Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
Joshua 9:23
In Joshua 9, we see one of the Hivite confederations of cities with Gibeon being the chief city. The Gibeonites recognizing the divine unction resting upon the children of Israel, make a deceptive ploy to enter into an alliance with the Israelites. Upon learning of the deception after making a covenant, Joshua would pronounce this curse upon them.
On the outside it’s a curse, but what was the ultimate outcome for Gibeon? Yes, perhaps they were just hewers of wood and drawers of water, oh but for what glory? Oh but for what God? They went from being servants of gods that were no gods to being servants of the One true God!
It brings to mind the words of Psalms 84:10, where the it says, a day in your courts is better than one thousand elsewhere. Better to be standing at the threshold of the house of God then to be dwelling in the tents of the wicked.
Better to be a servant in the house of God than outside of His people. The men of Gibeon clearly thought this, for they would rapidly agree to Joshua, saying, ‘Do as you please!’ They were content.
Oh that we could have that desire to be part of the people of God, no matter what place or position we find ourselves in. Be it the lowest of all positions, reduced to manual, boring labor, practically as slaves, but let it be in the service of the Most High God!
It’s worthy to note that men of Gibeon would still be around hundreds of years later as Nehemiah spearheaded the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh 3:7, 7:25). They were still part of God’s people, now rebuilding the fallen walls.
If there ever was a curse in the Bible that was desirable, then it was this: none of you be freed from being bondmen for the house of my God.
May we find ourselves under such a ‘curse’.
Talking Bible 
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