Joshua 9 tells the story of how the Gibeonites rather easily deceived the Israelite leaders into believing they were not Canaanites, but rather from a far country and therefore no threat to their advance. When Joshua asked why they had done this they replied: "'We did it, sir, because we learned that it was really true that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to kill the people living in it as you advanced. We did it because we were terrified of you; we were in fear of our lives. Now we are in your power; do with us what you think is right." Even though Joshua had made a treaty to spare their lives, they made it clear they believed in God and were willing to die.

"So this is what Joshua did: he protected them and did not allow the people of Israel to kill them. But at the same time he made them slaves, to cut wood and carry water for the people of Israel and for the Lord's altar. To this day they have continued to do this work in the place where the Lord has chosen to be worshiped."

Two lessons stood out to me as I read this chapter. The first was that we should expect an attack from the enemy hard on the heels of a great victory. A football team is at its most vulnerable after having scored a goal. Joshua had destroyed Jericho, dealt with Achan's sin, burned Ai to the ground and left it in ruins, built the altar on Mount Ebal, offered sacrifices and offerings to the Lord, and read the Law of Moses to the people. He must have been utterly exhausted.

Understandably, Joshua seems to have stepped back a bit from his leadership role in this matter and Eleazar the priest is not mentioned at all. "The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not enquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them." Neither Joshua nor Eleazar enquired of the Lord.

The second lesson was that our God is one who can bring blessing – even out of negligence and deception – to all who believe in him. In fulfilling their treaty with the Gibeonites, Joshua witnessed an outstanding miracle (the sun standing still) and the defeat of the five Kings of the Amorites in one huge battle (Joshua 10). The Gibeonites themselves served the Israelites and particularly "the Lord 's Altar" and benefitted from the Lord's protection (2 Sam. 21). God blessed the Gibeonites. "Better is one day in you courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a door keeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked" (Ps. 84:10).