Year of Promise: © 1295 BC (Joshua 9:1-27)

Year of Promise Broken: © 1051 (2 Samuel 21:1)

Time until fulfillment: ~ 244 years

As previously noted, God made many prophecies through people He chose to speak for Him. These usually spoke proclaiming their words were directly from God. However, others spoke prophecies that they themselves spoke, although they were God inspired. In addition, God sometimes held people to the promises they made as well. An example of that is presented here.

When Joshua and the Israelite army started their conquests in Canaan, the people from the town of Gibeon decided to try trickery to save their lives. God had told the Israelites to drive out completely all those who lived in Canaan, over time, and not to make any covenants with them (Ex 23:31-33). However, having seen their neighbors being wiped out by Israel, the people of Gibeon, descendants of the Amorites (2Sa 21:2) of whose land was promised to Israel through Abraham (Gn 15:21) and who lived in a nearby section of Canaan, put on old clothes, packed moldy bread, and feigned they had traveled a long distance. They did this so they could make a peace treaty with Israel and would agree to be their servants if Israel agreed to spare their lives (Js 9:1-13). Joshua and the leaders, knowing God’s command to them about the inhabitants of Canaan (Js 9:7), did not trust them at first, but later believed them. Yet, they did not seek the Lord in regard to their decision (Js 9:14). Later, Joshua found out about the ruse, and made the Gibeonites slaves to Israel (Js 9:15-27).

However, during the time of Saul, the first king of Israel (1Sa 11:17-25), Saul tried to annihilate the Gibeonites (2Sa 21:2) and God showed his displeasure by sending a 3-year famine during the reign of King David (2Sa 21:1). The reason God did this is unknown but may be tied to the command God had given Israel, which stated the alien within their land should be treated as native-born (Lv 19:33-34). When David asked the Gibeonites what they wanted for retribution, they replied they wanted seven of Saul’s sons delivered to them for execution (2Sa 21:6). This was done and later, David gathered their remains as well as those of Saul and Jonathan, who had previously died in battle, and buried them in a family tomb within Saul’s family (2Sa 21:7-14), and God again blessed the land (2Sa 21:14).

You may find this a bizarre story. I will admit it is one of the more unusual stories in the Bible. Yet, it does show how seriously God takes his promises and the promises of those who he has placed in charge. Even after 200 years, God still held to what Joshua had promised the Gibeonites. Maybe Saul focused on the deception of the Gibeonites and felt he was being patriotic by taking them out. This is a caution to us to understand carefully the history of an event before we take action based upon our own beliefs without all the facts. God upheld Joshua’s original promise, and Saul should have also. I think we can see time is inconsequential to God. We cannot use it as an excuse.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

God has a plan for both individuals as well as nations. However, the two are not always tied together. In scripture we can see how individuals can get trapped on both sides of how a nation responds to God. Many times, individuals’ obedience to God will lead to the prosperity of the nation (Pr 11:10). We also see that many times the righteous may undergo consequences of a nation’s judgment (Ec 8:14). Yet God promises to look out for righteous individuals (Ps 1:6, 11:7; Pr 12:7; Is 3:10; Mt 13:43). God always seems to put the actions of individuals above the actions of nations. Let’s examine a few examples.

When Joshua first led the Israelites across the Jordan River into their Promised Land of Canaan, the city of Jericho was the first city they attacked. God stated the city was slated for total annihilation: no individual, livestock, or plunder was to be taken – all was to be dedicated to God (Js 6:18-21). Yet, Rahab and her family were saved because of her actions and belief (Js 6:23, 25). She knew God was above all other gods and would make Israel prosper no matter what (Js 2:10-11). Because of her response to Him, God rewarded her faith (Js 6:25). She became the great, great grandmother of King David (Mt 1:5-6).

Another example was Ruth. Moab was a country between Edom and the tribe of Reuben on the eastern side of the Jordan River. The people of Moab were descendants of Lot, a nephew of Abraham (Gn 19:30-38). When the Israelites were heading to Canaan, the king of Moab refused to let them pass through their land (Jd 11:17). Later, another king of Moab made Israel subject to him, but Israel later made Moab subject to them through the leadership of the judge Ehud (Jd 3:12-30). Moabites and Israelites became enemies (Jd 3:28). Yet, because of Ruth’s devotion to Naomi, her mother-in-law, and her devotion to God (Ru 1:16-17), she, too, was saved and blessed by God (Ru 4:13-22): she became the grandmother to King David (Mt 1:5-6).

A third example was Asenath. She was the daughter of an Egyptian priest of On (also known as Heliopolis). She was given to Joseph as a wife by Pharaoh himself (Gn 41:45). While scripture is silent as to her conversion, it is likely she did because as the book of Exodus opens, Joseph’s descendant are already incorporated into the lives of the other children of Israel. Although Ephraim and Manasseh were half Egyptian, their descendants were considered Israeli by the rest of the Israelites as well as by future Pharaohs. Both Ephraim and Manasseh became two of the larger tribes within the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

A fourth example were the Gibeonites. These were Amorite descendants (Hivites) who God had told Joshua to have annihilated (Js 3:10) as the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land of Canaan (Js 9:24). The Gibeonites pretended to be from a far country, wanted to worship the God of Israel, and asked Joshua to make a covenant with them (Js 9:6-15). While the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelite leaders into making a covenant with them, Joshua still honored the covenant and made them servants to the Levites (Js 9:23). They and their descendants hewed wood and drew water for service of the tabernacle, and later for the temple (Js 9:27). In order to perform duties of worship, they would have had to become proselytes and their males circumcised (Gn 17:11-14; Ex 12:48-49). God also honored this covenant and King David later had to repay retribution for the Gibeonites who King Saul had put to death (2Sa 21:1). The Gibeonites later became the temple servants (1Ch 9:2) and some even returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel (Er 2:43) and Ezra (Er 8:20) to continue in this service. They also helped Nehemiah repair the city’s wall (Ne 3:26) and they were incorporated into Jewish society (Ne 11:3). Although those in the beginning may not have been devoted proselytes, God honored future generations that became devoted to Him.

From these examples, we see that while God has plans for nations, an individual’s response to God is primary. This may be a different view than you’ve had of God before, but doesn’t it show how loving God really is to us? Aren’t you glad you serve a God like that?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens