Thursday: Surprising Grace
Daily Lesson for Thursday 9th of October 2025
Read Joshua 9:21-27. How did Joshua’s solution combine justice with grace?
Even if the people of Israel had wanted to attack the Gibeonites, they would not have been allowed to pursue it because of the oath sworn by the rulers of the congregation. The Israelite leaders acted according to the principle that an oath, as long as it does not involve wrongdoing or criminal intent (Judges 11:29-40), is binding, even if it leads to one’s personal hurt.
Image © The Classic Bible Art Collection – Formerly Standard Publishing at Goodsalt.com
In the Old Testament, being prudent before making an oath and the keeping of one’s oath are seen as virtues of the pious (Psalms 15:4; Psalms 24:4; Eccl. 5:2, 6). Because the oath was made in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, the leaders could not change it.
With the solemn oath taken by the leaders of Israel, the destiny of Israel was indissolubly linked to that of the Gibeonites. In fact, through their designation as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of God (Joshua 9:23), the Gibeonites became part and parcel of Israel’s worshiping community. Joshua’s answer, in contrast to the verdict of the rulers of Israel, which decreed servitude for “all the congregation” (Joshua 9:21, NKJV), transformed the curse into a potential blessing for the Gibeonites (compare with 2 Samuel 6:11).
The subsequent history of Gibeon testifies to the high religious privileges the city enjoyed, as well as to their loyalty to God’s people. The vow taken by Israel remained in place down through generations, so that when the Israelites returned from the Babylonian captivity, the Gibeonites were among those who helped rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 7:25). Their actions will have eternally positive consequences but only because of God’s grace.
What might have happened had the Gibeonites disclosed their identity and requested mercy as Rahab did? We don’t know, but we cannot rule out the possibility that even a consultation of God’s will could have resulted in an exemption of the Gibeonites from destruction. God’s ultimate purpose is not to punish sinners but to see them repent and to grant them His mercy (compare with Ezekiel 18:23 and Ezekiel 33:11). The subterfuge of the Gibeonites has to be perceived as an appeal to God’s mercy, to His kind and just character. It was the Canaanites’ refusal to repent and their defiance of God’s purposes that led to the decision for their annihilation (Genesis 15:16). God honored the recognition of His supremacy by the Gibeonites, as well as their desire for peace rather than rebellion, and their willingness to give up idolatry and to worship the only true God.
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The stories in this week’s lessons are reminder that in our interactions with others kindness is a winner. Rahab showed kindness bravely and in return received kindness. Joshua faced with the dilemma of deceit and conquest, chose a kind solution that ultimately was a benefit to the nation.
Paul says:
May.be one thing we should learn from this is that Christianity should be known as the “kind religion”. I don’t mean just be nice, because that is often just a method for getting your own way.
I did a survey last night on attitudes of secular people to Christians and some of the answers I get back were rather challenging. Here are some of them:
Opposed to everything.
Judgemental
Hypocritical
Out of touch with the modern world
If we have a message of hope and compassion, we are not communicating it all that well. Perhaps, our greatest need at this time is not some better understanding of prophecy, but how to be kind, especially to folk we do not like.
Very sad perspective of who Christians are and true Maurice! I don't know of any of us hearing this finds these descriptions new. Could we be doing our own things out here? From such a survey maybe we are.
But, just like the thoughts in this week's lesson there is an open door option - "a second chance" - we should seize this!
To initiate change in others, we must start with ourselves. Many of us have the premise that we want them to be like us. And, I am sure that is a bad place to start. If we are like they say we are, being like us is a very unattractive proposition.
If we in fact are the Laodicean Church then we say "I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked."
It would seem that we as a church are to repent individually and corporately.
Christianity IS a kind religion, a peaceful religion.
They are just saying those things they said in the survey, to guilt-trip us into further annihilation.
-there has never been an instance of a Christian bombing at stadiums, airplanes or places of worship.
As we speak, many stories of Christians being killed are a daily occurrence in many parts of Africa. For instance ""silent genocide" — mimicking the Rwandan one of 1994 — is occurring in eastern Congo, said some Catholic Church sources, as shock greeted the killing of 70 people in a Protestant church in the North Kivu Province." Same thing in Nigeria, same story everywhere & all Christians do is run into hiding.
Also, there's no instruction anywhere that if one leaves the Christian religion, they should be killed etc etc
Christianity is A Very Kind Religion.
I like to think that Christianity is a kind religion, but there are many who claim Christianity but who act as desciribed in my survey. And we need to be very much aware that Seventh-day Adventists have been involved in attrocities. The Rwandan situation is a case in point and we acknowledge our failings in teaching undonditional love. I won't detail the events here because there may be readers who are still suffering from the deep wounds of that experience.
I have worked for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for all of my professional life and have seen both the best and worst of Christian behaviour. We can only change if we aknowldege our failings and ask for forgiveness.
There is probably truth on both sides here. It is true that some non-believers throw around terms like judgmental and hypocritical quickly. They focus on negative Christians and ignore the good examples. Some of them are actually pretty judgmental themselves. But Christianity and even Adventism is far from perfect. We need to humbly listen when there is criticism.
But there are plenty of good examples too. I have twice encountered people where I didn't initially know they were Christians at first but later found out they were. I was not suprised at all. They exuded a spirit that was very different. There are many others like them. Perhaps these people don't broadcast their Christianity and that's why Maurice's friends don't think of them when asked about Christians. But we need balance too. We always see what we look for.
Tricked, Joshua and the elders, having "cut" a covenant, discover that they fell into a ruse. Upset and though painful, an oath is an oath, and Israel is bound to the Gibeonites. Unlike the other kingdoms of Canaan that galvanize together to fend off the incoming assailants, the Israelites, the Gibeonites are not in denial. They know what they're up against. Though deceived, the Gibeonites clearly fear the Lord and recognize His might; in their thirst for life, they plan to humble themselves and serve the Israelites.
Why does God honor the oath?
1) The Gibeonites witness the glory of God and fear Him.
2) The Gibeonites testify to the might and glory of the God of Israel.
3) The Gibeonites are ready to surrender their livelihood to be servants within Israel under their mighty God.
4) Despite the relationship originating from a deceitful act, God's grace shines on the Gibeonites. Unlike Rahab's lie, which worked to Israel's advantage, the Gibeonites' deception was a disadvantage to Israel, yet God's grace was extended to them.
As it is written, (Exodus 33:19). God's grace is limitless, and that is the beauty of it all.
Human beings will never ever fully grasp the full scope of God’s grace. What we do not understand we simply describe it as “surprising grace”.. In essence, this is a theological concept which tries to underscore the unexpected and sovereign nature of God’s grace. In the actual sense, this is the inherent human limitation that tries to qualify or restrict the grace of God based on merit or sense of belonging. On this note, the Gibeonites were outsiders, deceivers, non-covenant people, idol worshippers, they were meant to be annihilated like other Canaanites and therefore, their escape from the sword must be “surprising grace”. It appears as “unexpected mercy” which nobody anticipated. Was this “surprising grace” from God’s eyes? Human perspective tends to limit the gracious and merciful nature of God due to our limitations. What we describe as “surprising grace” is in fact part of God’s consistent and inclusive nature to save all mankind”All grace is surprising grace because it comes to those who do not merit it. All humanity are recipients of surprising grace not only the likes of the Gibeonites.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD . “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts”)Isaiah 55:8-9, NLT).
Human perception on the unexpectedness of God’s grace, made the Pharisees persecute Jesus when He ate with “sinners” and Gentiles. They felt to have earned the grace of God. The Israelites did not earn the grace given to them, they did not merit it, and they were sinners like the Gibeonites. Why not call it “surprising grace”? This concept can be misused. The Pharisees turned grace into a privilege and righteousness into exclusivity. When God’s grace reaches out to those whom we judge as sinners, less religious, less holy, or don’t keep the sabbath, we describe it as “surprising grace”.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)
Grace is undeserved favor. Planet earth and all it's inhabitants are recipients of "surprising grace." It is surprising that instead of destroying Adam & Eve when they sinned God showed them "surprising grace." He could have easily obliterated them.
When it grieved God that he had created man in the wickedness of Noah's day, He showed "surprising grace" yet again by granting the antedeluvians an opportunity to repent and board the Ark. Sadly, only Noah's family responded. For the sake of eight, God spared the extinction of the human race, and the total annihilation of the planet.
The only surprise about "surprising grace" is that it even exists at all. All we like sheep have gone astray (Isa. 53:6). We all deserve to die eternally, yet again God's "surprising grace" has made a way of escape from the wages of sin which we have worked overtime in earning.
What an amazing God we serve! The fact that He is the source of "surprising grace" should cause all of creation to fall on it's face and worship Him. There is no god in all of creation, like our God.
Scripture consistently affirms that God’s mercy transcends human categories and expectations (cf. Exod. 33:19; Rom. 9:15–16). What we perceive as surprising is, in truth, the manifestation of the divine will that “none should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). The preservation of the Gibeonites thus demonstrates not a deviation from divine justice but an expression of divine inclusivity—a foretaste of the universal scope of salvation later revealed in Christ (Eph. 2:11–13).
Therefore, “surprising grace” is not surprising to God; it is only surprising to the human heart that still wrestles with conditional understandings of divine favor. All grace, by its very nature, is surprising because it is unmerited. Humanity collectively stands as recipients of this unearned mercy, not because of worthiness but because of God’s enduring faithfulness and covenant love.
In this sense, the story of the Gibeonites becomes a theological microcosm of the gospel itself: the inclusion of the undeserving, the redemption of the outsider, and the unveiling of God’s steadfast purpose to reconcile all humanity to Himself.
Amen and Amen, Hillary! Will save in my Pearls file!
Beautifully described, Omwenga Nwambi! Thank you.
The story of Israel’s conquest of Canaan shows that God’s purposes are often accomplished through means that display His surprising grace. When Israel took the high ground in the hill country, it was not by their strength or strategy alone, but because the Lord gave them victory as He had promised (Joshua 6:2; 8:1). In the same way, God often places His people in situations where His power and mercy are revealed beyond human expectation. Just as Israel’s success came from divine favor rather than military might, so too our salvation and the growth of the church depend on God’s grace rather than our own efforts (Ephesians 2:8–9). The high ground of faith is not seized by human hands it is granted by a gracious God who fights for His people (Exodus 14:14).
The Gibeonites, who joined Israel through deception, also reveal this theme of surprising grace. Though their motives were impure, God allowed them to dwell among His people and even serve in His sanctuary (Joshua 9:27). Over time, their association with Israel brought them into the sphere of divine blessing. This foreshadows the way God welcomes sinners who come to Him with mixed motives or limited understanding, transforming their hearts through the gospel (Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5). The church, therefore, must continually preach Christ so that all—whether sincere or seeking—may encounter the saving grace of God that turns deception into devotion and strangers into servants of the Lord.
Coming for the wrong reason,just like the Gibeonites who came to Israel out of fear of destruction,
many people today come to church not because they’re seeking God,
but because they’re escaping pain, guilt, or personal problems
maybe a broken relationship, financial stress, or deep emptiness.
At first, their motive isn’t pure faith it’s self-preservation.
But that’s where grace begins its work. Once inside the community of faith, they begin to hear the Word, experience love, and feel conviction.
God meets them there not with rejection, but with mercy that surprises them.
Like the Gibeonites, they came to survive…
but they stayed to serve and worship the living God.
Over time, those who first came out of desperation become devoted believers.
Their motives are purified by encounter, and what began as escape turns into genuine relationship with God.Surprising grace changes fear into faith, and self-interest into surrender.
This is the same kind of grace we see in:
The Gibeonites (Joshua 9) — who came by deception but were redeemed into service.
The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–24) — who returned home for food, but found forgiveness.
The Crowds who followed Jesus for bread (John 6:26–27) — yet some came to true belief.
God often uses wrong motives to lead us to the right place.
People may come to church for relief but if they stay, it’s because grace surprised them with conviction, love, and new purpose
Throughout this week’s study there has been significant discussion about situation ethics. Ie what might have happened had Rahab been honest - spies would have been killed. What might have happened had the Gibeonites not deceived the Israelite leadership- they would have been slaughtered.
However had the truth been spoken eg "the spies are here but l cannot deliver them to you." GOD would have intervened and miraculously delivered the spies and Rahab and household. Had the Gibeonites been truthful, might not GOD have made a way that they could have entered into some kind of peaceful negotiations as equals instead of ending up doing only menial work?
The point I’m trying to make is that l don’t believe GOD would have caused death and destruction because of being truthful and that He really doesn’t need us to be untruthful in order for lives to be saved.
Isaiah 55:8 reminds that GOD’s ways and thoughts are way beyond our ways and thoughts. Also that GOD has a thousand solutions to any situation, when we as humans do not see any way out of a situation except to be untruthful
Marcia – you make an interesting point – ‘situation ethics’ – finding solutions using the concept of choosing the ‘lesser evil’. You provide the observation: “The point I am trying to make is that I don’t believe GOD would have caused death and destruction because of being truthful and that He really doesn’t need us to be untruthful in order for lives to be saved.”
I agree. I read through all the comments proceeding yours and found yours to highlight the problem we all struggle with – our hubris -, the ‘excessive pride or overconfidence’ present when judging circumstances we are not personally involved with. Again, I agree that: “GOD has a thousand solutions to any situation, when we as humans do not see any way out of a situation except to be untruthful.” Isaiah 55:8.
I think knowing the character of God, the Gibeonites would not have been slaughtered if they had been truthful. They were not all that different from Rahab and she was saved.
God does have a thousand remedies to every solution but neither do I think telling an untruth to protect someone's life is going against God. He was actually the one who told Samuel to tell a partial truth when he anointed David (see I Samuel 16:1-3). So we need to be careful about deciding what He considers a violation of the ninth commandment.
I will not judge those who have lied in the past to protect people. Nor will I judge those who feel they cannot lie under any circumstance. Each of us has to make the best decision under the circumstances.
Coming to the end of the lesson, I am more and more convinced that the key difference between Rahab and the Gibeonites was their picture of God. Both knew what God had done to other nations. Both knew it was God's plan to destroy the Canaanite nations. But Rahab somehow sensed that God was merciful and would save those who turned to Him, regardless of the annihalation decree. The Gibeonites did not. They felt they needed to be deceptive to save their lives. In some ways, they must have seen God to be like their own deities - unpredictable and needing to be apeased.
I don't know where Rahab developed her concept of God - perhaps the Holy Spirit had been showing her things all along. It is an interesting contrast. I guess it is no surprise she fully integrated herself into Israel and (presuming there are no gaps in the geneology) herself became the mother of a godly man, Boaz.
But God was gracious to the Gibeonites and as weak and selfish as their tactics were, gave them a chance to learn what He was like.
What is situation ethics? No one has told me. Is there a definition? It is easy to say, what would have happened, if, or what should have happened, if, or what could have happened, if, or what should not have happened, if things went this way or the other. And there are hundred situations with unumberable ifs. This, I think, does not help for a present or future crisis.
I am reminded of the words of Jesus in the situation of persecution: "When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who are to speak, but the spirit of your Father speaking through you (Matthwew 10:19-20).
Having grown up in a communist country, I remember sitting in a train, reading the sabbath-school-lesson dealing with the topic: Our God. An inspector entered the train. Conversations stopped. Deep silence. Inspecting my passport the officer noticed that I had been reading. He inspected what I had been reading. Holding the lesson in his hand he noticed the topic: Our God. He made fun of it to all who listened. I said nothing, leaving it up to him to make this topic (our God) public. He reached me back the lesson with a sarcastic remark at the topic: Our God. Silence in the train revealed deep thinking, which was not forbidden.
Not always words are required.
Winfried Stolpmann
I pray that I always speak God’s truths, and even sometimes using WORDS!
The Israelites did not go to the Lord before creating an oath with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:14). And if I am honest, I have made the same error when decisions had to be made.
To my thinking, it was not only the Gibeonites who were afforded God's grace.
We cannot trick God, but He accepts obedience!