Is Keeping Our Word More Important Than Keeping God’s Word? (A Closer Look at Joshua’s Vow with the Gibeonites)
Jesus said, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). What should we do though when our “yes” or “no” comes into direct conflict with the revealed will of God? Should we keep our word at the expense of breaking one of God’s commands? At first glance, this is what seems to be happening in Joshua chapter 9 when the Israelites made a covenant with the Gibeonites. Closer examination though reveals that perhaps there is more to the story.
For those who might not be familiar with Joshua 9, it is a small part of an historical narrative describing how God’s people claimed the land that He had given to them. The land is identified in multiple places as “the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites” (Exodus 3:17). God gave His people land that already belonged to others to accomplish at least four things: 1) to reward the faithfulness of Abraham and His progeny (Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 18:19); 2) to demonstrate His faithfulness in keeping promises (Genesis 26:3; Exodus 6:8; 12:25; Deuteronomy 9:5.); 3) to providentially judge the “complete” iniquity of the people who lived in the land (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:4); 4) to create a nation that would provide a blessing to all families and nations through a “Seed,” namely, Jesus (Genesis 12:2-3; 18:18; 22:18; Galatians 3:16). So, both to promote good and to punish evil, the previous inhabitants of the land had to be driven out and destroyed (Deuteronomy 9:3).
Gibeon was among the cities of the land of Canaan given to the Israelites (Joshua 18:25; 21:17). While its inhabitants are sometimes called Gibeonites in the Bible, they belonged to the family of the Hivites (Joshua 9:7; 11:19). The Hivites are identified multiple times as one of the people groups that God wanted to be driven from the promised land. Without any mitigating factors, the Gibeonites, like all Hivites, should have been driven out and destroyed as the Lord commanded. Even the Gibeonites themselves were aware of this fact; speaking to the Israelites, they say, “your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you” (Joshua 9:24).
Joshua 9 describes a very different story than these facts would lead us to expect. When the Gibeonites heard what the Israelites did “to Jericho and Ai” (Joshua 9:3), the Bible says “they worked craftily,” developing a plan to trick the Israelites into thinking they were “ambassadors… from a far country” (Joshua 9:4-6). Their goal was to establish a covenant with the Israelites before they found out who they really were. The text records something that went in their favor: the Israelites “did not ask counsel of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14). Their plan worked perfectly; “Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them” (Joshua 9:15).
Three days later, the Israelites discovered that they had been tricked and that the Gibeonites really “were their near neighbors who dwelt near them” (Joshua 9:16). To a man though, “all the rulers” of the Israelites “said to all the congregation, ‘We have sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them’ (Joshua 9:19). The Gibeonites were granted a serving role in the Israelite community that from the author’s point of view continued “even to this day” (Joshua 9:27). This of course brings us to our question: is keeping our word more important than keeping God’s Word?
Perhaps the best place to begin would be to ask the question, “What did God think about this covenant? Again, the text points out that the Israelites “did not ask counsel of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14). The events of Joshua 7-8 would lead us to believe that not seeking the Lord’s counsel in this endeavor was not a good idea. Further, seeking or not seeking the God’s counsel seems to be a theme in the historical narrative going forward, with occasions of doing so or not doing so bringing about dramatic consequences. At the very least, we can conclude that it was wrong for them not to have asked God what to do.
The remainder of the chapter provides no details concerning the Lord’s impression of the covenant. However, in the very next chapter, the covenant is put to the test. When several Canaanite kings heard about the peace Gibeon made with the Israelites, they determined that rather than attack the Israelites, they would “attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel” (Joshua 10:4). When Joshua heard about this, he “ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor” (Joshua 10:7) to defend the Gibeonites and keep Israel’s covenant.
It is at this point that God speaks. He does not rebuke Israel for creating the covenant nor
does He in any way advise breaking it. Instead, He says, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you” (Joshua 10:8). Effectively and emphatically, God said, “Keep this covenant.” In fact, God went so far as to perform not one but two miracles, sending large hailstones down upon the opponents and causing the sun and moon to stand still in response to Joshua’s prayer (Joshua 10:12) so they could have enough time to defeat their enemies. The latter is one of the greatest miracles in Biblical history; the text records, “And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:14).
Later Biblical history seems to underscore the fact that the Lord supported this vow. Years later, God held the entire nation of Israel responsible for how Saul had “killed the Gibeonites,” bringing a famine for three years (2 Samuel 21:1-2). Far from being a place that was stigmatized, only brought under the protection of God’s people via obligation, Gibeon is noteworthy for having been a place where the tabernacle was set up (1 Chronicles 21:29) and where the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream (1 Kings 3:4-5). The Gibeonites even seem to have eventually been enfolded into the nation of Israel. Later biblical history sees Gibeonites involved in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:7) and numbered among, “The number of the men of the people of Israel” (Nehemiah 7:7, 25).
So, the Lord was at least eventually in favor of the vow. But was the Lord in favor of it simply because it was made? Are vows so powerful that they supersede God’s commands? Were, for example, the individuals “who banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul” (Acts 23:12) duty bound before God to do so?
Paul himself gives an emphatic answer: “Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). If it were true that human vows transcended God’s will, that statement would read exactly the opposite. Further, the Law of Moses actually made provisions for escaping vows spoken “by a rash utterance” (Numbers 30:6; cf. vv. 3-16). While these provisions do seem to have been primarily given in light of gender and family dynamics, they promote the principle that human vows do not transcend God’s will and do not have to kept at all costs.
So if that is true, why are the Israelites called to keep a vow that appears to be contrary to God’s command? A thorough study of vows under the Law of Moses leads one to the conclusion that vows seemed to dwell in the world of voluntary restrictions, voluntary freedoms, and personal choice. So, one possibility is that even though God had given them the land, He also allowed them to exercise some measure of autonomy as relates to governing it and making (or not making) agreements and/or extending mercy. The same provision seems to have existed relative to crimes subject to capital punishment. David’s sin regarding Bathsheba warranted death for them both (Leviticus 20:10), but this punishment was not carried out. Could God have allowed Israel to extend a similar leniency to the Gibeonites? Wasn’t a similar leniency extended to Rahab and her family?
There’s actually a lot of similarity between the case of Rahab and the Gibeonites. Like Rahab (Joshua 2:9-10), the Gibeonites had heard about the Israelites, their deeds, and their God (Joshua 9:9-10). Like Rahab (Joshua 2:11), the Gibeonites were afraid (Joshua 9:24). Like Rahab (Joshua 2:12-13), the Gibeonites desired mercy from the Israelites (Joshua 9:25). And like Rahab (Joshua 2:4-5), the Gibeonites told a lie to preserve themselves (Joshua 9:3-13). The difference of course is that Rahab lied to her own people while the Gibeonites lied to the Israelites. It could be argued though that both Rahab and the Gibeonites had faith (albeit an incomplete faith based upon incomplete evidence) and that God chose to providentially reward the Gibeonites just as He had rewarded Rahab.
The lasting lesson of Joshua 9 is not that we can use vows, promises, and oaths to get out of obeying the Lord’s commandments. Our word is not more important than God’s. Instead, there are at least two important thoughts to take from this text. First, if we do not consult the Lord when making big decisions in life, we might find ourselves being taken advantage of. Second, and perhaps most importantly, God expects us to keep our word as relates to sacrificing personal liberties and freedoms even if we are taken advantage of. When we keep our Word to the undeserving, we mirror our God who continually does the same thing. The transformation of the Gibeonites also demonstrates that sometimes keeping our word helps someone to have the chance to keep God’s.
For those who might not be familiar with Joshua 9, it is a small part of an historical narrative describing how God’s people claimed the land that He had given to them. The land is identified in multiple places as “the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites” (Exodus 3:17). God gave His people land that already belonged to others to accomplish at least four things: 1) to reward the faithfulness of Abraham and His progeny (Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 18:19); 2) to demonstrate His faithfulness in keeping promises (Genesis 26:3; Exodus 6:8; 12:25; Deuteronomy 9:5.); 3) to providentially judge the “complete” iniquity of the people who lived in the land (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:4); 4) to create a nation that would provide a blessing to all families and nations through a “Seed,” namely, Jesus (Genesis 12:2-3; 18:18; 22:18; Galatians 3:16). So, both to promote good and to punish evil, the previous inhabitants of the land had to be driven out and destroyed (Deuteronomy 9:3).
Gibeon was among the cities of the land of Canaan given to the Israelites (Joshua 18:25; 21:17). While its inhabitants are sometimes called Gibeonites in the Bible, they belonged to the family of the Hivites (Joshua 9:7; 11:19). The Hivites are identified multiple times as one of the people groups that God wanted to be driven from the promised land. Without any mitigating factors, the Gibeonites, like all Hivites, should have been driven out and destroyed as the Lord commanded. Even the Gibeonites themselves were aware of this fact; speaking to the Israelites, they say, “your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you” (Joshua 9:24).
Joshua 9 describes a very different story than these facts would lead us to expect. When the Gibeonites heard what the Israelites did “to Jericho and Ai” (Joshua 9:3), the Bible says “they worked craftily,” developing a plan to trick the Israelites into thinking they were “ambassadors… from a far country” (Joshua 9:4-6). Their goal was to establish a covenant with the Israelites before they found out who they really were. The text records something that went in their favor: the Israelites “did not ask counsel of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14). Their plan worked perfectly; “Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them” (Joshua 9:15).
Three days later, the Israelites discovered that they had been tricked and that the Gibeonites really “were their near neighbors who dwelt near them” (Joshua 9:16). To a man though, “all the rulers” of the Israelites “said to all the congregation, ‘We have sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them’ (Joshua 9:19). The Gibeonites were granted a serving role in the Israelite community that from the author’s point of view continued “even to this day” (Joshua 9:27). This of course brings us to our question: is keeping our word more important than keeping God’s Word?
Perhaps the best place to begin would be to ask the question, “What did God think about this covenant? Again, the text points out that the Israelites “did not ask counsel of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14). The events of Joshua 7-8 would lead us to believe that not seeking the Lord’s counsel in this endeavor was not a good idea. Further, seeking or not seeking the God’s counsel seems to be a theme in the historical narrative going forward, with occasions of doing so or not doing so bringing about dramatic consequences. At the very least, we can conclude that it was wrong for them not to have asked God what to do.
The remainder of the chapter provides no details concerning the Lord’s impression of the covenant. However, in the very next chapter, the covenant is put to the test. When several Canaanite kings heard about the peace Gibeon made with the Israelites, they determined that rather than attack the Israelites, they would “attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel” (Joshua 10:4). When Joshua heard about this, he “ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor” (Joshua 10:7) to defend the Gibeonites and keep Israel’s covenant.
It is at this point that God speaks. He does not rebuke Israel for creating the covenant nor
does He in any way advise breaking it. Instead, He says, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you” (Joshua 10:8). Effectively and emphatically, God said, “Keep this covenant.” In fact, God went so far as to perform not one but two miracles, sending large hailstones down upon the opponents and causing the sun and moon to stand still in response to Joshua’s prayer (Joshua 10:12) so they could have enough time to defeat their enemies. The latter is one of the greatest miracles in Biblical history; the text records, “And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:14).
Later Biblical history seems to underscore the fact that the Lord supported this vow. Years later, God held the entire nation of Israel responsible for how Saul had “killed the Gibeonites,” bringing a famine for three years (2 Samuel 21:1-2). Far from being a place that was stigmatized, only brought under the protection of God’s people via obligation, Gibeon is noteworthy for having been a place where the tabernacle was set up (1 Chronicles 21:29) and where the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream (1 Kings 3:4-5). The Gibeonites even seem to have eventually been enfolded into the nation of Israel. Later biblical history sees Gibeonites involved in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:7) and numbered among, “The number of the men of the people of Israel” (Nehemiah 7:7, 25).
So, the Lord was at least eventually in favor of the vow. But was the Lord in favor of it simply because it was made? Are vows so powerful that they supersede God’s commands? Were, for example, the individuals “who banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul” (Acts 23:12) duty bound before God to do so?
Paul himself gives an emphatic answer: “Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). If it were true that human vows transcended God’s will, that statement would read exactly the opposite. Further, the Law of Moses actually made provisions for escaping vows spoken “by a rash utterance” (Numbers 30:6; cf. vv. 3-16). While these provisions do seem to have been primarily given in light of gender and family dynamics, they promote the principle that human vows do not transcend God’s will and do not have to kept at all costs.
So if that is true, why are the Israelites called to keep a vow that appears to be contrary to God’s command? A thorough study of vows under the Law of Moses leads one to the conclusion that vows seemed to dwell in the world of voluntary restrictions, voluntary freedoms, and personal choice. So, one possibility is that even though God had given them the land, He also allowed them to exercise some measure of autonomy as relates to governing it and making (or not making) agreements and/or extending mercy. The same provision seems to have existed relative to crimes subject to capital punishment. David’s sin regarding Bathsheba warranted death for them both (Leviticus 20:10), but this punishment was not carried out. Could God have allowed Israel to extend a similar leniency to the Gibeonites? Wasn’t a similar leniency extended to Rahab and her family?
There’s actually a lot of similarity between the case of Rahab and the Gibeonites. Like Rahab (Joshua 2:9-10), the Gibeonites had heard about the Israelites, their deeds, and their God (Joshua 9:9-10). Like Rahab (Joshua 2:11), the Gibeonites were afraid (Joshua 9:24). Like Rahab (Joshua 2:12-13), the Gibeonites desired mercy from the Israelites (Joshua 9:25). And like Rahab (Joshua 2:4-5), the Gibeonites told a lie to preserve themselves (Joshua 9:3-13). The difference of course is that Rahab lied to her own people while the Gibeonites lied to the Israelites. It could be argued though that both Rahab and the Gibeonites had faith (albeit an incomplete faith based upon incomplete evidence) and that God chose to providentially reward the Gibeonites just as He had rewarded Rahab.
The lasting lesson of Joshua 9 is not that we can use vows, promises, and oaths to get out of obeying the Lord’s commandments. Our word is not more important than God’s. Instead, there are at least two important thoughts to take from this text. First, if we do not consult the Lord when making big decisions in life, we might find ourselves being taken advantage of. Second, and perhaps most importantly, God expects us to keep our word as relates to sacrificing personal liberties and freedoms even if we are taken advantage of. When we keep our Word to the undeserving, we mirror our God who continually does the same thing. The transformation of the Gibeonites also demonstrates that sometimes keeping our word helps someone to have the chance to keep God’s.
-Patrick Swayne
patrick@tftw.org
patrick@tftw.org
Posted in Bible Study
Posted in Gibeon, Gibeonites, Joshua, Conquest, Situation Ethics, Vows, Vow, Integrity, Honesty, Bible Questions and Answers
Posted in Gibeon, Gibeonites, Joshua, Conquest, Situation Ethics, Vows, Vow, Integrity, Honesty, Bible Questions and Answers
Recent
Is Keeping Our Word More Important Than Keeping God’s Word? (A Closer Look at Joshua’s Vow with the Gibeonites)
April 18th, 2026
When Right Isn't Enough
April 3rd, 2026
Why Should I Study the Old Testament?
March 30th, 2026
What the Future Holds for Godly Women
March 20th, 2026
The Danger of Judging Outcomes
March 12th, 2026
Archive
2026
January
February
March
2025
January
March
April
May
June
July
September
October
November
2024
January
February
March
May
July
August
September
October
November