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Joshua 9 · Grade 5

When Appearances Deceive

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Read and Think

Joshua 9 opens with a coalition of kings preparing for war. Gibeon, a great city, chooses deception instead. Its men take old sacks, old, torn-up and bound up wineskins, patched sandals, and old garments, and all the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. They pose as ambassadors from a distant land seeking a treaty.

The deception works because Israel relies on evidence alone. The Gibeonites even name what Yahweh did in Egypt and to Sihon and Og, while carefully leaving out Jericho and Ai, which travelers from far away would not yet have heard. The key verse is a verdict: The men sampled their provisions, and didn't ask counsel from Yahweh's mouth. Israel had a God who spoke, yet they made a major decision without asking Him.

Three days later the truth comes out, and the congregation murmurs. The leaders reply that they have sworn by Yahweh and cannot break the oath, or wrath would come upon them. Israel keeps its word, and the Gibeonites serve as wood cutters and drawers of water for Yahweh's altar. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches simple honesty: let your Yes be Yes and your No be No (Matthew 5:37).

Show What You Know

  1. Why did the deception work?

  2. Which events did the Gibeonites leave out of their story?

  3. What does the key verse say Israel failed to do?

  4. Why could the leaders not break the oath?

  5. What New Testament teaching about honesty connects to this chapter?

Crossword

41235

Across

  1. The princes would not break what they swore.
  2. The city whose people tricked Israel.
  3. All the bread of their food supply was dry and ____.

Down

  1. drawers of ____ for all the congregation
  2. and didn't ask ____ from Yahweh's mouth.

Think About It

  1. Israel's mistake was not seeking God's guidance. What habits help you ask God before big choices?

  2. God later used the Gibeonites to serve at His altar. How can God bring good even out of a mistake?

Memory Verse

“The men sampled their provisions, and didn’t ask counsel from Yahweh’s mouth.”

Joshua 9:14 (WEB)

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Prayer

Dear God, thank You for giving wisdom when I ask. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What did the Gibeonites say they had heard?
  • How can we seek God's guidance in our decisions?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.