It didn't take long for the Israelites to find out what a terrible mistake they had made. The Gibeonites weren't faraway friends after all; they were nearby enemies! Now, something had to be done to rectify their error. But, what could they do? The leaders (v. 19) felt that their hands were tied, since they had (foolishly) sworn an oath of friendship. The laypeople (v. 18) weren't happy with their leaders, but had to (grudgingly) admit that they were all bound by that oath.

As Sir Walter Scott wrote, "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we [set out] to deceive" ("Marmion," Canto 6, Stanza 17)! In this case, it was the Gibeonites who had "[set out] to deceive," but the Israelites' failure to seek the Lord had resulted in them being the ones who "wove" the "tangled web."

Communication (v. 22) eventually led to compromise (v. 21), but the solution itself failed to be truly permanent (see 2 Samuel 21:1-14). Violence, famine and more violence lay in the future before this situation disappeared from history.

There will never be an end to the problems caused by deception until Jesus comes (see 2 Timothy 3:13).

John H. Roller