Saved by the back door

S: Joshua 9-10

O: The Gibeonites, like Rahab, saw the power of Yahweh and believed. Their belief was of course not pure – it was motivated by fear of death, not perfect contrition. But impure or not, it was still belief and trust in Yahweh. Like Rahab, they decided to throw their lot in with the people of Yahweh.

But how to do that? They knew that Yahweh had already told the Israelites not to make a covenant with any Canaanites. But perhaps they heard of Rahab and realised that the condemnation was not absolute.

Centuries later, Yahweh made this clear through His prophet Ezekiel: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that they turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 18:23) and Jonah, “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)

Even when it is not explicitly stated, there’s always the principle with every condemnation Yahweh pronounces: “unless they repent.”

So, perhaps Yahweh allowed Joshua and the Israelites to forget to consult the Urim and Thummim, leaving open a “back door” for mercy – again, on the principle of “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that they turn from their ways and live.” Even when repentance is messy, incomplete, or awkward, Yahweh honours the movement toward Him.

And Yahweh did honour that messy, imperfect repentance. He never reprimanded the Israelites for their oversight, and in fact, gave them victory when the other Canaanites attacked Gibeon (Joshua 10). Centuries later, Yahweh called Israel to account when Saul violated that covenant (2 Samuel 21).

Human error, divine rescue. A covenant born in trickery, upheld by Yahweh’s faithfulness and mercy.

A: A couple of thoughts for application here:

1. God’s mercy is greater than my sense of fairness.

Jonah struggled with this – he wanted the Ninevites judged, forgiven. And Joshua and the Israelites struggled with it too, judging from their reaction when they found out they had been deceived. And I do as well. I like it when people I consider evil “get what’s coming to them.”

But God seems glad to save people who come to Him with half-formed prayers, confused motives, or even sheer desperation. Mercy is not something He reluctantly gives—it’s something He seeks opportunities to give.

2. God’s mercy also extends to me, too. 

Joshua and the Israelites’ failure to consult the Urim and Thummim didn’t thwart God’s plan – it became part of it, incorporating another people His covenant community. That doesn’t excuse carelessness, but it reminds me: God is not limited by my mistakes. When I mess up and repent, He can still work through it. My failures can become places where His mercy reaches someone I never expected.

 

If God pursued Nineveh through a reluctant prophet, and preserved the Gibeonites through a flawed treaty, how much more will He honour the covenant made through Christ — sealed not by trickery but by sacrifice?

P: Father, help me to have Your attitude – to be quick to rejoice when You show mercy to my “enemies”. Let me not be like Jonah, but instead be more like You. And when I fail, remind me that You can still bring good out of my repentance. Thank You that whether by the front door or the back door, You delight to turn the wicked from their ways and save them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Yes, I know this is not how Joshua and the Israelites greeted the Gibeonites. But this video is illustrating how God welcomes sinners who turn to Him.