Hivites — The Bite of Deception
📖 Suggested Reading:
Joshua 9:1–27; Judges 3:1–6; 2 Corinthians 11:13–15
These passages tell the story of the Gibeonites (a Hivite group) who deceived Israel with flattery and fake humility, leading to a binding covenant and long-term consequences—all because Israel “did not ask counsel from the Lord.”
If the devil can’t destroy you with fear or pride, he’ll try deception. And the Hivites were masters of it. They didn’t come with swords—they came with stories. They didn’t shout threats—they offered friendship. Their weapon was a disguise, and Israel bought it. Sound familiar?
The spirit of the Hivites is the spirit of deception</strong. It doesn’t feel wrong—it feels right. That’s the problem. It dresses like truth, flatters like a friend, and convinces you to trust what God never approved. In Joshua 9, the Israelites fell for it. And many of us still do.
⚠️ ITES – Influence, Tempt, Entangle, Sin
The deception of the Hivites fits the ITES progression perfectly:
- Influence: Deception begins with subtle manipulation—an idea that sounds good.
- Tempt: It tempts us to act in our own wisdom, without consulting God.
- Entangle: Once we’ve made a wrong commitment or embraced a lie, we get stuck.
- Sin: The end result is disobedience—often wrapped in good intentions.
Hivites didn’t break down walls. They got inside the gates through a loophole of trust. And the cost? A covenant that couldn’t be reversed.
📜 Who Were the Hivites?
The Hivites are described in Joshua 9 as the people of Gibeon. They pretended to be from a distant country—wearing worn clothes and carrying moldy bread—to make a treaty with Israel. Their deception worked:
“So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.” (Joshua 9:14, ESV)
That one sentence tells the whole story. The Israelites looked at the evidence, trusted their senses, and didn’t seek the Lord. The result was a binding peace treaty with a people they were supposed to drive out.
Deception is powerful not because it’s obvious—but because it’s almost true.
🧠 Why Deception Works
Here’s the scary truth: we’re all susceptible to being deceived. That’s why the New Testament is filled with warnings:
“Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14, ESV)
Deception works because it feels right. It usually:
- Flatters your emotions
- Appeals to your logic
- Requires no consultation with God
- Promotes peace—but at the price of truth
The most dangerous lies in your life aren’t the ones shouted from outside—they’re the ones whispered from within.
💬 Hivite Lies We Still Hear
We may not get tricked by moldy bread, but the spirit of deception still works overtime in modern life. Here are a few Hivite-style lies you might recognize:
- “You don’t need to pray about that—it’s obvious.”
- “God wants you to be happy, so do what feels right.”
- “That verse doesn’t apply anymore.”
- “It’s not a big deal—everyone does it.”
These lies may seem harmless, but they always lead us away from God’s best. They sound spiritual. They may even quote Scripture—just like Satan did in the wilderness. But they’re still lies.
🧩 What Hivite Deception Costs
Israel’s covenant with the Gibeonites lasted for generations. It disrupted God’s instructions, undermined their integrity, and created complications that lasted far beyond that generation.
Deception always costs more than it promises. Here’s what it can steal:
- 🧭 Discernment: Repeatedly trusting your own judgment can blind you to God’s voice.
- 🪤 Freedom: When you’re bound by a wrong alliance, it limits future obedience.
- 🔁 Peace: The temporary peace from compromise always leads to spiritual tension.
- 📉 Credibility: Broken trust and inconsistency damage your witness.
The most dangerous thing about deception is that you don’t know you’re deceived—until it’s too late.
🛡️ How to Avoid the Bite
Thankfully, God gives us the tools to recognize and resist deception. Here’s how to stay sharp:
- Consult the Lord on everything: Don’t lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6).
- Soak in Scripture: The truth is your filter. If you don’t know it, you’ll fall for anything.
- Test every spirit: Not every good-sounding message is from God (1 John 4:1).
- Watch for flattery: Deception often comes in compliments that inflate your pride.
- Stay in community: Wise counsel from other believers can expose blind spots.
Also: pause before making quick decisions. Israel rushed into a treaty without praying. If it feels urgent, it might be a trap.
🎯 Final Thought
The Gibeonites tricked Israel because they seemed harmless. And that’s how deception works. The Hivite spirit doesn’t destroy from the outside—it creeps in through the cracks of convenience, confidence, and unchecked assumptions.
God isn’t just concerned with what you avoid—He’s concerned with what you embrace without asking Him. So before you say yes, before you trust a voice, before you act on a feeling—seek the Lord.
Because the cost of a lie believed is often truth delayed—and freedom lost.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, ESV)
Next up: Jebusites — The Bite of Defeat