The leaders of Israel, in light of the mistake they have made, are put under a lot of pressure to renege on their covenant commitment. The people of Israel grumble against their leaders; they want to destroy the Gibeonites. But the leaders of Israel act responsibly: they do not give in to peer pressure by compounding one mistake with another. They know that God is faithful to his promises; their relationship with God depends on his faithfulness. They know that God has also called them to likewise be faithful to their promises. They must be holy just as God is holy. And having sworn an oath in God’s name, it would be sin for them to now break that oath. God’s wrath will fall upon them if they break their word of promise.
The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:6 and 1 Corinthians 10:11 that the historical events in the Bible relating to the actions of the Israelites were written down as examples for us. The Holy Spirit wants us to learn from the negative and the positive examples of Israel what it means to live by faith in God’s promises.
Practically, we should therefore learn from this episode that we must not commit sin in order to escape the consequences of our actions. In whatever place or situation in which we find ourselves, we are not to escape the effects of our sins through further disobedience. We are called to obey God and trust him when we’ve sinned.
1 As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this,