20251126 [새벽묵상] 하나님께 나아가지 않는 자 vs 하나님께 나아가는 자 | Seeking God vs. Neglecting God (수/Josh 9:1~15)

9:1 이 일 후에 요단 서쪽 산지와 평지와 레바논 앞 대해 연안에 있는 헷 사람과 아모리 사람 과 가나안 사람과 브리스 사람과 히위 사람과 여부스 사람의 모든 왕들이 이 일을 듣고

9:2 모여서 일심으로 여호수아와 이스라엘에 맞서서 싸우려 하더라

The Gibeonite Deception

1 Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)— 2 they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

9:3 기브온 주민들이 여호수아가 여리고와 아이에게 행한 일을 듣고

9:4 죄를 내어 사신의 모양을 꾸미되 해어진 전대와 해어지고 찢어져서 기운 가죽 포도주 부대를 나귀에 싣고

9:5 그 발에는 낡아서 기운 신을 신고 낡은 옷을 입고 다 마르고 곰팡이가 난 떡을 준비하고

9:6 그들이 길갈 진영으로 가서 여호수아에게 이르러 그와 이스라엘 사람들에게 이르되 우리는 먼 나라에서 왔나이다 이제 우리와 조약을 맺읍시다 하니

3 However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5 They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. 6 Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.”

9:7 이스라엘 사람들이 히위 사람에게 이르되 너희가 우리 가운데에 거주하는 듯하니 우리가 어떻게 너희와 조약을 맺을 수 있으랴 하나

7 The Israelites said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty with you?”

9:8 그들이 여호수아에게 이르되 우리는 당신의 종들이니이다 하매 여호수아가 그들에게 묻되 너희는 누구며 어디서 왔느냐 하니

8 “We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.

But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?”

9:9 그들이 여호수아에게 대답하되 종들은 당신의 하나님 여호와의 이름으로 말미암아 심히 먼 나라에서 왔사오니 이는 우리가 그의 소문과 그가 애굽에서 행하신 모든 일을 들으며

9:10 또 그가 요단 동쪽에 있는 아모리 사람의 두 왕들 곧 헤스본 왕 시혼과 아스다롯에 있는 바산 왕 옥에게 행하신 모든 일을 들었음이니이다

9:11 그러므로 우리 장로들과 우리 나라의 모든 주민이 우리에게 말하여 이르되 너희는 여행할 양식을 손에 가지고 가서 그들을 만나서 그들에게 이르기를 우리는 당신들의 종들이니 이제 우리와 조약을 맺읍시다 하라 하였나이다

9:12 우리의 이 떡은 우리가 당신들에게로 오려고 떠나던 날에 우리들의 집에서 아직도 뜨거운 것을 양식으로 가지고 왔으나 보소서 이제 말랐고 곰팡이가 났으며

9:13 또 우리가 포도주를 담은 이 가죽 부대도 새 것이었으나 찢어지게 되었으며 우리의 이 옷과 신도 여행이 매우 길었으므로 낡아졌나이다 한지라

9 They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. 11 And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’ 12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. 13 And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.”

9:14 무리가 그들의 양식을 취하고는 어떻게 할지를 여호와께 묻지 아니하고

9:15 여호수아가 곧 그들과 화친하여 그들을 살리리라는 조약을 맺고 회중 족장들이 그들에게 맹세하였더라

14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. 15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

                  연예계에서는 유명 여자 연예인이 유력한 사업가와 결혼을 하는 일이 흔히 있습니다. 그런데 그 중에는 남편이 사업가인 줄 알았는데 사기꾼으로 판명나서 이혼을 하고 어려움에 처하게 되는 모습을 종종 보게 되지요. 최근에는 유명 여가수 S양의 결혼 발표 소식이 있었습니다. 예비 신랑을 공개한 이른바 ‘상견례 영상’이 유튜브에 업로드 되자마자 전국의 팬들은 난리가 났습니다. 다름이 아니라 예비 신랑이 딸이 있는 돌싱이며 알려지지 않았던 과거 사생활 의혹들이 불거져 나왔기 때문입니다. 그간 종종 있어왔던 유명 여자 연예인과 사기꾼들의 결혼이 겹쳐 보이면서 많은 사람들이 그 결혼을 반대하고 있습니다. 하지만 그런 반대에도 불구하고 그녀는 며칠 전 결혼 날짜를 잡았다고 발표했습니다. 부디 많은 사람들의 눈이 틀렸기를 바랄 뿐입니다. 오늘 말씀은 기브온 주민들이 꾀를 내어 자신들을 먼 나라에서 온 사람인 것 처럼 속이는 내용을 다루고 있습니다. 그런데 이스라엘은 하나님께 묻지 아니하고 그들과 맹세를 하고 말지요. 후에 이 일로 이스라엘은 많은 어려움을 겪게 됩니다. 그렇다면 기브온 주민들은 어떨까요? 그들은 그들의 교활함에 대한 심판을 하나님께 어떻게 받을까요? 오늘은 두가지를 다루려 합니다. 하나는 하나님께 나아가지 않는 자, 또 하나는 하나님께 나아가는 자.

In the entertainment world, it is not uncommon for famous celebrities to marry influential business figures. Unfortunately, we sometimes see painful stories where the husband, initially thought to be a successful entrepreneur, turns out to be a fraudster, leading to divorce and hardship.

Recently, there was news of a popular singer, Ms. S, announcing her marriage. When the "family meeting video" introducing her fiancé was uploaded to YouTube, fans nationwide were in an uproar. The reason? The fiancé was divorced with a child, and undisclosed rumors about his past private life surfaced. Many opposed the marriage, fearing a repeat of the pattern of celebrity marriages ending in deceit. Despite the opposition, the singer announced their wedding date just days ago. We can only hope that the concerns of the many onlookers are wrong.

Today’s passage deals with a similar situation where the Gibeonites use deceit to trick the Israelites into believing they are from a distant land. The Israelites, tragically, make a covenant with them without consulting the Lord. Israel later faced many difficulties because of this.

What about the Gibeonites? How will God judge their cleverness and deceit?

Today, we will focus on two contrasting groups: those who do not seek the Lord and those who seek the Lord.

                  첫번째, ‘하나님께 나아가지 않는 자’ 입니다. 이스라엘이 여리고 성을 무너뜨리고 아이 성까지 무너뜨렸다는 소식이 가나안 땅에 퍼졌습니다. 가나안의 모든 왕들이 듣고 무엇을 했을까요? 2절 말씀 함께 읽겠습니다. “모여서 일심으로 여호수아와 이스라엘에 맞서서 싸우려 하더라” 이들은 힘을 합쳐 대 이스라엘 연합군을 만듭니다. 그것이 오늘 1-2절 말씀이지요. 본문에는 나와있지 않지만 그들이 어떻게 되었겠습니까? 여호수아 10장과 11장에서 그들은 남방 연합군 뿐만 아니라 북방 연합군 마저 차례 차례 모두 멸망하게 됩니다. 이들은 하나님께 나아가지 않는 정도가 아니라 적극적으로 하나님께 저항했지요. 그 결과가 바로 멸망이었습니다.

자 그렇다면 오늘의 주인공인 여호수아를 필두로 한 이스라엘 백성은 어떨까요? 바로 어제까지만해도 승리에 도취되지 않고 말씀에 온전히 순종하며 언약까지 갱신하지 않았습니까? 자, 그런데 기브온 주민들이 먼 곳에서 왔다고 하자 이들이 했던 행동이 무엇이었나요? 15절 말씀 함께 읽겠습니다. “여호수아가 곧 그들과 화친하여 그들을 살리리라는 조약을 맺고 회중 족장들이 그들에게 맹세하였더라” 저는 이 부분이 참 재미있다고 생각하는게, 사실 이스라엘이 딱히 말씀을 어긴게 아니에요. 이들은 오히려 말씀대로 행했습니다. 신명기 20:10-15은 가나안 땅에서 먼 곳에 있는 성읍들과는 화평을 맺을 수 있다는 말씀을 분명히 적고 있기 때문이지요. 이들을 탓하려면 순진하게도 기브온 족속들의 속임수에 걸려들었다는 것 밖에는 없을 것입니다. 오히려 말씀을 따라 순종한 이들은 칭찬 받아 마땅하겠지요. 그러나 본문의 말씀은 콕 찝어서 이들이 무엇을 놓치고 있었는지를 설명합니다. 그것이 14절의 말씀입니다. 함께 읽겠습니다. “무리가 그들의 양식을 취하고는 어떻게 할지를 여호와께 묻지 아니하고” 자 그 전까지는 말씀에 순종만 하면 되었습니다. 그런데 본문에서 하나님이 진짜로 원하시는 것이란 바로 하나님께 나아오는 것입니다. 하나님께 나아와 하나님께 물으라는 것입니다. 만약 이들이 눈 앞의 양식을 취하느라 “아 말씀대로 하는건데 뭐~” 라고 하지 않고 하나님께 나아와 물었다면 이들이 사사기에서 겪어야 했던 많은 어려움은 미연에 방지 할 수 있었을지 모릅니다. 그런데 저는 이 부분에서 조금 이질감을 느낍니다. 왜 그들은 하나님께 묻지 않았을까요? 눈 앞의 양식 때문이었을까요? 아니오. 저는 개인적으로 기브온 주민들이 하나님께 나아갔기 때문이라고 생각합니다.

[Point 1: Those Who Do Not Seek the Lord]

The first group is Those Who Do Not Seek the Lord.

News of Israel destroying Jericho and Ai spread throughout the land of Canaan. What did all the Canaanite kings do upon hearing this? Let's read verse 2 together:

"they gathered together to wage war unitedly against Joshua and Israel."

They pooled their strength and formed a grand anti-Israel coalition. This is what we see in verses 1 and 2. Although not in this immediate passage, what became of them? In Joshua chapters 10 and 11, the Southern and Northern coalitions were utterly destroyed one by one. These kings not only failed to seek God but actively resisted Him. The result was complete destruction.

Now, what about the protagonist of our story, Joshua and the Israelites? Just yesterday, they were not intoxicated by victory; they were totally obedient to the Word and even renewed the covenant!

Yet, when the Gibeonites claimed to have come from a distant place, what did the Israelites do? Let’s read verse 15:

"So Joshua established peace with them, and made a treaty with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath."

I find this part fascinating because, technically, the Israelites did not immediately violate the Law. They actually acted according to the Law! Deuteronomy 20:10-15 clearly states that they could make peace with cities that were far away from the land of Canaan. One could even praise them for obeying the literal letter of the law.

However, the passage pinpoints precisely what they missed. That is found in verse 14:

"So the men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord."

Up until this point, obedience to the written word was enough. But here, what God truly desires is for them to come to Him. To come to God and inquire of Him. If they had not been so focused on the provision before their eyes—thinking, "Well, the Law permits it"—and had instead inquired of the Lord, they might have avoided many of the hardships they would face later in the book of Judges.

But I feel a slight discontinuity here. Why didn't they inquire of the Lord? Was it because of the provision right in front of them? I believe it was because of the actions of the Gibeonites themselves.

여기서 두번째, ‘하나님께 나아가는 자’에 대해서 나누기 원합니다. 자 앞에서 하나님께서 하신 일들을 가나안 땅 사람들이 들었을 때에 연합군을 만들었다고 말씀드렸습니다. 그런데 기브온은 전혀 다른 전략을 취합니다. 그것은 이스라엘을 속이는 것이었어요. 4절 말씀을 함께 읽겠습니다. “꾀를 내어 사신의 모양을 꾸미되 해어진 전대와 해어지고 찢어져서 기운 가죽 포도주 부대를 나귀에 싣고” 마치 이스라엘이 아이성을 속였던 것처럼 원문을 보면 이들 또한 꾀를 내었다라는 말씀이 숨겨져 있습니다. 그래서 그들은 불과 삼일길 밖에 안 떨어져있는 성읍의 사람들인데도 마치 먼 나라에서 온 것 처럼 스스로를 꾸미고 조약을 청하지요. 실로 뱀과 같은 지혜가 아닐 수 없습니다. 본디 기브온 사람들은 하나님의 헤렘의 대상이었습니다. 신명기 7:1-5 말씀에 진멸하라고 명령하신 가나안 일곱 족속 중에 하나가 바로 기브온 사람이 속한 히위 족속이었지요. 그래서 7절 말씀을 보면 “이스라엘 사람들이 히위 사람에게 이르되 너희가 우리 가운데에 거주하는 듯하니” 라고 했을 때에 아마 마음이 “철렁” 했을지도 모릅니다. 그러나 14-15절 말씀처러 뱀같은 꾀로 이스라엘을 속이는데 성공하지요. 속인다는 것에만 집중하면 이들은 참으로 교활한 자들입니다. 그러나 다른 모든 족속들이 하나님이 하신 일을 듣고 하나님을 대적할 때에 오직 이들만이 하나님의 품으로 뛰어 들었습니다. 9-10절은 이들이 하나님께서 하신 모든 일들을 다 들었다고 합니다. 내일 본문인 24절에서는 속은 것을 알고 자신들에게 저주를 하는 여호수아에게 이렇게 말합니다. 제가 읽어보겠습니다. “그들이 여호수아에게 대답하여 이르되 당신의 하나님 여호와께서 그의 종 모세에게 명령하사 이 땅을 다 당신들에게 주고 이 땅의 모든 주민을 당신들 앞에서 멸하라 하신 것이 당신의 종들에게 분명히 들리므로 당신들로 말미암아 우리의 목숨을 잃을까 심히 두려워하여 이같이 하였나이다” 여러분 이들은 자신들이 하나님의 진멸의 대상인 것을 알았습니다. 그렇다면 이들이 하나님의 품으로 뛰어든다고 한들 그 모든 놀라운 일들을 행하신 하나님께서 그들에게 속으실까요? 그렇다면 차라리 죽음을 각오하고 싸우는게 살 확률이 더 높지 않겠습니까? 연합군도 있는데요. 여러분 그렇다면 기브온 사람들이 작고 힘이 약한 사람들이라 어쩔 수 없이 속임수로 속였던 것일까요? 자 내일 말씀인 17절에서 이스라엘이 기브온 성읍에 도착하는 장면이 나옵니다. “그들의 여러 성읍들에 이르렀으니”라고 말하고 있습니다. 작은 성읍 하나가 아닙니다. 여러 성읍들을 가진 사람들이었습니다. 이 성읍들에 대한 설명이 다음장인 10:2 말씀에 있습니다. 제가 한 번 읽어보겠습니다. “기브온은 왕도와 같은 큰 성임이요 아이보다 크고 그 사람들은 다 강함이라” 오죽하면 기브온이 화친을 맺었다는 소리를 듣고 가나안 왕이 크게 두려워하였다고 합니다. 왕도와 같은 여러 성읍을 가지고 다 강대하였던 사람들이 지금 여호수아 앞에 스스로를 종이라고 일컬으며 “우리가 당신의 손에 있으니 당신의 의향에 좋고 옳은 대로 우리에게 행하소서” (25절) 라고 말하고 있는 것입니다. 이들은 자신의 생명을 걸고 하나님께로 나아왔습니다. 하나님을 두려워하지 않고 자신들의 능력을 믿었다면 이런 모험을 하지 않았을 것입니다. 그들은 비록 진멸의 대상이었지만 하나님의 소문을 듣고 하나님을 두려워 하였으며 하나님의 말씀을 알았습니다. 그들은 가나안 땅에서 먼 성읍들과는 화친을 맺을 수 있다는 말씀을 자신의 생명줄로 받아들이고 하나님께로 나아온 것입니다. 그래서 하나님께서는 이들을 진멸의 대상임에도 당신의 날개 그늘 아래 덮으신 것입니다. 그래서 이스라엘은 하나님께 묻지 않았던 것입니다.

[Point 2: Those Who Seek the Lord]

The second group is Those Who Seek the Lord.

Earlier, I mentioned that when the Canaanite kings heard what God had done, they formed a military coalition. The Gibeonites adopted a completely different strategy: deception. Let’s read verse 4:

"they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended."

The original text implies a hidden cunning, similar to how Israel used clever strategy at Ai. They disguised themselves as people from a distant land, though they were only three days' journey away, and requested a covenant. This was truly the wisdom of the serpent.

The Gibeonites were originally objects of God's Herem—the Hivites, one of the seven nations in Canaan commanded to be destroyed (Deuteronomy 7:1-5). So, when the Israelites said in verse 7, "Perhaps you live near us," their hearts must have sunk. But their serpentine cleverness succeeded in deceiving Israel (verses 14-15).

If we focus only on the deceit, they were indeed cunning. But while all the other nations heard what God had done and actively resisted Him, only the Gibeonites threw themselves into God’s arms. Verses 9-10 confirm that they had heard all the marvelous things God had done.

In tomorrow's reading (verse 24), when Joshua confronts them with their deceit, they reply: "They answered Joshua, 'Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and we did this thing.'"

They knew they were objects of God's destruction. If they threw themselves into the arms of the God who performed all those wonders, would that God be fooled by their trick? Wouldn't they have had a higher chance of survival fighting alongside the coalition?

Were the Gibeonites weak people who had no choice but to use deceit? Verse 17, also in tomorrow's passage, mentions that Israel came to "their cities." Not just one small town, but multiple cities.

Further description is found in Chapter 10, verse 2: "Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai and all its men were good fighters."

The Canaanite kings were greatly dismayed when Gibeon made peace with Israel. These were people with royal cities and strong fighters, yet they presented themselves to Joshua as servants, saying, "We are in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you" (v. 25).

They risked their lives by rushing to God. If they had trusted their own strength instead of fearing God, they would never have taken such a risk. Although they were objects of Herem, they heard the report of God, they feared God, and they knew the Law. They seized upon the Law's provision for distant cities as their lifeline and came to God.

That is why God, despite their deceit and their status as objects of destruction, covered them under the shadow of His wings. And ironically, that is why Israel did not inquire of the Lord—because God was already covering them.

말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘은 하나님께 나아가지 않는 자와 하나님께 나아가는 자에 대해서 말씀을 나누었습니다. 하나님을 대적하는 자들은 모두 진멸 당하였습니다. 말씀에 순종하던 이스라엘 백성 조차도 하나님께 나아가지 않을 때 큰 실수를 하는 것을 보게 됩니다. 그러나 그 실수는 오히려 당신께 나아오는 사람들을 보호하시려는 하나님의 자비와 은혜에서 비롯된 것임을 우리는 보았습니다. 진멸의 대상이라고 할지라도 하나님께서는 당신께 나아오는 자를 거절하지 않으십니다. 모든 이가 두려움에 떨때에 하나님을 선택했던 라합처럼 기브온은 모든 이가 하나님을 대적할 때에 가장 힘이 있는 족속임에도 자신의 목숨을 하나님 앞에 내려놓았습니다. 그리고 하나님은 그들을 당신의 날개 그늘아래 덮으셨습니다. 여러분은 하나님께 나아가지 않는 자가 되시겠습니까? 아니면 하나님께 나아가는 자가 되시겠습니까? 기도하시겠습니다.

[Conclusion]

Today, we discussed those who do not seek God and those who seek God. Those who actively resisted God were destroyed. Even the obedient Israelites made a major error when they failed to seek God.

However, we see that Israel’s mistake was born out of God’s own mercy and grace toward those who sought refuge in Him. God does not reject those who come to Him, even if they are objects of destruction.

Like Rahab, who chose God when everyone else was paralyzed by fear, the Gibeonites—the strongest people who chose to surrender their lives to God when everyone else actively resisted Him. And God covered them under the shadow of His wings.

Will you be one who does not seek the Lord, or one who rushes to Him? Let us pray.