What is the meaning of Joshua 9:24? “Your servants were told clearly” • The Gibeonites open with a humble confession of status—“your servants.” This echoes their earlier words in Joshua 9:9–11, showing calculated submission to Israel’s authority. • Word of Israel’s victories had already spread (Joshua 2:10; 5:1), so their claim of having been “told clearly” rings true. • The clarity of the report highlights God’s faithfulness: what He does for His people cannot be hidden (Psalm 98:2; Isaiah 52:10). • For us, it underscores how testimony about the Lord’s works still travels; people are watching, listening, and drawing conclusions. “that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses” • Even pagans recognize the chain of authority: the LORD → Moses → Israel (Deuteronomy 34:9). • The title “His servant Moses” reminds us that God initiates and directs His redemptive plans (Deuteronomy 7:1–2; 20:16–18). • The Gibeonites’ wording is almost creedal; they repeat divine revelation without alteration. This affirms the literal reliability of God’s prior commands (Numbers 33:50–53). • Application: unbelievers may comprehend more of God’s Word than we expect, yet still stand outside the covenant until they respond rightly. “to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you.” • This summarizes the conquest mandate (Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 7:2; Joshua 3:10). • “All the land” points to the unconditional nature of God’s promise (Genesis 15:18–21). • “Wipe out all its inhabitants” was God’s judicial sentence on entrenched wickedness (Leviticus 18:24–25). • The Gibeonites interpret these commands as certain; they see no possibility of escape apart from mercy. Their logic is sound: if God’s Word is sure, resistance is futile. • For believers, the same certainty applies to every promise and warning in Scripture (2 Peter 3:9–10). “So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this.” • Fear is the dominant human response when God’s holiness collides with sin (Exodus 15:14–16; Joshua 2:9–11). • The Gibeonites’ dread moves them to seek covenant protection, albeit through deceit (Joshua 9:3–6). • Their strategy contrasts with Rahab’s open plea for mercy (Joshua 2:12–13). Both received preservation, yet Rahab gained full inclusion, while the Gibeonites became perpetual servants (Joshua 9:27). • Lesson: accurate knowledge of God’s power must lead to repentance and honest surrender, not manipulative self-saving. summary Joshua 9:24 records the Gibeonites’ own explanation: they heard the unmistakable report of God’s command to Moses to grant Israel the whole land and destroy its peoples, so sheer terror drove them to act. The verse underscores the reliability of God’s Word, the inevitability of His judgment, and the universal impact of His mighty deeds. Even outsiders can grasp divine truth; what matters is how we respond—by humble, truthful submission that seeks His mercy, not by fearful schemes that merely postpone reckoning. |
    |