We are reminded once again that the Israelites had to fight for the land as a result of not obeying God in the beginning.  Had they been obedient, they could have gone straight into the land with no fighting at all. 

Another example of disobedience are the consequences they suffered as a result of making a treaty with the Gibeonites.  These are the descendants of the same people that the nation of Israel is dealing with today.  God told them not to make a treaty with the people living in the land.
Exod 34:12-15
Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.

Their problem was that they did not inquire of the Lord as to what to do. The people of Gibeon tricked Joshua into making a covenant with them claiming that they were from a distant country. Isn’t that just like Satan? He played on Joshua’s mercy. Even after Joshua realized that he had been tricked, he still wanted to hold on to the oath he had made with men rather than to please God. Not a good thing!

How often do we as Believers worry about what others think, and not so much about what God thinks? Shouldn't it be the other way around???

Also, as an application for today - how often do we as Believers make "treaties" with the ways of the world, give in to the "traditions of men" and compromise the truth?  The ways of the world can be just as much a snare to us today. 

God's Word is definitely in black and white.  Why would we want to settle for gray?