10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484

SURVEY OF BIBLE HISTORY
The League with the Hivites
Joshua Lesson 10

Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1998
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

Joshua 9 & Judges 2:1-5

G. The Alliance with the Hivites:

1. Joshua 9:1-2 records that shortly after the fall of Ai, the remaining kings in Canaan began to form an alliance by which they could fight Israel as a unit:

a. The Hittites.

b. The Amorites.

c. The Canaanites.

d. The Perizzites.

e. The Hivites.

f. The Jebusites.

g. Locate these on a map as they are being introduced.

2. Although, somewhere in the midst of their efforts for unification, one group, the Hivites, decided on a different approach against the Israelites. In Josh, 9;24, they later explained to Israel that they had decided they could not win in open battle; and would all be destroyed if they tried. Thus, with this reconciliation to destruction, they decided to trick the Israelites into an alliance with them.

This the Hivites did in secrecy from the other Canaani te tribes. Of course, the remai ni ng Canaanites immediately saw this move by the Hivites as total betrayal, thus launching an all-out attack against the Hivites as we shall consider in the next lesson. Josh. 10.

The Hivite cities involved are given in Josh. 9:17:

a. Gibeon

b. Chephirah

c. Beeroth

d. Kirjath-jearim

e. Locate each on the map, and show the general area in relation to the whole of Israel.3. From east to west in Central Israel is the deep (far below sea level) Jordan river valley; Then the central highlands· These highlands are a series of high mountains, hill, and deep valleys with altitudes of more than 3000 feet above sea level· To the west, the mountains taper off into a coastal plain and the Mediterranean Sea at sea level. All of this occurs in a distance of about 50 miles.

The area of the Hivites is right in the central, mountainous highlands· It later became known as, and is today called, Samaria.

The city of Gibeon was located about 6 miles north, northwest, of Jerusalem, in a small plain, wherein it occupied an imposing position upon an isolated knoll· Almost without exception, the cities in the highlands were located on rocky hill tops, which provided natural defenses· To the west of the Gibeon hill, the land is level for about a mile where it then breaks away into a stony valley, the Wady Selman, which leads down below Beth-boron into the valley of Ajalon. Later the Roman road from Jerusalem to Joppa ran through this valley.

4. After the victory at Ai, and the sacrifice at Shechem, Joshua and the Israeli army moved back to the base camp at Gilgal. Joshua 9:1,3 says all the people of Canaan heard of their tremendous victory at Ai; Josh. 9:24 says they "were sore afraid of Israel.

5. So, the Hivites,led by the people from Gibeon, thought, through trickery and deceit, to form an alliance with Israel. So, they chose a few men to go to the Israeli camp, in pretence of being from a far country, to form a treaty - and alliance with Israel· Knowing that Israel would not knowingly make a treaty with any inhabitants of the land, they claimed to be from afar. (The distance was actually only about 15 miles)· To convince the Israelis and Joshua that they were indeed from a great distance, they wore old, worn clothes; old, badly worn gear on their asses; old, worn shoes; and took old, rotted wine bottles; along with old, mouldy bread, Josh, 9:4-5. When they came to Joshua, they told him they had come a great distance to make a league with Israel because of the fame and respect they had for the God of Israel. They said they'd heard what happened to Sihon and Og. (They cleverly made no mention of Jericho or Ai. To do so would have told Joshua they were not from far, for these were recent victories, and word couldn't have gone far yet. Although, the victories over Sihon and Og had occurred many months previously). Furthermore, they pointed out their old clothes, the old gear on their asses, the dried, cracked leather wine bottles, the deteriorated condition of their shoes, and the moldy condition of their bread as evidence of their long, long journey. They deliberately lied, and said it was all fresh and new when they left home. Note Josh, 9;9-13,

Three things about Satan and sin should be noted here:

a. Satan doesn't surrender and quit just because he's defeated. He'd just suffered two disastrous defeats: one at Jericho, another at Ai; Yet he's back, undeterred. Just because you've won a major battle with Satan and sin, don't conclude that you've won the war. Satan will keep on against you, and if one approach doesn't work, he will zealously pursue another.

b. Satan and sin is deceitful. The first time God mentions him in the Bible, the first thing he says about him is that he is "subtle"
Sin knows no code of ethics. Sin doesn't play fair. Whatever it takes to ruin and defeat you in the long run, Satan is willing to do it. He'll lie, cheat, trick, and deceive you into doing what will ruin you; then laugh in your face for being so dumb and gullible to do it.

c. Satan is not dumb. He knows you better than you think, and he is capable of out-
smarting you. As we shall soon see, your best defense is dogmatic obedience to
God's word. God's word warns, "Wherefore. let him that thinketh he stand- eth take heed lest he fall" 1Cor. 10:12.

6. The sad record is that Joshua and the Israelites fell for the story, and made the alliance. Listen to Joshua 9:15 "And Joshua made peace let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them." When Joshua and Israel found out 3 days later, who the Gibeonites really were, it was too late. The league was already made. Josh. 9:18-20, -and the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the conqreqation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel, and all the congregation murmured against the Princes. But all the princes said Unto all
the congregation, We have sworn unto them by God the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This will we do to them, we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath we sware unto them.’

Believer, there are some wrong, unholy alliances, which when you make the mistake of forming, God won't allow you to break. Such was Israel's case here. Later, King Saul attempted to eradicate the Gibeonites from Israel. .II Sam, 21:1-2 says God sent a 3 year famine upon the land of Israel as a direct result of Saul's action. The spiritual lesson is weighty. Don't make a bad debt; and then just think you can walk off from it, because you violated scriptural principles in making it. No, you are obligated of God to see the matter through. After you've formed an unholy marriage alliance with the wrong person, God won't approve of your just walking out of it.

7. The thing that got these Israelites into this unholy alliance in the first place, was their direct disobedience of a scriptural commandment, The key verse is Josh, 9:14. Note it well, "And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth Of the LORD."

Now just listen to the counsel of the Lord on the issue in Deut. 7;1-5, "When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites. and the Perizzites, and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou, and when the LORD thy GOd shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them.thy daughter thou. Shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter unto thy son. For they Will turn away thy son from followinq me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly, But thus shall ye deal with them, ye Shall destroy their altars and break down their images, and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire," But Joshua and Israel didn't consider that, They just went ahead and made their decision, whether or not it was of the Lord didn't enter into it at all,

Note Judges 2;1-5, "And an Angel of the LORD came UP from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you,

And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice; why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I Will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you, And it came to pass when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifed up their voice and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD."

That is extremely typical of most of us. When it comes to which job we'll take, a possible move, who will marry, whether or not to make a major purchase, and all kinds of decisions; we just go ahead and decide. Whether or not it is of the Lord never enters the picture.

And, like Israel, who had to contend with these Hivites as thorns in their sides for generations to come, many of us have felt the stinging consequences of bad decisions and al 1 i ances.

8. Oh, believers, Oh Churches, beware of the Gibeonites. Many a time sin has sneaked in through trickery and deceit. Bad habits, false doctrine, unchristian attitudes, worldly trends, and friendships with the wrong kinds of people can all be modern Gibeonites.

9. One ray of encouragement is seen here in Josh, 9:21-23 & 27, "And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the conqreqation; as the Brinces had promised them, And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell amonq us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from beinq bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God...And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the conqregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.’ The damage had been done; a wrong decision made; but Joshua and Israel didn't just ignore it as if nothing had happened. They couldn't completely rectify the matter, but they did do what they could. They made servants out of these Hivites. And, of all the service, they made them ready the wood and water to be used in purging the sins of Israel. Their continuous service~ reminder of the importance of the necessity of pure service to God.

Believer, when you make a mistake, don't pet and excuse it. Put it into bondage. You may not be able to eradicate it, which you should always do wherever possible. But you can bring it into subjection; and control it instead of being controlled by it.

QUESTIONS ON THE LEAGUE WITH THE HIVITES

1 Who were the Hi vites ?

2. In what part of Canaan did the Hivites live?

3. Name the other Canaanite tribes mentioned in Josh. 9:1-2.

4. Name the 4 Hivite cities of Joshua 9.

5. Who were the leaders of the Hivites?

6. What scheme for survival did the Hivites devise?

7. Explain how the Hivite scheme betrayed the other Canaanite tribes.

8. Describe the 3 basic geographical areas from east to west in Israel.

9. About how many miles between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea?

10. How are most of the cities of central Israel naturally fortified?

11. About how far, and in which direction is Gibeon from Jerusalem?

12. Where did the Hivites meet the. Israelites?

13. After Ai, what was the attitude of all the Canaanires toward Israel?

14. How many miles from Gibeon to the Israeli base camp?

15. What did the Hivites do to make it appear that they came from a very distant place?

16. What did the Hivites say about their travel distance?

17. What was Joshua and Israel's chief sin in this alliance?

18. How could Joshua and Israel easilW avoided this false move?

19. What does this story teach you.about the nature of sin?

20. Name 5 potential Gibeonites in your life?

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"