What is the meaning of Joshua 9:20? This is how we will treat them The leaders of Israel gather after discovering the Gibeonite ruse (Joshua 9:16-18). They do not consult about whether to break their word; instead they decide how to honor it. • Their first concern is faithfulness, echoing Moses’ charge in Deuteronomy 23:21, “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay in fulfilling it.” • They choose a measured response, not retaliation, much like Joshua earlier spared Rahab because of a promise (Joshua 6:22-25). • The phrase signals deliberate, covenant-minded leadership, foreshadowing later judges and kings who must decide between impulse and obedience (Judges 2:1-2). We will let them live Israel opts for mercy within the limits of the covenant they unwisely forged (Joshua 9:21, 27). • Deuteronomy 20:10-11 had allowed cities afar to surrender and live; the Gibeonites now receive similar leniency. • Life is preserved, yet with consequences: they become woodcutters and water carriers, a reminder of sin’s lingering cost (Joshua 9:23). • God’s people reveal a key principle—commitment to life whenever consistent with His word, anticipating Christ’s call to love enemies (Luke 6:27). so that no wrath will fall on us Israel recognizes that breaking the oath would invite divine discipline. • Centuries later Saul violates this covenant and a famine strikes Israel until restitution is made (2 Samuel 21:1-2). • Earlier examples of corporate wrath—Achan’s sin (Joshua 7:1-5) and Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16:46-50)—underscore how seriously God regards covenant breaches. • By sparing the Gibeonites, the leaders seek to stay under God’s favor, paralleling Paul’s reminder that believers are “not appointed to wrath” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). because of the oath we swore to them The crux is the binding nature of a spoken promise before God. • Numbers 30:2 affirms, “He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” • Psalm 15:4 praises the one “who keeps his oath even when it hurts.” • Hebrews 6:16-18 points to God’s own unchangeable oath as the pattern for His people’s integrity. • Breaking an oath would profane God’s name (Leviticus 19:12) and undermine Israel’s witness among the nations they were called to bless (Genesis 12:3). summary Joshua 9:20 highlights covenant faithfulness: Israel honors its word, preserves life, and avoids divine wrath by maintaining integrity. The verse reminds believers that our promises matter because God Himself is a promise-keeper, and obedience—even after a misstep—invites His continued favor. |
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