Learn From the Gibeonites

1-2. Why should we be interested in what the Bible says about the Gibeonites?

THE year is 1473 B.C.E. The nation of Israel has just begun its conquest of the Promised Land. The Israelites have won extraordinary victories over the cities of Jericho and Ai. But later, something unexpected happens. A group of travelers comes to them, claiming to be from a distant land and seeking to establish a peace agreement with God’s people.

² Those travelers are the Gibeonites. This is the first time that the Gibeonites are mentioned in the Bible record, but it is not the last. A number of Bible accounts reveal that the Gibeonites were closely associated with the Israelites throughout the following centuries. These accounts contain valuable lessons for us, and they reveal much about Jehovah God.

ACT WITH FAITH AND HUMILITY

3. (a) Who were the Gibeonites? (b) Why did they seek peace with Israel?

³ When the Israelites began their conquest of the land of Canaan, the Gibeonites lived in the fortified city of Gibeon. They were part of the Hivite nation, one of the seven Canaanite nations that were “more populous and mightier” than the Israelites. (Deut. 7:1) So the Gibeonites were a militarily strong people. (Josh. 10:2) Unlike the other Canaanites, however, they realized that resisting Israel would be pointless. They could see that Jehovah was fighting for his people, and they knew that he had promised to drive the Canaanites out of the land. (Ex. 34:11; Josh. 9:24) So after the Israelites conquered Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites sent a delegationa to Joshua at Gilgal in an effort to seek peace.

4. (a) As shown at Joshua 9:8-13, how did the Gibeonites trick Israel into making a covenant of peace? (See also picture.) (b) What happened when their deception was discovered?

⁴ Read Joshua 9:8-13. The Gibeonites pretended to be from a distant land. They acknowledged that Jehovah had a hand in Israel’s military success against Egypt and the Amorite Kings Sihon and Og. But wisely, they did not mention what had happened to Jericho and Ai, since such recent news could not yet have reached their so-called “very distant land.” Without consulting Jehovah, Israel’s representatives accepted the evidence that the Gibeonites presented and made a covenant of peace with them. (Josh. 9:14, 15) Shortly thereafter, the Gibeonites’ deception was discovered, but the Israelites stuck to their peace agreement with the Gibeonites because they had “sworn an oath to them by Jehovah.” (Josh. 9:16-19) The Gibeonites were given the humble assignment to serve indefinitely as “gatherers of wood and drawers of water for the assembly and for Jehovah’s altar.”​—Josh. 9:27.

5. In what ways did the Gibeonites show faith in Jehovah?

⁵ On hearing that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel, five Amorite kings banded together to attack Gibeon. The Gibeonites appealed to Joshua for help. (Josh. 10:3-7) Joshua led Israel in a rescue operation, and their efforts were blessed. Jehovah even hurled down great hailstones on the enemy Amorite forces and miraculously extended the daylight for battle. (Josh. 10:9-14) By seeking a covenant of peace with Israel and by appealing to Joshua for help when threatened, the Gibeonites showed faith in Jehovah​—faith in his ability to fulfill his word and to rescue them.

6. What do we learn about Jehovah from the way he treated the Gibeonites during Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land?

⁶ What does this account teach us about Jehovah? Jehovah is humble and merciful. He had previously instructed Israel to “drive away all the inhabitants of the land,” which included the Gibeonites. (Num. 33:51, 52) Yet, in support of the covenant of peace Israel made with them, Jehovah mercifully permitted the Gibeonites to live. Jehovah did so even though the Israelites failed to consult him before entering into that covenant. He then helped Israel to stick to their agreement and miraculously rescued the Gibeonites.​—Josh. 9:26; 11:19.

7. How can we imitate the Gibeonites’ faith and humility? (See also picture.)

⁷ How can we imitate the Gibeonites? By cultivating strong faith in Jehovah. Since we know so much more about Jehovah than did the Gibeonites at that time, we have even more reasons to trust in Jehovah completely. (Ps. 40:4, 5) We can also imitate the Gibeonites by being willing to do humble tasks in Jehovah’s service. (Josh. 9:23, 27) A young brother named Luke will never forget the time when he saw an older brother of the Bethel family do just that. Although that Bethelite cared for a weighty and somewhat prominent assignment, he quietly volunteered for a night shift to watch the local Kingdom Hall site while it was under construction. Luke says: “I learned that humility is not simply a feeling. It is expressed by what we choose to do or not do.” May we express our faith in Jehovah daily by relying on him when we face difficult situations and by humbly caring for any theocratic assignment.

WAIT ON JEHOVAH TO CORRECT INJUSTICE

8. What crime did King Saul commit against the Gibeonites?

⁸ The Gibeonites are mentioned again in the Bible record centuries later. King Saul turned against the Gibeonites living in Israel. “In his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah,” he attempted to wipe the Gibeonites out.b As a result, a number of them were murdered. (2 Sam. 21:2, 5, 6) What an injustice! Saul broke the long-standing covenant of peace that existed between Israel and the Gibeonites.

9. When was the injustice against the Gibeonites finally addressed?

⁹ This terrible injustice against the Gibeonites was not immediately addressed. In fact, it was not until the reign of Saul’s successor, King David, that Jehovah brought the matter to the attention of the nation by means of a three-year famine. When David asked about the reason for the famine, Jehovah told him that Saul and his household were bloodguilty because of the way they had mistreated the Gibeonites years earlier.​—2 Sam. 21:1.

10. As recorded at 2 Samuel 21:3-6, how did the Gibeonites show respect for God’s Law in what they said to David?

¹⁰ Read 2 Samuel 21:3-6. David spoke to the Gibeonites to try to determine what could be done to atone for Saul’s crime against them. Would they try to get rich by making David pay for not acting earlier in their behalf? The Gibeonites rightly answered that it was “not a matter of silver or gold” because, according to the Law, no ransom could be accepted for a murderer. (Num. 35:30, 31) They also recognized that they could not put a man to death without legal authorization. In the end, David authorized the execution of seven of Saul’s male descendants who may have had some share in Saul’s attempted genocide. Sometime later, the rains came, ending the famine and signaling that the injustice had been avenged to Jehovah’s satisfaction.​—2 Sam. 21:9, 10, 14.

11. What can we learn about Jehovah from this account?

¹¹ What does this account teach us about Jehovah? We see clear evidence that Jehovah is a just God. (Ps. 37:28) He wants all people to be treated fairly. That includes even those who may be discriminated against, as is often the case with foreigners and minorities. In his due time, Jehovah will correct any injustices that his worshippers may have experienced. We also learn that Jehovah expects us to keep our promises, just as he expected the Israelites to keep their promise of peace with the Gibeonites.​—Compare Amos 1:9.

12. How can we imitate the Gibeonites when dealing with an injustice?

¹² How can we imitate the Gibeonites? Even when mistreated by our brothers and sisters, we can wait patiently on Jehovah. By doing so, we show that we trust that Jehovah will correct matters in his due time. Consider the example of Sister Laura French. She began serving at Canada Bethel in 1926. About ten years later, she became the victim of a terrible injustice. She was wrongly accused of being involved with a group of apostates, and she was dismissed from Bethel. What would she do? Although she felt hurt, she never complained. She spent the next four years zealously serving as a pioneer. To her surprise and delight, in 1940 she was invited to return to Bethel, where she continued to serve faithfully until she finished her earthly course some 50 years later. Like Sister French, we can overcome an injustice by persevering in doing what is right and by waiting on Jehovah to correct matters in his due time.​—Isa. 26:3, 4.

LOYALLY SUPPORT TRUE WORSHIP

13. Who were “the Nethinim,” and what did they do after the Babylonian exile?

¹³ About 500 years after the time of King David, the Gibeonites appear again in the Bible record. The 70-year Babylonian exile had come to an end, and in 537 B.C.E., the first group of Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem with Governor Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:1, 2, 58) In 468 B.C.E., another group returned but with Ezra the copyist. (Ezra 7:1-7) Both of those relatively small groups of returning exiles included families of “the Nethinim.” (See footnotes on Ezra 2:58 and 7:7.) Who were the Nethinim? They were “non-Israelite temple servants, or ministers,” and many of them were likely descendants of the Gibeonites.​—See Glossary, “Nethinim.”

14. How did the Gibeonites show loyalty to Jehovah? (1 Chronicles 9:2 and footnote)

¹⁴ Read 1 Chronicles 9:2 and footnote. “The temple servants” were among the first exiles to return to Israel. That is significant because not all of the Jews in exile returned. Many Jews no doubt had found a measure of prosperity in Babylon, and they were unwilling to make the sacrifices required to return and help rebuild their devastated homeland. But faithful exiles, including some who were likely descendants of the Gibeonites, longed to see true worship reestablished at the temple in Jerusalem, and they made every effort to return. Unlike the Jews, the descendants of the Gibeonites did not have an inheritance of land in Israel. Yet, they returned to care for their temple duties and even to help repair Jerusalem’s walls.​—Neh. 3:26.

15. What does the account of the Gibeonites teach us about Jehovah?

¹⁵ What does this account teach us about Jehovah? We learn that our God greatly appreciates his loyal worshippers and always takes care of them. By the time the Babylonian exile ended, almost 1,000 years had passed since Jehovah saved the Gibeonites during Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. Yet, he continued to bless them. Descendants of the Gibeonites survived the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. After the exile, they continued to be closely involved with true worship, ministering with the Levites at the temple. Some apparently lived near the temple. (Ezra 2:70; Neh. 11:21) And they received an exemption from paying tax, tribute, and toll on account of their temple work.​—Ezra 7:24.

16. How can we imitate the Gibeonites when it comes to our worship?

¹⁶ How can we imitate the Gibeonites? We too want to do all we can to support true worship. We willingly make sacrifices to serve Jehovah because we love him and want to please him. That was true of Alwin, a brother in the Philippines. He had a high-paying job working for an oil company. But he wanted to do more in his service to Jehovah. Whenever the circuit overseer visited his congregation, Alwin took time off from work to support the visit and enjoyed having a greater share in the ministry. After some time and many prayers, Alwin decided to quit his job and find one that would allow him to serve as a regular pioneer. Doing so would involve making financial sacrifices. Still, he reached his goal. His wife joined him in the pioneer ministry, and as a couple they have been able to help 21 people learn the truth. No doubt, Jehovah values this couple’s efforts. We too can be confident that Jehovah appreciates any sacrifices we make in his service, and as a result, he will always care for our needs.​—Matt. 6:33.

17. What have we learned by reviewing Bible accounts about the Gibeonites?

¹⁷ The Bible accounts about the Gibeonites shed light on Jehovah’s endearing personality. He is humble, merciful, just, and loyal. He always rewards his faithful worshippers. These Bible accounts also contain a number of practical lessons. Like the Gibeonites, we want to have strong faith in Jehovah, relying on him when faced with frightening events. Such faith will also move us to care humbly for any theocratic assignment we may receive. We want to wait patiently on Jehovah, confident that he will ultimately correct all injustices. And we support true worship with zeal and loyalty. As we do, we will show that we have learned valuable lessons from the Gibeonites.