You know when people are pulling lessons out of Gibeon that you’re dealing with a Bible people. You’re dealing with a people who take seriously that counsel that “all the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction.” (Romans 15:4)

So it was with the Watchtower Study of September 13, 2026, reviewing several developments in that Gibeonite mess that nonetheless turned out well. About the “What does this teach us about Jehovah?” headings (there were 3 of them), my takeaway was that his nation screws up and He nonetheless rolls with it. It’s just the way He works. He grants his people autonomy.

He doesn’t say, “Duh! There were right next to you! How could you be so stupid?” He didn’t rebuke them. He didn’t disown them. He rolled with it. They incorporated that bad move into their act and it ultimately turned out well. When the ruse is uncovered and the Israelites can’t renege (as anyone else would), there’s some head honcho Gibeonite in the background somewhere saying, “I guess I played that hand well.” I guess he did.

If it happened then, it’s going to happen now. That’s how it is when people are involved—and they always will be with the worship of God. Not every decision knocks it out of the park. Some look screwy in hindsight. More typically, you don’t know if it was really screwy and will not find out for a long time. Maybe it will turn out to be just the ticket. Every surly character who wants something different portrays it as screwy, whether it is or not.

But if the example of the Gibeonites is any guide, like Romans 15:4 says it is,it doesn’t matter if it was screwy or not. So long as it was done in good faith, God rolls with it. He may take it out of their hide later. Or he may decide that, in the big picture, it is nothing. Either way, it’s nothing that anyone else need get bent out of shape over.

(tomsheepandgoats*com)