A “servant of servants” Canaan was to be. It can’t be missed that Jesus took that very role for us!
It was not only with Gibeon that Joshua had made a covenant, but also with their confederate cities of Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. These four formed a wall of defense just north and west of Jerusalem. When the Israelites realized they had been tricked, no doubt with their recent covenant-renewal at Shechem freshly in their minds, they determined to uphold the non-aggression pact they had made, because God’s honor was at stake: “the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel” (Jos 9:18). Thus, we are told, one of the things that qualifies you for access to God’s fellowship is this: “He who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Ps 15:4). God has made a covenant with all believers today, commemorated when we take the cup at Communion. It’s a good thing, a very good thing, that He doesn’t renege on His promise every time we fail Him! However, Joshua did qualify the terms of the agreement once the ploy was discovered: “Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God” (Jos 9:23). Since these were Canaanites, we can’t help but think about the original curse on Canaan, Noah’s grandson: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren” (Gen 9:25). It was certainly being fulfilled here, and especially the qualifier, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant” (v 26), since the Semites, who came from Shem, are the line from which sprang Israel. Yet for all this, what grace to allow them access to God’s sanctuary! All the fuel that burned on Jewish altars and turned the animals to offerings would be hewn by these Gentile servants.