Extreme Honesty

 “But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭9‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Everyone values honesty. We encourage truth telling. And we consider it to be a virtue.

We believe that a person should keep his word. We believe that he should be true to his promise. Anything less is frowned upon.

We'd feel very different, however, if we'd been deceived. We'd feel very different if we'd been lied to. In that case, we wouldn't feel bound to our promise.  

If we agreed to buy a car, only to find that it had far more miles on it than we’d been told, we wouldn’t feel obligated to hold to our original agreement. If someone hired to make repairs on our home failed to follow through, we wouldn’t feel obligated to pay him. And if a motel at which we’re staying is found to have bed bugs, we’d demand a refund.

This way of thinking seems to make sense. It seems fair and just. But, in Joshua 9, the people of Israel felt bound to their promise even when they’d been deceived.

God had commanded that Israel destroy the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. And they were doing just that. However, they made an alliance with men who claimed to have come from a long distance.

They soon found that it was a ruse. The men had not truly come from a distance. They were from nearby cities that merely feared annihilation.

Yet the Israelites kept their promise, and considered it valid, even when they’d been deceived. They made the people of these towns their servants. And they even went to the defense of these cities when they found themselves under attack.

This may seem rather extreme to us. But it illustrates the importance of honesty. It highlights the importance of holding true to our word. And it makes clear the importance of faithfulness to our promise.

God, after all, is faithful in his promise to us. He’s faithful to it even when we are found to fall short. When we are faithless, Scripture tells us (2 Timothy 2:13), he remains faithful.

Our honesty, when it comes to those around us, reflects the faithfulness of Christ. As we stay true to our word, it reflects the Lord, who remains true to his Word. And when we keep our promise, it reveals the Lord, who keeps the promise he’s made us.