Do not be Deceived

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Joshua 9:1-27

 

Joshua 9:3-5

 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, ⁴ they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, ⁵ with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly.

(ESV)

 

The year 2020 is two-thirds complete and based upon the events that have occurred, I believe we can use the acronym FNN (Fearful Negative News) to describe the year.  While technologies like the internet, social media and 24-hour news keep the public informed in a manner never before realized in history, when the news is a barrage of FNN, the result is a population full of fear.  While it is wise to practice social distancing, wear masks, covering sneezes or coughs, and wash our hands during a pandemic, we must guard ourselves against FNN to avoid making decisions and unwise choices due to fear.

 

Joshua 9:1-27 records the account of Israel’s deception by Gibeon that resulted in Israel entering an unwise covenant.  Once again Israel is coming off of a great victory at Ai that coupled with the victory at Jericho, has led to fear of suffering a similar defeat among the remaining nations in the Promised Land, leading to their decision to unite and fight against Israel (Joshua 9:1-2).  The inhabitants of Gibeon decide to use a different tactic than the other nations, a tactic of deception (Joshua 9:3-5).  This tactic of deception against God’s people is nothing new for it was introduced in the Garden of Eden and used to deceive Adam and Eve into sinning against God, leading to the separation of humanity from God (Genesis 3). 

 

The deception in the Garden of Eden created distrust by Adam and Eve that God had their best interests in mind when he commanded them not to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17).  Through deception, Satan convinces Eve that Adam and she will not die if they eat the forbidden fruit but instead will have their eyes opened and be like God knowing good from evil (Genesis 3:5).  Sadly, Adam and Eve fall for the serpent’s deception and partake of the forbidden fruit causing God to evict them from the Garden of Eden, separating humanity from God until Jesus would restore it at the cross (Genesis 3:22-24).

The progression of the deception of Israel by Gibeon is,

 

1)      Deceptive evidence – To appear to be from a far-off land, the Gibeonites present worn-out sacks for their donkeys, worn-out wineskins, Worn-out sandals and clothes, and dried provisions (Joshua 9:12-13).  Upon presentation of these worn-out items to Joshua, the men of Israel take some of Gibeon’s provisions but fail to seek the counsel of the Lord who would have revealed the deception before Israel entering into a covenant with Gibeon (Joshua 9:14-15).  In a time when information is readily available, we must use discernment to determine the truthfulness of the facts.  We must not make the mistake of Israel and consider the source of evidence presented and weigh it against Biblical truth and common sense.  For example, the initial predictions for Covid19 based upon computer models were 2 million deaths.  (1)  This dire prediction was a worst-case scenario that did not consider mitigation procedures like social distancing, masks, hand washing, and covering sneezes and coughs in our elbows or sleeves.  Decisions to shut down and harm the economy, shut down schools depriving children of an education, important social interactions, and the shutting down of Churches that provide hope for people in fear were done based upon FNN using deceptive evidence.

2)      Historical facts providing the appearance of godliness – The Gibeonites claim to come from a far-off country because of the name of the Lord having knowledge of what God had done for Israel (Joshua 9:9-10).  There is a distinct difference between knowing of God, for even Satan and his demons know of God and shudder (James 2:19) and knowing God as personal savior through Jesus' death on the cross.  In the Garden of Eden, Eve told Satan that God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden lest they die (Genesis 3:3).  Satan then demonstrated to Eve his knowledge of what God said by saying that the tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and twists this knowledge to mean God is holding out on them (Genesis 3:4-5).  We must weigh Biblical facts coming from anyone against the entirety of Biblical truth and sound doctrine to determine if the facts are being presented to deceive rather than demonstrating Godliness. 

3)      Deceptive intentions – While scripture does not specifically reveal the intentions of Gibeon in deceiving Israel, once caught in their deception, the people of Gibeon tell Joshua their deception came out of fear of Israel destroying them since God commanded Moses to destroy all the inhabitants of the Promised Land (Joshua 9:24).  However, their true intentions, before being caught in deception, may have been the destruction of Israel from within through making a covenant with them.  Opportunistic politicians operate with the philosophy of never allowing a crisis to go to waste and using a crisis to promote their political agenda.  The quote was popularized by Rahm Emanuel with his clarification that what he meant was, “an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”  (2)  While the sudden spike in unemployment (3) and a record drop in GDP (4) appear to present evidence increased free market activity has failed, indicating a need to adopt a more socialist economic system, this is the use of the Covid-19 crisis as an opportunity to transform the successful capitalist economy into a socialist economy.  The economic decline was not a failure of the capitalist system but the needless shutting down of much of the economy based on deceptive evidence from computer model data predicting a worst-case scenario that did not occur.  (1)  Instead of panic fueled by FNN using a medical crisis to call for the abandonment of free-market capitalism in favor of a socialist economic system, economic decisions should be based on actual scientific evidence indicating a decline in Covid19 deaths while testing has increased from 100,000 tests per day to 600,000 tests per day.  (5)

 

It is important for us not to be deceived for deception leads to bad decisions and entering harmful covenants, treaties, or contracts that could do long-term harm to a nation.  While the outcome of Israel’s covenant with Gibeon based upon deception was good due to Israel discovering Gibeon’s deception three days later, the outcome could have been the destruction of Israel from within.  In the United States, there is a crucial decision coming on November 3, 2020, the election of a President, representatives in the House of Representatives, and senators in the Senate.  The decision of who to vote for must not depend on campaign ads which are designed to present the candidate in a positive light deceptively hiding any hidden agendas or evidence of corruption, including voting solely based on information on the candidate's website.  Instead, we must vote based on the candidate's background, history of past accomplishments in positions of leadership, and any deceptive practices in the candidate’s past.  Christian voters must also determine the values of the candidate and vote for candidates mirroring Biblical values.  Voters must not fall for deception this election and seek Godly counsel before voting. 

 

1. Tufekci, Zeynep. Don’t Believe the COVID-19 Models: That's not What They're for. www.theatlantic.com. [Online] The Atlantic, April 2, 2020. [Cited: April 12, 2020.] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-models-arent-supposed-be-right/609271/.

 

2. Goodreads. Rahm Emanuel Quotes. goodreads.com. [Online] Goodreads. [Cited: August 14, 2020.] 2020. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/717228-you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to-waste.

 

3. Jones, Charisse. Layoffs: 1.3M workers file for unemployment as COVID-19 spikes and businesses close again. usatoday.com. [Online] USA Today, 9 2020, July. [Cited: 14 2020, August.] https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/07/09/coronavirus-1-3-m-file-unemployment-benefits-amid-covid-19/5397132002/.

 

4. Brown, Matthew. Fact check: U.S. GDP drop in 2020's second quarter is the worst in modern history. usatoday.com. [Online] USA Today, August 8, 2020. [Cited: August 14, 2020.] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/08/08/fact-check-u-s-quarterly-gdp-drop-worst-modern-history/5569089002/.

 

5. Wu, Katherine J. U.S. Coronavirus Cases Are Rising Sharply, but Deaths Are Still Down. nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, July 22, 2020. [Cited: August 14, 2020.] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/health/coronavirus-mortality-testing.html.