The Gibeonites Are a Picture of Election

Israel was commanded to conquer and kill every person living in Canaan. God not only commanded Israel to do it but he himself fought for Israel to accomplish it (Joshua 10:14). Every king and people group that fought Israel perished. But one group, the Gibeonites, sought mercy and were saved. Why were they spared?

Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. For it was the LORD's doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses. (Joshua 11:18-20)

God specifically hardened the hearts of the kings of Canaan so that he could destroy them. This was spelled out for us in the encounter with the king of Sihon. Moses asked to pay for the rights to pass through their land. But God hardened the heart of the king of Sihon so that he would not accept terms of peace in order for God to destroy Sihon.

So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace... But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. (Deuteronomy 2:26-30)

That is scary! Those who fight against God are destined to do so and will be destroyed for it! Oh, how we need to beg God for mercy. And that is exactly what the Gibeonites did (Joshua 9). They saw that they had no chance or offer of salvation, and so disguised themselves as a far away nation. They did so because they knew that God had commanded all the people groups of Canaan to be destroyed. They knew they were not even offered a chance at peace! Yet they attempted to reconcile with God. So they disguised themselves and Israel inadvertantly made a covenant of peace with them thinking that they were not Canaanites. Once Joshua found out they were really from Canaan, he got mad at them, and so made the Gibeonites slaves to carry water and wood for the temple of God.

But is that not a picture of salvation for us who are saved? Are we not bond servants, slaves of God as Paul called himself (Romans 1:1)? Were we not plucked out from among a people that were hardened to be destroyed? Do not think that this only applied to the Old Testament. Jesus himself acted in the same way toward a Canaanite woman who, one can say, represented the Gibeonites, not just ethnically, but spiritually.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:21-18)

Is it not ironic that the ones who were offered salvation did not receive it? But that the ones who were not offered salvation believed? King Sihon was destroyed though he was offered peace. The Gibeonites were not offered peace yet found peace. The Syrophoenician woman, who is a Canaanite, received peace though she, like us, was nothing more than a dog and was not even offered peace. Jesus even purposefully ignored her! Yet the Pharisees who were supposed to know God and were offered God's peace did not receive him. Why? Because they were hardened like the kings of Canaan. And the woman was redeemed like the Gibeonites.

What ought we to do? Seek salvation while it may be found! Pursue it whether you are offered it or not. And know, if you do receive it, that it is because God has softened your heart and caused you to believe. He has done this so none of us may boast before him! Seek God!