. Also notice that Yaakov purchased a portion of this land in Shekem, the very area in which Yehoshua and Israel are now carrying out building an altar the same as their forefathers before them in the same location! The purchasing of the land by Yaakov, and the returning of that Land to the Israelites in our text is you guessed it....another witness of the Jubilee with the Land returning to its rightful owners of YHWH and Israel as we discussed last week! Chapter 9 Jos 9:1 And it came to be, when all the sovereigns who were beyond the Yard n, in the hills and in the low country and in all the coasts of the Great Sea toward Lebanon the Hittite and the Amorite, the Kenaanite and the Perizzite, the Hiwwite and the Yebusite heard, Jos 9:2 they gathered together to fight with Yehoshua and Yisra l with one accord. Jos 9:3 And the inhabitants of Gibon heard what Yehoshua had done to Yeriho and Ai, Jos 9:4 and they acted slyly and went and pretended to be envoys. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, Jos 9:5 and old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves. And all the bread of their provision was dry, it was crumbs. Jos 9:6 And they went to Yehoshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Yisra l, We have come from a far land, and now, make a covenant with us. Jos 9:7 But the men of Yisral said to the Hiwwites, It could be that you dwell in our midst, so how would we make a covenant with you? Jos 9:8 And they said to Yehoshua, We are your servants. And Yehoshua said to them, Who are you, and where do you come from? Jos 9:9 So they said to him, From a land very far off your servants have come, because of the Name of your Elohim. For we have heard the report of Him, and all that He did in Mitsrayim, Jos 9:10 and all that He had done to the two sovereigns of the Amorites who were beyond the Yard n, to Sihon sovereign of Heshbon, and Og sovereign of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. Jos 9:11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land spoke to us, saying, Take food with you for the

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journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and now, make a covenant with us. Jos 9:12 This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day that we left to come to you. But now, see, it is dry and it is crumby. Jos 9:13 And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn. And these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey. Jos 9:14 And the men of Yisral took some of their food, but they did not ask the mouth of . Jos 9:15 And Yehoshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the rulers of the congregation swore to them. Jos 9:16 And it came to be at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours who dwelt near them. Jos 9:17 And the children of Yisral set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibon, and Kephirah, and Beroth, and Qiryath Yearim. Jos 9:18 But the children of Yisra l did not smite them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by Elohim of Yisral. And all the congregation grumbled against the rulers. Jos 9:19 But all the rulers said to all the congregation, We have sworn to them by Elohim of Yisral, and we are unable to touch them now. Jos 9:20 Let us do this to them: We shall keep them alive, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them. Jos 9:21 And the rulers said to them, Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the rulers had promised them. Jos 9:22 Then Yehoshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, Why have you deceived us, saying, We are very far from you, yet you are dwelling in our midst? Jos 9:23 And now you are cursed, and you shall not cease from being slaves, and woodcutters and drawers of water for the House of my Elohim. Jos 9:24 And they answered Yehoshua and said, Your servants were clearly told that your Elohim commanded His servant Mosheh to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you. So we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this deed. Jos 9:25 And now, see, we are in your hands. Do with us as it seems good and right to do to us. Jos 9:26 And he did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Yisra l, and they did not kill them. Jos 9:27 And that day Yehoshua made them woodcutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of ,even to this day, at the place that He should choose.

We close this week's study with chapter 9 and Israel being deceived into making a covenant with the Gibeonites. Josephus writes in Antiquities of the Jews Book 5.1.16...

Accordingly Joshua, believing what they said, that they were not of the nation of the Canaanites, entered into friendship with them; and Eleazar the high priest, with the senate, sware to them that they would esteem them their friends and associates, and would attempt nothing that should be unfair against them, the multitude also assenting to the oaths that were made to them. So these men, having obtained what they desired, by deceiving the Israelites, went home: but when Joshua led his army to the country at the bottom of the mountains of this part of Canaan, he understood that the Gibeonites dwelt

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I have seen several commentators including the 13 th century Rambam attempt to justify this deceptive covenant with the Gibeonites a people that Israel is clearly instructed to oust from the Land in Exodus 23, by saying it is alright to offer peace to all cities before entering into battle with each city. However this is only true of cities or nations outside the Land of Israel...lets take a look at the commandments regarding war in Debarim 20.
Deu 20:10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you shall make a call for peace to it. Deu 20:11 And it shall be that if it accepts your call for peace, and shall open to you, then all the people found in it are to be your compulsory labour, and serve you. Deu 20:12 But if it does not make peace with you, and shall fight against you, then you shall besiege it, Deu 20:13 and your Elohim shall give it into your hands, and you shall smite every male in it with the edge of the sword. Deu 20:14 Only the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you take as plunder for yourself. And you shall eat the enemies plunder which your Elohim gives you. Deu 20:15 Do so to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. Deu 20:16 Only, of the cities of these peoples which your Elohim gives you as an inheritance, you do not keep alive any that breathe, Deu 20:17 but you shall certainly put them under the ban: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Kenaanite and the Perizzite and the Hiwwite and the Yebusite, as your Elohim has commanded you, Deu 20:18 lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their mighty ones, and you sin against your Elohim.

not far from Jerusalem, and that they were of the stock of the Canaanites; so he sent for their governors, and reproached them with the cheat they had put upon him; but they alleged, on their own behalf, that they had no other way to save themselves but that, and were therefore forced to have recourse to it. So he called for Eleazar the high priest, and for the senate, who thought it right to make them public servants, that they might not break the oath they had made to them; and they ordained them to be so. And this was the method by which these men found. safety and security under the calamity that was ready to overtake them.

The above is a re-iteration to a new generation of what YaHuWaH instructed them back in Shemot 23..
Exo 23:23 For My Messenger shall go before you and shall bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Kenaanites and the Hiwwites and the Yebusites, and I shall cut them off. Exo 23:24 Do not bow down to their mighty ones, nor serve them, nor do according to their works, but without fail overthrow them and without fail break down their pillars. Exo 23:25 And you shall serve your Elohim, and He shall bless your bread and your water. And I shall remove sickness from your midst. Exo 23:26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land. I shall fill the number of your days. Exo 23:27 I shall send My fear before you, and cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

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Exo 23:28 And I shall send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hiwwite, the Kenaanite, and the Hittite from before you. Exo 23:29 I shall not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become a waste and the beast of the field become too numerous for you. Exo 23:30 Little by little I shall drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. Exo 23:31 And I shall set your border from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River, for I shall give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. Exo 23:32 Do not make a covenant with them nor with their mighty ones. Exo 23:33 Let them not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me when you serve their mighty ones, when it becomes a snare to you.

Gen 9:26 And he said, Blessed be ,the Elohim of Shm, and let Kenaan become his servant. Gen 9:27 Let Elohim enlarge Yepheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Sh m. And let Kena an become his servant.

Clearly it is evident that they were not suppose to make any sort of covenant with those inhabiting the Land, let alone let them live. However, the facts remain that they did in fact enter into a covenant with them even if was by deceit on behalf of the Gibeonites. That being said, the deception should have been grounds for nullifying the oath, nevertheless the Nation of Israel's reasoning for keeping the oath while still punishing the Gibeonites was due to the fact that the Elders swore to them by the Name of YaHuWaH. Going back on the oath would mean desecration of the Name of the Creator of the Universe , that in which the leaders of Israel were not about to let happen. We can also directly link this to a partial fulfillment of a verse we read in last week's Torah portion about Noah's descendants, specifically concerning Shem and Canaan....

Thus Yehoshua ... (27)made them woodcutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of ,even to this day, at the place that He should choose.
Shabbat Shalom! Daniel McGirr The Echad Etz Project Resources 1.All scripture used in this study is taken from ISR's The Scriptures 2. The Living Nach by YaakovElman

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