They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country: now therefore make you a covenant with us.
On the surface, granting the Gibeonites’ request seemed within the Mosaic Law. Consequently the Israelites took some of their food, possibly to inspect it at least (Joshua 9:14). If they ate it with them, this eating may have been part of a covenantal agreement. This custom was common in the ancient Near East (Joshua 9:15; cf. Genesis 31:54). [Note: Livingston, p. 157.] The Israelites sealed the treaty with a solemn promise to preserve the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:15). The writer clearly identified the reason the Gibeonites were successful in deceiving Israel. The Israelites "did not ask for the counsel of the Lord" (Joshua 9:14; Numbers 27:21; cf. James 4:2). Though they had learned that obedience was necessary for victory at Jericho and Ai, they had not yet learned that they needed divine guidance at every step (cf. John 15:5).