STRIKING THE FIVE KINGS When Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Jericho and Ai, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon made peace with Israel, he sent to the kings of the Amorites, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, and made a pact with them to strike Gibeon. The Gibeonites pleaded to Joshua to come and save them; which he did, and took over the cities of these kings with all the region of the south. 1- Gibeon and the five kings 1 [ 6 2- The Gibeonites plead for Joshua’s help 7 [ 10 3- The Lord casts down large hailstones 11 4- Lengthening the hours of daylight 12 [ 14 5- The five kings hide in a cave 15 [ 23 6- Striking the kings and killing them 24 - 27 7- Conquest of the Southland 29 - 43 1 Gibeon and the five kings: If the Gibeonites refer to fainthearted among believers, who partake of Christian worship, yet, did not cast off the works of the old man; they are exposed to a certain kind of spiritual war, that is the war of the five senses against them; It is as though the five kings who fought against Gibeon refer to that war. Those kings were once friends and allies of Gibeon, then turned enemies when it made peace with Joshua. The scholar Origen says: [When the human soul enters into a covenant with the Word of God (Joshua), the enemies will soon come against it; and the friends of yesterday will turn into enemies. Do not expect that to happen just from people, but the forces of evil, and the evil spirits, would surely also come down to fight. Likewise, when man seeks friendship with Jesus, he will have to expect animosity from many. That is confirmed by the apostle Paul, saying: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3: 13); as well as by the wise Ben Sirach (2: 1), saying: (Son, if you come to minister to the Lord, be prepared for temptation). Therefore, the inhabitants of Gibeon are still under siege to this very day, because they entered into a covenant with Joshua; whatever their weakness is, even if they are woodcutters and water carriers. This means that any man in the Church, whatever his stature may be, will be subjected to the aggressiveness of 142 the five kings, as long as he is in a relationship with Jesus. Yet even though the Gibeonites were weak (and slaves); they were not forsaken nor despised by Joshua or the rulers ... who hastened to support their weakness. Is it not still the same thing; the apostle exhorting us “to warn those who are truly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all” (Thessalonians 5: 14)? That was how Joshua dealt with the overseers of his men; exhorting them to support the weak against the forces of evil, for the sake of his name; not only through strengthening them to strive, but also by lengthening the hours of daylight, and delaying the coming of darkness (Joshua 10: 12 - 14)] 1. After speaking about the incitement of the five kings, against the souls that entered into a covenant with the true Joshua, the scholar Origen confirmed the support of Joshua and his men to those souls, even to the extent of lengthening the hours of the day and of delaying the coming of the night. He spoke of the symbolic meaning of these kings, saying, [We often say that Christians have two kinds of strife: A strife like that of the saints, as that of Paul and the Ephesians, who says: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places:” (Ephesians 6: 12)…As to those of less strength, and who still have their faults, their wrestling would be against flesh and blood; being still confronted with trespasses and carnal weaknesses. I think that this is the meaning of that context. We said that the five kings declared the war against the Gibeonites, who, in our opinion refer to the imperfect Christians. Five kings, who symbolize the five senses of man, surround these, seeing, hearing, taste, touch, and smell; man does not fall to sin except through one of these senses. So, these five senses are compared to the five kings who surround the Gibeonites, namely, the flesh-worshippers] 2. 2- The Gibeonites plead for Joshua’s help: “The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp of Gilgal, saying, ‘Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.’ So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.’ (Joshua 10: 6, 7) 1 In Jos. Hom 11: 2. 2 Ibid 11: 4. 143 St. Augustine speaks of the possibilities of man, who although he is capable of taming and training the wild beasts to obey his orders, yet he is totally unable to control his own faculties, especially his tongue1. So, if the five kings refer to the senses rebelling against the inner man, nobody can tame these wild beasts except the true Joshua, the Creator and the sanctifier of senses! There is no way to salvation for the Gibeonites2, other than crying out to Joshua in Gilgal, to roll away their shame and to take away their weakness. I wish, with our senses moaning from the war of carnal lusts, through sight, touch, or any other senses, that we resort to the true Joshua, pleading to Him to come quickly to save and help us; Being the One who created our senses, He is alone capable of sanctifying them, to get them back to their original course, and to quench the flames of their wicked lusts. That is why St. Jerome exhorts us to resort to prayers as a sure remedy against these lusts: [Prayers quench the fire of the soul; and so also the trusting in the Lord] 3. And St. John El-Dargy confirms: [When we are unable to pray against those wicked spirits (the devils), they will attack us] 4. St. John El-Dargy exhorts us to resort to our Lord Jesus Christ, when we feel the impact of war; especially that of adultery; without getting into debates and discussions with the enemy. [Do not assume that you can overcome the demon of adultery by debates and discussions. That would be a totally vain effort; If God does not destroy the house of body lusts, and does not set up that of the soul, the prayers and fasting of that man would be in vain. ... Present the Lord with the weakness of your nature; realizing completely your inability, in order to accept from Him the imperceptible gift of purity] 5. 3- The Lord casts down large hailstones: Joshua ascended to fight against those kings; encouraged by the Lord Himself, saying: “‘Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you’. Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at 1 Sermons on N.T. Lessons 2 لأن جلجال تعني دحرجة. 3 On Ps. Hom 33. 4 Ladder 15: 80. 5 Ibid 15: 24-26. 144 Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them… There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.” (Joshua 10: 8 - 11) The conquest over those kings was realized both by the sword, and by the hailstones coming down from heaven. Thus if those kings refer to the five senses that became defiled and came to war against the inner man; In order to conquer them, we have to severe by the sword of the Spirit, all evil, to cut down its presence in our senses. We need as well, heavenly hailstones, that the Spirit sends down over the senses, to quench the fire of evil in them; to grant them coolness for all that are earthly, and enflame anew all that are heavenly. The hailstones kill the love of earthliness; yet they descend from heaven to lift up the senses to what are heavenly. 4- Lengthening the hours of the daylight: Having overcome the Amorites, Joshua beseeched the Lord to delay the descent of darkness until victory is complete; saying: “‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon in the Valley of Aijalon’. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher?… And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel. (Joshua 10: 12 -- 14) Some scholars assumed that the battle had been so fierce, that the children of Israel imagined that the day was longer than usual1. But it is obvious from the words of inspiration that the sunset had been delayed; quoting the Book of Jasher. The book of Jasher is not one of the books of the Holy Scripture; but most probably written by an author, who was fond of poetry; in which he recorded certain important religious and historical events. Having seen or heard of the delay of sunset, he recorded that in a poem in his book. And the author of the Book of Joshua, used in recording that amazing event, a testimony of that Laic author. It is to be noted that in certain historical records, there were some reference to that particular event. Herodot says that Egyptian priests showed him documents that recorded a day that was longer than usual. . 1 قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 1069 145 Chinese writings spoke of a similar day in the reign of their Emperor Yu, a contemporary of Joshua. And in Mexico, there are documents that tell of a long day that happened in a year around that of Joshua’s wars1. The scholar Origen believes that in that event, there is a symbolic portrait of the work of the true Joshua in our life, where he lengthens our day to work on our salvation, and delays the night of darkness, to save us from the attacks of the enemy; saying: [I wish, if possible to clarify how the Lord Jesus stretches the hours of light and lengthens the day for the sake of the salvation of souls and the destruction of the forces of evil. When the Savior came to earth, the end of time was approaching; as He Himself says: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4: 17). Yet, that day had been delayed; for, as God the Father saw that the salvation of the nations would not be realized except through Joshua, He said: “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2: 8). Until that promise of the Father is realized, and the Church grows through the joining of nations, all the righteous and for the salvation of Israel, the day has to be lengthened and its end has to be delayed. The sun will never set, but will shine forever; namely the Sun of righteousness, that shines the light of Truth in the hearts of believers. But when the count of believers is consummated, the evil time would come -- the last generation, in which the love of many would cool off, because of selfishness and lack of righteousness. Then, only a remnant of believers would remain; and the days would be shortened (Matthew 24: 22). Yes, God alone knows, when to lengthen the days in the time of salvation, and when to shorten the time in those of affliction and loss. As far as we are concerned, I wish we walk honestly in the brightness of the day, and do the works of the light, as long as we enjoy the day, and we have the time] 2. Once more the scholar Origen says: [While we wrestle against our enemies, “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 12); the Sun of righteousness would not stop shining on us, and would never forsake us. He does not hasten the sunset; saying by Himself:”I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28: 20). He is not with us, only for a double day, but all . 1 المرجع السابق، ص 1069 2 In Jos. Hom 10: 3. 146 the days, even to the end of the age, until we overcome our enemies (the devils)] 1. Anyway, what happened then proclaims the amazing work of God through His ministers. And as St. Athanasius says: [If the sun stood still over Gibeon; and the moon in the valley of Aijalon; that was not the work of the son of Nun, but that of the Lord who listened to his prayer; He who rebuked the sea; and, on the cross, He brought darkness over all the land (Matthew 27: 45) 2. 5- The five kings hiding in a cave: “These five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Makkedah. So Joshua said, ‘Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them.” And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue your enemies, and attack their rear ranks; Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand.”(Joshua 10: 16 -- 19) Why did they hide in a cave at Makkedah? If those five kings refer to defiling the senses, or to the attacks of their wars against believers, the goal of that war is to bring man into the cave, namely to get him down to the depths of the earthliness to lock him in them, to keep him from setting forth to the heavenliness. The scholar Origen says: [A cave is a place dug in the depth of the earth; So, if we speak of the senses of man, preoccupied with the earthliness, and with nothing but what the body covets, away from ministering to the Lord, we can say that his senses are hidden in the depths of the earth] 3. That is why it is fitting for us to set ourselves free from the authority of these kings, to give their place instead to Jesus Christ; so as not to enter into the cave, but soar up to heavenly life. The war of these kings is as old as man himself; The serpent came crawling on the earth to draw the heart of Eve to the cave, instead of rising up to eternity..., and it was not possible for the devil to captivate the hearts of Adam and Eve, if they had not descended to the earthliness, and coveted the worldliness. St. Ambrose says: [The serpent represents the carnal lusts that make men crawl on earth; those “whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame” (Philippians 3: 19) 4. St. Agnatius Bereashaninov says: [Behold brethren what the devil does! 1 Ibid 1: 5. 2 Paschal Ep. 29. 3 In Jos. Hom 11: 2. 4 Paradise 15 (74). 147 He takes away the mind of man from the spiritual heaven to material things; he binds his heart to earth and earthly interests. Behold and beware!] 1. That is why St. Bresnovius says: [If you wish to be saved, commit yourself to death to everything earthly. Count yourself as nobody; strive for the sake of what is ahead, lest, under the appearance of good work, the devil may preoccupy you by untimely disturbances]. And St. John Chrysostom confirms our commitment to soar up to heaven while we are still on earth; not to be deceived by the tricks of the devil, but to bind ourselves to our heavenly King, saying: [Do not assume that there is anything that binds you to earth; Your body may still be on earth, but your head dwells up there! Yes, the Lord first came here, and brought His angels with Him, He meant to take you to depart with Him to up there! So that you may realize that, even before going to that place, you can still be on earth, as though you are there in heaven] 2. If the defilement of senses intends to lock us up in the earthliness, and strangle our souls as though in a cave; it is fitting for us, under the leadership of Joshua, to lock the defilement up in a cave, to lay large stones against the cave’s mouth, set men there to guard it; proceed to pursue our other enemies, until Joshua reigns, then to go back to destroy the defilement completely. We should not give the defilement a chance to enter with us into debate, but lock it up in a cave, lay large stones against its mouth, set spiritual guards on our senses, and perform the positive work of the Lord, so that evil would have no power to resist us. It is fitting for a Christian to care for the positive side more than the negative; So, if we care for example to let Joshua reign on the eye, to sanctify it by the Holy Spirit, to look always to the heavenliness, the war of defiled vision will no more be a burden on the soul! Let us then care more for Joshua to reign in us, and let us not concentrate our strength on fighting the negatives in our life. The scholar Origen says: [We should know that the kingdoms whose kings, Joshua had defeated, and made them hide in a cave; these same kingdoms have partaken later on, of the inheritance of the saints, and have been counted as “portions for the Lord”; as for example, Jerusalem, Lachish and Hebron. That, in my opinion, means that the five senses of the body, after being defeated by Joshua;… after the death of sin in them, having forsaken her servitude to sin, these five senses, will be in the service of the Spirit to do righteousness. So was Jerusalem that was governed by an unhonorable 1 The Arena, p. 194. 2 In Matt. Hom 12. 148 king come to be governed, later on by the strong David, and the wise Solomon] 1. Jesus the Lord of Glory, who raised Lazarus from the grave, longs to loosen the bonds of every man, and to release him from the grave of the worldly interests and carnal lusts. We see Him here, through the symbol, commands the laying of great stones against the mouth of the cave, and the setting of guards, in order to receive the kingdom Himself; He wishes to set us free, yet He does all that without resorting to debates with the evil one, as I previously said; and as St. John Kelimacus says: [Do not assume that you will stop the devil of wickedness through debating with him] 2; and: [Close your secret place, concerning your body, the door of your tongue, concerning talking; and your inner gate, concerning the evil spirits] 3. 6- Striking the kings and killing them: Joshua commanded his captains to put their feet on the necks of those kings, strike and kill them, hang them on five trees until evening; and at sunset, to take them down from the trees, cast their corps into the cave where they had been hidden, and lay large stones against the cave’s mouth. These commands carry the following symbols: a- Joshua commanded his captains to put their feet on the necks of the kings, saying: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage; for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” (Joshua 10: 25) As though he is our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave us the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10: 19); presented us with the possibility of conquest and triumph over the authority of evil; and to fight against sin with no fear; strengthened by our victorious Jesus. The enemies might have reigned in our hearts, yet through Joshua, we shall trample them under our feet, and He reigns in us. The scholar Origen says: [Let us pray then, that our feet be strong and good enough to trample on the necks of our enemies, and to crush completely the head of the serpent, before it strike our heals] 4. And: [I wish that the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, grants me the 1 In Jos. Hom 11: 5. 2 Ladder 15: 24. 3 Ibid 27: 18. 4 In Jos. Hom 12: 2. 149 grace of crushing the spirit of evil, the tendency to anger, violence, and the devil of meanness and pride] 1. b- Hanging them on trees, reminds us of hanging the king of Ai, that we saw as a symbol of crucifying the devil and depriving him of every authority, through the cross of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2: 14) 2. Crucifying those kings refer to crucifying the defilement of carnal lusts; so that killing evil would let the senses rise up, sanctified in the Lord. And according to the apostle: “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God, in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6: 11). c- They brought down the corpses of the dead kings into the cave in which they were hidden ... They went down by their own choice to the depth of earth; and now, they are brought down as corpses to the same place against their will ! Many fathers of the Church confirm to us, that sin carries its fruit in it; Whoever chooses the earthly cave, will involuntarily, go down to its depths; as though his eternal perishment is a natural extension of what he did on earth; and whoever lives in vain, while on earth, will become vain in the coming world; while to him, who loves the heavenliness, has his heart soar above the cave, and closes its mouth by great stones; thus the cave of hell would not be able to swallow him, nor the gates of Hades to await him; but God would grant him the wish of his heart; namely, to soar above the earthliness. d- Killing the five kings refers to the conquest of our lusts by the Lord Christ. St. Ambrose says: [Joshua the son of Nun, who humiliated the five kings and submitted the Gibeonites, is a symbol to Him who has the same name, who is coming to us; by whose authority all carnal lusts will be defeated, and all nations will submit to follow faith in Jesus Christ, instead of their old lusts] 3. 7- Conquest of the Southland: Things did not end at killing the five kings, but Joshua attacked with his men the kings of the south, and took over their cities, mountains, and valleys, etc. The scholar Origen talks in some detail about these wars, and the symbols they carry of the spiritual war, and the enjoyment of the eternal inheritance.; saying: [If the old symbols, from the tabernacle of the meetings and the sanctuaries, to the whole rites of worship, are called 1 In Jos. Hom 12: 3. .29 : 2 تفسير يش 8 3 On Christian Faith 5, prol. 150 the beginnings and shadows of the heavenliness; the same can be said of the wars led by Joshua, in which he killed the kings and enemies; that they are likewise the beginnings and shadows of the heavenliness; namely, shadows of the wars fought by our lord Jesus Christ, against the devil and his angels; leading His armies and his hosts: the believers under His command. Actually, Jesus, through Paul and the Ephesians, fought “against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 12). Do you see how the new things conform to the old? The old people received a promise of a kingdom in the holy land, that flows with milk and honey; lands that were dwelt by sinners and hateful kings. Joshua came together with the army of the Lord and the rulers of Israel, fought them all, conquered and killed them, and received their kingdom as a price of his conquest. As for you, the Bible does not promise you a kingdom on this earth, but one in heaven; which is not vacant nor with no inhabitants ... Listen to what was said: “against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.’ Do you know those whom you have to drive out, through spiritual violence and war, in order to acquire an inheritance in the heavenly kingdom? Is that not what the Lord meant by His words: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11: 12)... If we are worthy, the Lord Jesus will open the palace of His wisdom, and will bring us into the treasures of His knowledge ... Then, you would realize, what the kings of Makkedah, the king of Lachish, and the king of Libnah, symbolize; and would realize what inner wickedness and spiritual vain they represent, those whom the people of God led by Joshua, have killed] 1. And he also says: [The Jew who reads about those events; and here I speak of the Jew according to appearance, he who is circumcised in his flesh, and not in his heart; he will not find here except a description of wars, of killing enemies, and of conquests of the Israelites, who seized the possessions of strangers and heathens, under the leadership of Joshua. On the other hand, the Jew by heart; namely, the Christian, follower of Christ the Son of God, and not Joshua the son of Nun, will understand those events, as representing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. He would say: [Today, my Lord Jesus Christ is also fighting the forces of evil, and driving them out of the cities they occupy; namely, driving them out of our souls. He kills the kings who were 1 In Jos. Hom. 12: 1,2. 151 governing them; so that sin will no more reign in us; so that, after our souls are set free from their reign, they would become temples to the Lord and to the kingdom of God; then to hear the words: “The kingdom of God is inside you” ... Therefore, let us understand correctly, that, if Joshua killed the kings of Jericho, of Ai, of Libnah, of Lachish, and of Hebron; that was all in order that these cities would submit to the commands of God, after having practiced the law of sin, submitted to wicked kings] 1. The cities taken over by Joshua, each carries a double spiritual meaning: one is suitable to its wicked king, who reigned over it; and the other is fitting to a new concept, after Joshua reigns over it. These cities are actually our life, over which our Joshua reigns; to Whom we say: [Here I am presenting to You my spirit, my heart, and my body, in their wholeness and with no reservation. All that lives in me is but living in You, O Grantor of life! In order that You receive all my capabilities, to entirely possess] 2. The most important of these cities are: a- Makkedah: A Canaanite name, that means (place of the shepherds); that probably was where Kherbet El-Khechm, north-east of Tel-Zecharieh is today. That was where the five kings hid in one of its caves; so it was the location for such wicked (shepherds), the corrupters of senses. But Joshua crucified those kings and buried them in the same cave, to turn it into a sacred place for him; for nobody but him to reign on, and where nobody but his believers to dwell in; “He utterly destroyed them (its kings), and all the people who were in it, He let none remain” (Joshua 10: 28). It actually came to be the place for the shepherds, yet not for the wicked shepherds, but for those shepherds who follow Joshua, and work on the account of His spiritual Kingdom. When the devil reigns over the heart, he would provide fierce overseers as shepherds; But when our Lord Jesus Christ reigns in it, He would send shepherds after His heart, to work in His name, and through His divine capabilities. b- Libnah: A Semitic name that means (whiteness); located on the coast between Makkedah and Lachish; probably where Tel-Bornat is now, two miles north-west of Beth Gebrin; although some scholars believe it to be Tel-Elsafi . The scholar Origen comments on the name of this city, saying: [Libnah means whiteness; that could be understood in two contradictory ways: There is the whiteness of Leprosy; and there 1 Ibid 13: 1. . 2 مناجاة 18 152 is that of light; under the reign of the wicked kings, it had to mean the whiteness of Leprosy; yet, after having been destroyed and affiliated to the Israelites, it turned into the whiteness of light] 1. Therefore ‘Libnah’ represents an inner city set inside the life of every man; if he were an unbeliever, his Libnah would refer to the whiteness of the leprosy of sin that defiles the soul, corrupts the life, and isolates it from all sanctity. And as the law says:… he is a leprous man. The priest shallsurely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head; ... his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean, Unclean’!…he shall dwell alone; his habitation shall be outside the camp”( Leviticus 13: 44- 46). But, if man is a believer walking with Christ Jesus by spirit and truth, the whiteness of his Libnah would be that of light, shining in him through the sun of righteousness, who dwells in him; would be “as white as the light” like the clothes of the transfigured Christ (Matthew 17: 2). c- Lachish: A fortified city, located 16 miles to the north-east of Gazza, and 11 miles to the south-west of Gebrin. The scholar Origen believes that its name means (way). And he comments on this, saying: [In the Holy Book, the word (way) could be either good or bad; as for example: “But the way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1: 6); and, “He led them forth by the right way” (Psalm 107: 7). We can say that Lachish had been before, a way for the (ungodly); yet, after being struck and destroyed, it was rebuilt anew as a (right) way, under the reign of Israel2. d- Hebron: It was known before as ‘Tetrapolis’; built 7 years before ‘Zoan’ in Egypt; known in the days of Abraham (Genesis 13: 18; 35: 27); Isaac and Jacob sojourned in it for a while (Genesis 35: 27; 37: 14); and Moses’ spies went to it and there found the descendants of Anak (Numbers 13: 22) ... Afterwards, Caleb the son of Jephunneh requested and got all the region of Hebron as his portion of inheritance; though Hebron, itself , became one of the cities of refuge. The word ‘Hebron’, according to the scholar Origen, means (marriage), [The spirit that was married before to the devil as a wicked husband, after his death, it was wedded to the man of righteousness, the lawful husband, described by the apostle Paul: “For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11: 2). 1 In Jos.13: 2. 2 Ibid. 153 It is to be noted that the work done by Joshua to those cities, represents that of the Lord Jesus; namely, ‘destruction and construction’; destruction of the old man, then construction, in us, of the new man; destruction of evil, down to its foundation, to lay down a new foundation for the new building. . The scholar Origen says: [The first work of the Lord is uprooting the evil found there; namely, the evil and thorns of wickedness; For, as long as the land is infested by the roots of evil, it is impossible to sow in it the good holy seeds. Thus, the first indispensable task of God is uprooting the roots of sin, and all what does the heavenly Father; not plant; and burning it in fire. The second task would be plantation. What does God plant? Moses says: “God planted a garden (paradise)” (Genesis 2: 8); and He is still planting it every day in the souls of believers; uprooting anger, to plant peace; uprooting pride, to plant humility; uprooting defilement, to plant purity; and uprooting ignorance to plant knowledge. Thus, the first task of the Word of God is destroying what the devil had built in the human soul; having set in each of us, heights of pride, and high walls of haughtiness. But the Word of God destroys those buildings, and let them collapse; in order for us to become, as the apostle says, the temple and vine of God (1 Corinthians 6: 19); “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets; Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”, on whom the whole mighty building is set, to become in the Spirit a “holy temple for the Lord” (Ephesians 2: 21) 1. 1 Ibid 13: 3,4.
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