Spiritual Gullibility and the Need for Spiritual Discernment
Joshua 9 (ESV):
9 As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this,2they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel. 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,4they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,5with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly.6And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.”7But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?”8They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?”9They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt,10and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.11So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, “Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, ‘We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.’”12Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly.13These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.”14So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.15And Joshua made peace with them and made a
covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the
congregation swore to them.
16At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them.17And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.18But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.19But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them.20This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.”21And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them. 22Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us?23Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.”24They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing.25And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.”26So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them.27But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place that he should choose.
Introduction: We live in a world where appearances deceive. Whether it’s a too-good-to-be-true online purchase, a relationship that begins with charm but ends in betrayal, or a figure we support who later proves untrustworthy. At times, our lives bear the marks of moments when we have been fooled, misled by appearances, words, or even our own assumptions.
Illustration: Oobah Butler’s “The Shed at Dulwich” - a fake restaurant that became TripAdvisor’s #1 spot.
Joshua 9 presents a similar scenario. The Gibeonites devised
some of the most cunning tricks found in Scripture. They planned a ruse and entered the scene in disguise using moldy bread, worn-out clothes, and a fabricated/contrived story. But the real failure in this passage is not their craftiness, but Israel’s prayerlessness and lack of discernment. The narrator’s only direct critique is this: “They did not ask from the mouth of the Lord” (Joshua 9:14, MT). That’s the fatal error. They acted without asking. They decided without discerning.
Step back: Fight (coalition of armies); Fraud; Foolishness.
Failure is not fatal, but it does have lasting consequences. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, those who heard the news became fearful (lit. “melted” in fear). However, after Israel’s defeat by Ai, their enemies felt emboldened and believed they could triumph over Israel. So, they joined forces to fight against Israel.
Opposition to God's work is real and relentless. The people of God must stand their ground and seek the Lord’s wisdom and strength.
I. Don’t Be Deceived — The Danger of Spiritual Gullibility
- Fight or Flight response: The fight-or-flight instinct is your body’s built-in alarm system. It kicks in when you feel threatened, helping you either stand your ground or run away. A scientist named Walter Cannon first described it as the way your brain sends signals to your body to prepare quickly: your heart races, muscles tense, and you experience a burst of energy. Some choose to resist danger, and others try to escape it.
Unlike the other nations, which chose to fight or flee, the Gibeonites devised a third path: fraudulent deception cloaked in humility and worn-out goods. Their scheme echoes Satan’s tactics - not brute force, but counterfeit truth that seems believable on the surface. Just as he twisted God’s word in Eden (Gen
3:1–5), he now disguises lies as light (2 Corinthians 11:14: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”) to mislead the church. His goal is always the same: (1) to distort God’s word and (2) derail covenant obedience.
The Gibeonites’ deception was:
(1) Verbal: They claimed to be from a distant land to secure a covenant with Israel, saying, “We have come from a very distant country” (Josh 9:6, 9), which was a direct lie.
(2) Visual: They presented worn-out sacks, patched wineskins, and moldy bread as props to support their story (Josh 9:4–5, 12–13), crafting a false appearance of long travel. This blend of speech and sight echoes Satan’s strategy of counterfeit truth.
Israel’s leaders were taken in by what they saw. They judged by sight, not by faith. They took the bait. They failed to ask the searching questions: Where “exactly” are you from? If you are really from a distant country, you don’t have to worry about us. Are you for the work of the Lord?” Their discernment was dulled by superficiality. This wasn’t a minor oversight. It was a theological failure. They neglected the voice of God when it was most needed. As Sinclair Ferguson warns, “Spiritual gullibility is not a lack of intelligence—it’s a lack of alertness.” 1 Peter 5:8 exhorts us to be sober-minded and watchful, for Satan prowls like a roaring lion. His schemes are subtle, often cloaked in religious language, not atheistic rhetoric.
Application: Deception is the intentional distortion of truth to oppose God’s revealed will, often cloaked in plausibility and aimed at undermining covenant faithfulness. Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44), employed deception in Eden, twisting God’s word to seduce humanity into rebellion (Gen 3:1–6). Joshua 9 echoes this pattern: the Gibeonites feign distance and humility, exploiting Israel’s failure to seek the Lord’s counsel, just as Eve failed to anchor her discernment in God’s command. Throughout Scripture, Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), sowing false doctrine, tempting saints, and accusing the brethren. His aim is always to stunt the church’s growth, distort the gospel, and destroy the work of God. So, beware and be aware. Also, remember that his power is
derivative and defeated. Christ crushed the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15) and disarmed rulers and authorities at the cross (Col 2:15). Still, the church must remain sober and watchful. Our defense is not cleverness but submission to God, resistance in faith, and
vigilance in prayer. Victory in battle is achieved not just through strength, but also through wisdom.
II. Be Discerning — The Call to Spiritual Alertness
Discernment is not about being suspicious, rather, it is about submitting to God’s voice. It’s not just seeing clearly, it’s also hearing rightly. The Gibeonites’ deception was elaborate, but the strongest critique falls on Israel’s failure to inquire of the Lord.
Christopher Ash notes that the narrator’s silence about the Gibeonites’ lies is intentional. The emphasis is not on their craftiness but on Israel’s neglect of God’s Word. They failed to ask for wisdom. They acted on impulse rather than pausing for divine counsel.
This is more than forgetting to pray. It’s neglecting what is necessary. The Hebrew phrase “they did not ask from the mouth of the Lord” emphasizes their failure to seek divine revelation. They traded revelation for reason, discernment for mere observation. They leaned on what looked right and failed to ask, “Lord, what do You say about this?” How many of our regrets begin with a lack of
prayer? How often do we act on impulse rather than pause for divine counsel? This is a warning for all of us. We live within enemy territory. Spiritual warfare is subtle. Appearances deceive. We need a godly distrust of our own instincts. We need to be spiritually alert, not perpetually indecisive, but WISE and prayerfully dependent. How to be WISE?
- W: Word as lamp and light - God’s Word is our primary guide for discernment: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Scripture is the norma normans, the ruling norm that judges all other counsel.
- I: Intercession and peace from the Spirit - True peace is not found in circumstances but in communion with God through prayer. “Do not be anxious… but in everything by prayer and supplication… let your
requests be made known to God. And the peace of God… will guard your hearts” (Philippians 4:6-7). The Spirit applies the Word and gives peace that confirms God’s leading; “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15).
- S: Saints’ confirmation - God often confirms His guidance through the wise counsel of mature believers: “In an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14).
- E: Exaltation of Christ - Every decision must be measured by this question: Does it exalt Christ? [“What tends to the Lord’s glory is the monumental principle in my life,” Robert Murray M’Cheyne].
To walk wisely, we must be Word-saturated, Spirit-sensitive,
Church-connected, and Christ-exalting. Before making decisions, ask: Is this biblical? Do I have peace from the Spirit? Have godly people affirmed it? Does it glorify Christ? This is how we walk not by sight, but by faith, discerning with wisdom that is “from above” and rooted in the gospel.
Christ-centered notes: Jesus was also approached with deception. In the wilderness, Satan twisted Scripture and disguised temptation as opportunity. But Jesus did not give in. He responded with the Word of God. He prayed. He discerned. He did what Israel failed to do.
So what do we do?
● We pause before acting on impulse.
● We ask from the mouth of the Lord. James 1:15, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
● We recognize that every act has eternal implications.
● We do nothing without first consulting the Lord and His Word. ● Know Jesus and Keep His Word!