ed, feeling that the Lord had let him down (7:6-9). But Joshuawas made to realize that such was not the case. Instead, the word came from God thatsomeone had violated the ban against taking spoils of war (7:10-15). An investigationrevealed Achan as the culprit and, in due course, he confessed his sin (7:16-26). What follows next, describes the horrible punishment that Achan received. “Joshuaand all of Israel took Achan...and all Israel stoned him with stones; they burned them withfire, and stoned them with stones (7:24-25). Not only was Achan punished, but also hisfamily. The destruction of Achan, his family, and all his possessions was looked upon asthe only way to clear the people as a whole of Achan’s sin. When the punishment wascarried out, the battle was renewed and was won (8:1-29). There follows an account ofbuilding an altar on Mount Ebal in the Shechem area. Gibeonites, having heard of the conquest of nearby towns by the Israelites, decidedthat they would rather not have to face such a fate. They put on their most ragged clothesand worn-out sandals, took stale bread and wineskins that were brittle with age, and set outfor the Israelite camp. When they arrived, they told the Israelite leaders a tale they hadheard about the Israelites greatness and that of their God (9:3- 10). They then claimed thatthey were looking for these people to make a covenant with them. The Israelites were taken aback by the story and immediately made a covenant withthe Gibeonites. Under the term of the covenant, the Gibeonites were to be spared and thuswould become a part of Israel (9: 11-15). After, the covenant was made, the truth wasdiscovered. However, the covenant could not be broken, but the Gibeonites were made“hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation” (9: 27). Next, the book of Joshua discuss the joining of forces between the kings ofJerusalem, Hebron, Eglon...
