The news of Is'ra-el's great meeting on Mount E'bal and Mount Ger'i-zim was soon spread among the various heathen nations of Ca'naan, and they began to seek some way of acting together to keep the chosen people of God out of their land. All the heathen tribes agreed that the victories of Is'ra-el over the Am'o-rites east of the Jor'dan, and the conquest of the lands of Mid'i-an and Am'mon had been won through the favor of God upon the He'brews. They also felt that the destruction of Jer'i-cho and Ai would have been impossible without the LORD'S help. They knew that the Covenant meeting in the mountains was held for the purpose of dedicating all Is'ra-el to God, and that He had promised to give them the entire land. Their determination to fight Is'ra-el was also a rebellion against God, for in opposing His chosen people they defied His power and rule.
Among the heathen peoples there was one tribe which was impressed by the righteous cause of Is'ra-el, and which was so greatly moved by the fear of God that they deserted the other nations and sought an alliance with Is'ra-el. These people, who were known as the Gib'eon-ites, or Hi'vites, were known to be strong and courageous, but they realized that power and bravery can avail nothing in a fight against God.
For some reason the Gib'eon-ites did not wish to make themselves known in their offer of alliance with Is'ra-el, so they adopted a clever disguise. A group of their wisest and most able men pretended to be common laborers who had come from a distant land. Wearing old, ragged clothing, and carrying torn wine-skins and moldy bread, thay came to Josh'u-a begging for mercy.
They professed to have faith in God, showed great respect for the miraculous power which had blessed and protected Is'ra-el, and expressed a strong desire to join the people who had been shown such favor by the LORD. They even suggested that they become servants of the Is'ra-el-ites, promising to do whatever tasks that might be given them.
Josh'u-a was deceived by the request of the Gib'eon-ites. Without knowing who they were, he and the elders of Is'ra-el formed a league with them and agreed to spare the lives of their people. A treaty of peace was then made without seeking the advice of the LORD, and the princes of Is'ra-el gave their word to abide by it.
Three days later the Is'ra-el-ites found out that the Gib'eon-ites were close neighbors, and that they occupied four large and important towns directly east of Is'ra-el's encampment at Gil'gal. Then the Is'ra-el-ites declared that they were no longer bount by a treaty which had been gaint by trickery, and that the lives of the Gib'eon-ites should not be spared. But Josh'u-a and the princes of Is'ra-el replied, "We have sworn unto them by the LORD, the God of Is'ra-el; now therefore we may not touch them." The leaders of Is'ra-el felt that a solemn agreement should be kept, even though one of the parties to it has not acted in good faith.
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