The Gibeonite Deception (Joshua 9-10)

"Do not let your adorning be external... but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is God's sight is very precious." -1 Peter 3:3-4

There are some people who are doing the Gibeonite Deception out there who will adorn their external to deceive you. They had to adorn their external to look like the people who lives far away to deceive Joshua and his people. They were afraid of them, so they decided to go to them to make a covenant with them to save themselves. They prepared a dry and crumbled bread, burst wineskin, worn out garments and sandals, and worn-out sacks for their donkeys.

Joshua and the men took some of their provisions after seeing those worn-out items, so they believed that they came from far away land and make a covenant. BUT they didn't ask counsel from the Lord, so they were deceived! They examined them themselves, but they didn't ask Him for his counsel.

There are three things that we need to do to examine the people out there to see if we can trust them:
-Examine their Christ-like characters through their fruits (Gal 5:22-23). Like how Joshua and his men examined Gibeon by their actions (but they knew how to act).
-Take your time, and you will see their true actions. God's never in hurry, even He held the sun up until Joshua and his men finished their battle against 5 kings and their people! In fact, three days later, they found out that Gibeon doesn't come from a far away country, only if they waited!
-Ask God for His counsel because only He can see through the Gibeonite Deception. He also can open your eyes, so that you will be able to examine their Christ-like characters.