Joshua 9

This is the most interesting chapter, at least in some ways, that I have yet read. The Israelites are deceived by some of the people living in the promised land - all of whom they were to wipe out per the Lord's orders - and made a treaty with them. That appears to have involved some sort of oath, taken in the Lord's name. When the trickery is found out, Joshua and the people are put in a tough spot: do they disobey God's command to wipe the inhabitants of the land out, or do they honor the oath they swore in His name? They choose to honor it, and as best as I can tell God does not punish them for breaking His previous command. I would not have thought that oaths given under such false pretense would be valid, but it appears that God values such agreements highly. How important our promises must be in our daily lives, then!

On a side note, the people who tricked the Israelites apparently survived - which is far more than any of those who opposed them this far have been able to claim. Having just seen a movie about the lengths one man went to in order to save his daughter I can understand their motivation to save their people and families. They would be slaves to the Israelites, but at least they lived.