Matthew Henry Commentary Joshua 9:22-27

"And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall never fail to be of you bondmen, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that Jehovah thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thy hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, in the place which he should choose." — Joshua 9:22-27 (ASV)

The Gibeonites do not justify their lie, but plead that they did it to save their lives. And the fear was not merely of the power of man—from which one might flee to Divine protection—but of the power of God Himself, which they saw engaged against them. Joshua sentences them to perpetual bondage.

They must be servants, but any work becomes honourable when it is done for the house of the Lord and its offices. Let us, in like manner, submit to our Lord Jesus, saying, "We are in Your hand; do to us as seems good and right to You; only save our souls"; and we will not repent of it. If He appoints us to bear His cross and serve Him, that will be neither shame nor grief to us, while the most humble office in God's service will entitle us to a dwelling in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives.

And in coming to the Saviour, we do not proceed by mere chance. We are invited to draw near, and are assured that him that cometh to Him, He will in no wise cast out. Even those things which sound harsh, and are humbling, and form sharp trials of our sincerity, will prove to be of real advantage.