WWW
You thought it stood for World Wide Web.
But really it’s a secret reference to a strange chapter-long story in Joshua:

Listen to or read this story out loud with exaggerated woefulness on the part of the tricky Gibeonites as they seek peace with the people of Israel.

Enjoy the delightfulness of biblical humor. Can this be Holy Scripture? The Bible is not all doom and gloom. Neither is life. God knows.

Other biblical stories of trickery in order to save oneself:

Abram telling Pharaoh that Sarai is his sister (Genesis 12)

Jacob deceives his father Isaac with goatskin (Genesis 27)

Rachel steals the gods and fools her father (Genesis 31)

The parable of the dishonest manager by Jesus (Luke 16)

Do you wonder what this Gibeon story has to do with the price of beans?

Here are some possible ways to understand it:

Comic relief from the intensity and SERIOUSNESS of the conquest saga

How Israel got slaves

Why the sun stood still

Vocational education for woodcutters and watercarriers

Background info for Saul’s big mistake (2 Samuel 21)

Speaking of Saul . . .

The Gibeonites will return to center stage in the saga of the first kings of Israel. Read how David avenges the Gibeonites against Saul in 2 Samuel 21, a gruesome story of tribal alliance, murder, and a mother's grief.

Can this be holy scripture?

The Bible is not all sweetness and light.

Neither is life.

God knows.

Speaking of Slavery . . .
Slavery is strictly prohibited by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (note*) However, slavery and forced labor "continue to be widely practiced" (Joshua and the Land, p. 53-54). An organization combatting this practice is Anti-Slavery International. (note*)

Did you notice?
      There is no king among the Gibeonites.
      That might be a clue to understanding this story.
      They lived in several unwalled villages, not armed cities.

Israel decimated the rich and powerful oppressor-occupants of the land
      (the kings and their flunkies in their high faluntin’ walled cities).
Israel made the way clear for the poor underclasses and strangers
      to have a land for themselves (because God supports the poor).
So the people without a king, the Gibeonites, were spared and became allies.
(read Joshua and the Land, p. 29)

A clue to another way to interpret this story:
      Uh-oh . . . They did not ask direction from the Lord.

Whatever the strange happenings behind this story and the political dynamics it reflects, one thing is clear:
      Israel is supposed to ask direction from the Lord
      before making decisions and before acting.
This might be a reminder to stop and pray when perplexing situations confront us, or when decisions need to be made.
Wisdom happens when we ask direction from the Lord.

Learn about it from another story of Gibeon, told in 1 Kings 3 where Solomon, David’s famous son, has a vision of God in a dream at Gibeon. There he asked for and received wisdom.

You may want to explore an ancient tomb at Gibeon that dates back to the time of Joshua. (note*)

When have you done something crafty in your own self interest?
(Be brave, it's biblical!)
Click here to add your response and/or read others' responses.

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The Joshua Website is a resource from: The Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church Women's Division E-mail Women's Division Website General Board of Global Ministries Website In cooperation with the Network of Biblical Storytellers Network of Biblical Storytellers E-mail Network of Biblical Storytellers Webpage Created by the Joshua Project Team who would appreciate your feedback.