because of their victuals, perceiving perhaps, upon the view and taste of their bread, not only that now it was old, but that it had been fine and very good at first, whence they inferred that they were persons of some quality; and therefore the friendship of their country was not to be despised. But they asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. They had the Urim and Thummim with them, which they might have advised with in this difficult case, and that would have told them no lie, would have led them into no error; but they relied so much on their own politics, that they thought it needless to bring the matter to the oracle. Joshua himself was not altogether without blame herein. Note, We then make more haste than good speed in any business, when we stay not to take God along with us, and by the word and prayer to consult him. Many a time we see cause to reflect upon it with regret, that such and such an affair miscarried, because we asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord; would we acknowledge him in all our ways, we should find them more safe, easy, and successful.
II. The fraud soon discovered by which this league was procured. A lying tongue is but for a moment, and truth will be the daughter of time. Within three days they found, to their great surprise, that the cities which these ambassadors had treated for, were very near them, but one night's foot-march from the camp at Gilgal, ch. 10. 9. Either their own scouts, or the parties that sallied out to acquaint themselves with the country, or perhaps some deserters that came over to them from the enemy, informed them of the truth of this matter. They that suffer themselves to be deceived by the wiles of Satan, will soon be undeceived to their confusion, and will find that near, even at the door, which they imagined was very far off.
III. The disgust of the congregation at this. They did indeed submit to the restraints which this league laid upon them, and smote not the cities of the Gibeonites, neither slew the persons, nor seized the prey; but it vexed them to have their hands thus tied, and they murmured against the princes, (v. 18.) it is to be feared, more from a jealousy for their own profit, than from a zeal for the fulfilling of God's command, though some of them perhaps had a regard to that. Many are forward to arraign and censure the actions of princes while they are ignorant of the springs of those actions, and are incompetent judges of the reasons of state that govern them. While therefore we are satisfied in general that those who are over us aim at nothing but the public good, and sincerely seek the welfare of their people, we ought to make the best of what they do, and not exercise ourselves in things above us.
IV. The prudent endeavour of the princes to pacify the discontented congregation, and to accommodate the matter; herein all the princes concurred and were unanimous, which doubtless disposed the people to acquiesce.
1. They resolved to spare the lives of the Gibeonites, for so they had expressly sworn to do, v. 15. to let them live.
(1.) The oath was lawful, else it had not bound them any more than Herod's oath bound him to cut off John Baptist's head; it is true, God had appointed them to destroy all the Canaanites, but that law must be construed in favorem vitae—with some tender allowance, to mean those only that stood it out, and would not surrender their country to them, and not to bind them so far to put off the sense of honour and humanity, as to slay those who had never lifted up a hand against them, nor ever would, but before they were reduced to any extremity, or ever attempted any act of hostility, with one consent humbled themselves; the kings of Israel were certainly more merciful kings than to do so, 1 Kings 20. 31. and the God of Israel a more merciful God than to order it so; Satis est prostrâsse leoni—It is enough to have laid the lion prostrate. And besides, the reason of the law is the law; the mischief designed to be prevented by that law, was the infecting of the Israelites with their idolatry; Deut. 7. 4. But if the Gibeonites renounce their idolatry, and become friends and servants to the house of God, the danger is effectually prevented, the reason of the law ceases, and consequently the obligation of it, especially to a thing of this nature. The conversion of sinners shall prevent their ruin.
(2.) The oath being lawful, both the princes, and the people for whom they transacted, were bound by it, bound in conscience, bound in honour to the God of Israel, by whom they had sworn, and whose names would have been blasphemed by the Canaanites, if they had violated this oath. They speak as those that feared an oath (Eccl. 9. 2.) when they argued thus; We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware, v. 20. He that ratifies a promise with an oath, imprecates the divine vengeance if he wilfully break his promise, and has reason to expect that divine justice will take him at his word. God is not mocked, and therefore oaths are not to be jested with. The princes will keep their word, [1.] Though they lost by it. A citizen of Sion swears to his own hurt, and changes not, Ps. 15. 4. Joshua and the princes, when they found it was to their prejudice that they had thus bound themselves, did not apply themselves to Eleazar for a dispensation, much less did they pretend that no faith is to be kept with heretics, with Canaanites; no, they were strangers to the modern artifices of the Roman Church, to elude the most sacred bonds, and even to sanctify perjuries. [2.] Though the people were uneasy at it, and their discontent might have ended in a mutiny, yet the princes would not violate their engagement to the Gibeonites; we must never be over-awed, either by majesty or multitude, to do a sinful thing, and to go against our consciences. [3.] Though they were drawn into this league by a wile, and might have had a very plausible pretence to declare it null and void, yet they adhered to it. They might have pleaded that though those were the men with whom they exchanged the ratifications, yet these were not the cities intended in the league; they had promised to spare certain cities, without names, that were very far off, and upon the express consideration of their being so, but these were very near, and therefore not the cities that they covenanted with. And many learned men have thought that they were so grossly imposed upon by the Gibeonites, that it would have been lawful for them to have recalled their promise; but to preserve their reputation, and to keep up in Israel a veneration for an oath, they would stand to it; but it is plain that they thought themselves indispensably obliged by it, and were apprehensive that the wrath of God would fall upon them if they broke it. And however their adherence to it might be displeasing to the congregation, it is plain that it was acceptable to God, for when, in pursuance of this league, they undertook the protection of the Gibeonites, God gave them the most glorious victory that ever they had in all their wars, ch. 10. and long after severely avenged the wrong Saul did to the Gibeonites in violation of this league, 2 Sam. 21. 1. Let this convince us all how religiously we ought to perform our promises, and make good our bargains; and what conscience we ought to make of our words, when they are once given. If a covenant obtained by so many lies and deceits might not be broken, shall we think to evade the obligation of those that
