THE GREAT PLOT As Joshua occupied the whole middle and southern provinces, ‘Jabin’ king of Hazor sent to the kings around him, especially those of the northern and eastern provinces, persuading them to join him to fight Joshua on one accord. Yet God delivered all of them in his hand, and gave all their land an inheritance to Israel. 1- Jabin and the great plot 1 2- The allies of Jabin 1 -- 4 3- The battle at the Waters of Merom 5 -- 8 4- hamstringing their horses 9 5- Utter destruction of evil 10 -- 22 6- The land rested from war 23 1- Jabin and the great plot: Hearing about the conquests of Joshua, Jabin king of Hazor sent to the kings around him, in the north and the east; so “they went, they and all their armies ..., as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, and very many horses and chariots” (Joshua 11: 1 -- 5), to fight against Israel. The word ‘Jabin’, according to some scholars, is a special title of all the kings of Canaan; just like ‘Pharaoh’ in Egypt, ‘Abimalech’ in Palestine, and ‘Hareth’ in northern Arabia. But, according to the language of Canaan, it means (God watches). The scholar Origen believes that it means (thoughts) or (shrewdness). And the city of Hazor meaning in Hebrew (a sheep-fold), but according to the scholar Origen, meaning (a palace), was located at the Waters of Merom, which probably is Tel-Elkadh, 4 miles west of the ridge of Jacob’s daughters; the remains of which were discovered from the days of the Canaanites and the Hebrews. The scholar Origen believes that what Jabin the king of Hazor did, symbolizes what the devil or the evil thoughts do, inciting spiritual wars in the world, he considers as his palace or his sheep-fold; giving as examples the thoughts he put in the heart of the king of Babylon, when he fell in pride, and intended to destroy and rob the treasures of the cities and nations… He saw in Jabin a symbol of the serpent, the most cunning among the animals of the earth, that managed to corrupt the life of mankind, to destroy their peace, and to deprive them of their paradise! 155 Therefore, Jabin, meaning thoughts or shrewdness, refer to the haughty thoughts of the devil, or to his tricks and shrewdness to deceive mankind. As to ‘Hazor’, meaning (sheep-fold) or (palace); according to the scholar, [The whole earth is the palace of that king (the devil), who got authority over it; ... In the gospels, it is written, that the strong sleeps peacefully in his palace, until he, who is stronger than him comes, to tie him up, and deprive him of his possessions. Therefore the king of the palace is the ruler of this world] 1. 2- The allies of Jabin: Jabin persuaded the rest of the kings to go to war; as though the deceiving and haughty thoughts of the devil, incites all the energies of man, and the circumstances around him, to work on the account of his kingdom, instead of, on the account of the true Joshua. Of those kings: a- ‘Jobab’ king of ‘Madon’: Jobab, in Hebrew, means (screams); while Madon, in Canaanite, means (animosity). It is most probably, ‘Darbet Madin’, close to ‘Hettin’ in Galilea. The scholar Origen believes that ‘Jobab’ means ((animosity), and ‘Madon’ means (bitterness). So he says: [The devil dispatches ‘Jabin’ to another opposing power, naturally referred, to the rebellious angels; namely, to the king of bitterness. Through that king and his works, bitterness and difficulties come on the poor mortal humans. All kinds of sin are actually bitter, even though, according to King Solomon, they may carry at the beginning some sweetness... On the contrary, righteousness, that may taste bitter at the beginning, yet its end is sweeter than honey; as it presents the fruits of virtue] 2. Thus, the devil, carrying the nature of hatred, especially against man, that weak vessel, the object of God’s love, who replaces the devil and his angels before their fall -- does not stop to agitate everything bitter against him, in order to let him lose his joy in the Lord, his spiritual pleasure, and his inner peace. b- The king of Shimron: According to the scholar Origen, the word ‘Shimron’ means (listening). Comparing between Shimron and Samuel; the later is the fruit of God’s listening to the voice and prayers of man (1 Samuel 1: 20); while ‘Shimron’, represents (listening to the voice and commandments of the devil). Thus the devil, with all his energies seeks to set for himself a kingdom among mankind, to submit to his law, that is in its essence, both defilement and oppression! 1 In Jos. Hom 14: 2. 2 Ibid. 156 c- The king of Achshaph: ‘Achshaph’, according to the scholar Origen, means (How fast will this come to an end !); as though the kingdom of the devil is based on what will quickly come to an end; yet he uses all his deceit to draw mankind to his kingdom, giving them that ! If Shimron draws man to listen to the voice of the devil, the King of Achshaph, on his part, presents, what is really nothing! The scholar Origen says: [The exact words of the devil were: “All these things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4: 9); so if you are Jesus’ servant, you would answer him: ‘I worship no one but my Lord and my God’. The followers of the devil would listen to him, as King Shimron did, who listened to Jabin and went to fight Joshua] 1. And got nothing but death and perishing? ! We also, if we listen to the voice of the enemy, seeking worldly pleasures, opposing the work of our true Jesus, what would we receive? The scholar Origen says: [How fast will pleasures come to an end? and how near is their end; those that sinners assume to have no end] 2. d- Kings who were from the north in the mountains: As the holy mountains refer to the Kingdom of God, on which the city of God is set, not possible to be hidden; and on them the Lord is transfigured before his prophets and disciples, in both the Old and the New Testaments, both living and dead; So also the devil has his mountains, on which he reigns; that are the haughty thoughts of pride; toward which he brings the souls, to descend from them to the abyss. e- King of Araba in the plain south of Chinneroth: The scholar Origen believes that the word ‘Araba’ means (treason), and the word ‘Chinneroth’ means (like lamps); It is as though the devil, using every twisted way to deceive us; appears sometimes as a shining lamp or an angel of light, although he actually is darkness ! The scholar says: [He persuades the powers of treason, not to attack the spirits of men openly, but to approach them with twisted ways ...But, like St. Paul, we are aware of all his tricks] 3. f- king of ‘Dor’ on the west: Both in the lowlands and on the heights. The scholar Origen believes that the word ‘Dor” means (conversion); yet not a conversion from evil to good, but one, incited by Jabin, to deviate believers from the truth, under the veil of the gospel, as what happened in Galatia. The apostle says: “I marvel that you are 1 Ibid14: 3. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 157 turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even, if we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1: 6 -- 8). That is the work of the inhabitants of ‘Dor’, to fight believers secretly through the gospel, by presenting false and perverted concepts, far from the spirit of truth. g- Kings of the Canaanites: ‘Canaanites’ mean (riot); namely those who create an atmosphere of riot and incitement in every occasion, in order that believers would lose their inner peace; as though living amid waves1. h- Kings of the Amorites: The word ‘Amorite’ means (to become bitter). The work of the evil one is to turn the souls of believers to bitterness, to deprive them of every spiritual consolation inside them; to destroy them with boredom and despair. Therefore, through an invitation of Jabin king of Hazor, the kings with their armies gathered together: “as many people as the sand of the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots” (Joshua 11: 4). The spiritual wars are fierce and bitter; as the enemies are very numerous, with many horses and chariots; Some of them approach with hostility and animosity, to embitter our life, like Jobab king of Madon; and some who use every way to get us to listen to the voice of the enemy, like King Shimron; and others who persuade us with mortal things, like the King of Achshaph; and who fill us up with thoughts of vain glory and pride, like the kings of the mountains; and who deceive us as shining lamps, like the king of Araba, south of Chinneroth; and still others who create disturbances around us, like the Canaanites; or embitter the circumstances surrounding us, like the Amorites ... How numerous are the ways of the devil, trying to destroy us. That is why the apostle St. James says: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5: 8, 9). 3- The battle of the Waters of Merom: “And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. But the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid because of them, for 1 Ibid. 158 tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” (Joshua 11: 5, 6) If, with every conquest, the forces of darkness become agitated, likewise with every agitation of these forces, the Lord confirms anew, that He grants a new conquest on a higher level...The Book of Joshua is a series of successive wars; or, actually, it is a series of successive conquests; through which the believer sets forth from glory to glory, until he reaches “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4: 13). Then, all the Church would be beautified, and prepared with glory for the eternal wedding. The Lord confirms to Joshua:” Do not be afraid;” as He wants us, in our spiritual war, to be full of confidence in Him, that He is the conqueror, and by Him we conquer. He wishes to work by His believers, and not by nonbelievers; to support the souls, that depend on Him, and not those who fear… Why does God say: “For tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain” (Joshua 11: 6)? “Tomorrow” refers to the time “after the time”. For, although we gain successive conquests, and enjoy a spiritual authority over the forces of darkness, that increases with our spiritual growth; yet we remain in a continuous war that has no end, until “tomorrow” comes, when the devil would be cast in the lake of everlasting fire. The scholar Origen says: [It is the time when all the adversary forces would perish, and would be utterly defeated; when you see those on the left hand, being told: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25: 41). It will be, the same time, when we shall also have; if we are conquerors; namely, if we gain the conquest with our fellowship with our Lord Jesus -- the Kingdom He prepared for His saints, who have kept God’s commandments and did righteousness; to enjoy it from the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has the glory, and the power to the age of ages. Amen] 1. “So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to Greater Sidon, to the Brook of Misrephoth, and to 1 Ibid. 159 the Valley of Mizpah eastward;they attacked them until they left none of them remaining.” (Joshua 11: 7, 8) Victory was realized to Joshua and his men by striking Jabin and his army, until none of them was left remaining. In that battle, it is to be noticed: (1) As the adversary kings gathered together under the leadership of Jabin king of Hazor, likewise the men of war under the leadership of Joshua gathered together; for our spiritual war is on the account of our true leader, our Lord Jesus Christ. If we enter the war under His leadership, we will conquer; but if we depend on ourselves, on our capabilities, and our weapons, we will fall and be defeated. Let us always cry out to our Joshua; for only He, is aware of the tricks of the devil, and has the authority to destroy them utterly. (2) If this war refers to the spiritual war set in the heart, it is therefore, not a private war against each of us, but it is the war of the kingdom of the devil against the Church as a whole, being the kingdom of God. That is why, as all the men of war gathered together with Joshua, it is fitting for us, in our spiritual strife, to carry that collective Spirit. In my strife, I should seek the prayers of my brothers striving with me, who have conquered and set forth! Every conquest realized in the depths of my soul, is but a conquest for the whole Church, through which her entry into a greater and a more perfect beauty, is realized. And, on the contrary, every weakness I fall in would also be on the account of the congregation! Let us then, strive with a collective spirit, the spirit of unity and love in Jesus Christ our Lord. (3) Joshua and his men carried out an offensive war against Jabin and his men; came to them all of a sudden, and fell on them. The Lord Christ does not want from us to wait for the sin to come to us, then to defend ourselves; but He wants us to start attacking, with all our energy, against every sin, before giving it the chance to get a place in us, and to have authority over us. We should not take up a position of fear and weakness, but of firmness and strength, so as to conquer, and to chase it to the Great Sidon; namely to the place of hunting; to hunt it before it hunts us; and to leave none of it to flee to our senses or our inner heart, but destroy it completely. (4) The Holy Book says: “They chased them to the Great Sidon;” The word ‘Sidon’, means (hunting); that is why the region of Sidon refers to the location where the enemy hunts the souls of believers; as the Psalmist says: “They have prepared a net for my steps” (Psalm 160 57: 6); That is why God allowed it for the devil (Jabin) to be chased to the Great Sidon, as though to let him fall in the snares, he himself has set for the believers; By the same strikes the enemy directs against us, we, believers, will gain victory and conquest, and will get the crown; while he will have his cup of evil full, and will fall to perishment. 4- Hamstringing their horses: “So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire” (Joshua 11: 9) The scholar Origen wonders why God commanded them to hamstring the horses, and not to take them as spoil; while in the days of Moses, as they overcame Median, “the children of Israel took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods” (Number 31: 9); and among the booty of the plunder which the men of war had taken, was 61,000 donkeys (Numbers 31: 32 - 34), that God allowed to take for their personal use; while He commanded them to kill the horses, Why? St. Ambrose believes that man, through his falling underneath sins, became like donkeys; saying: [The donkey is a lazy and dumb animal, easily approached and devoured ... It is fitting for us to be more cautious, and not to live idiotically, lazy in body and mind like these animals! We should rather resort to faith that lightens our heavy burdens!] 1. At the same time the same Saint also warns us from being like horses, saying: [Why would you deprive yourself of the reason granted to us by God?! ... It is God’s will to be what we are; saying: “Do not be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding” (Psalm 32: 9) 2. The scholar Origen believes that donkeys are used by man to carry burdens and for travel to serve and console him; while he uses horses in wars for his perishment. That is why donkeys refer to mankind, while horses refer to the devil, the arrogant and destroyer. That is why the law cared for donkeys and not for horses: “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again; and if you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, do not refrain from helping it,” (Exodus 23: 4, 5)… And in the Book of Zechariah, while he proclaims the entry of the Lord Christ, riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey; he confirms the 1 Hexameron 6: 3. 2 Ibid. 161 destruction of the military chariots and the horses, as a sign of the dwelling of peace: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off; He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9: 9, 10). The scholar says: [According to the prophet, He who rides on a colt, is cutting the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. That is why I believe that the donkey and the colt refer to the believers among whom Christ sits; and the horses refer to those who were in heaven, then fell down because of their pride and haughtiness ... ; those who followed the one who says: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14: 14); That is why, I think the prophet David says: “A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength” (Psalm 33: 17). Likewise, it is said of those who trust in the devil: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20: 8). The comparison here, is not as though between the chariots (the horses), and the Lord, as two powers to whom we should pray; but here, he is clarifying that we seek from the true God, while they, on the other hand, beseech the chariots and horses; namely the devil] 1. Therefore the horses, that Joshua and his men are committed to hamstring, and the chariots they are committed to burn with fire, refer to the powers of the devil, namely, the sin; especially the lusts of the flesh, that corrupt the Spirit. We are committed to ”take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6: 17), to strike with it the evil carnal lusts, as though hamstringing the horses. If Jabin, namely the devil, chases us with his horses, namely, with “care for the flesh” that is something against God; presenting us with his haughty thoughts that are “philosophy and empty deceit” (Colossians 2: 8); let us resort to our Joshua, to accept us as spiritual soldiers, who carry his weapons, that hamstring the horses and burn the evil chariots. In our study of the chariot of the Cherubim, that carries the divine throne, we saw it represents “the holy human life”, that becomes by the fiery Holy Spirit, a throne for God, and a holy temple for Him. All the details mentioned for the chariots, conform with our life that is sanctified 1 In Jos. Hom 15: 3. 162 in the Lord; while the chariots of the devil, on the other hand, are the defiled hearts that persist on its wickedness, that work for him1, and become a throne for him, carrying his thoughts and deceits ... These that will be burnt with him, by the fire prepared for the devil and his angels ! As long as we are still in this world, God can turn the hearts of the wicked, into a holy temple for Him, by His Holy Spirit; that is if they receive his fiery work in them, before being cast into another fire that is not fitting for believers; that not prepared for humans, but for the devil and his angels! 5- Utter destruction of evil: “Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. And they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire.” (Joshua 11: 10, 11) It did not stop at hamstringing the horses of Jabin, and burning his chariots with fire; but boldly, Joshua turned back with his men to take Hazor; to strike its king with the sword, to kill everyone in it, and then to burn it with fire. If Hazor that means (the Palace) was the center of Jabin’s kingdom; we are committed, after conquering the evil lust of the body, by our true Joshua, and burning every trace of it, to turn back with our Jesus to Hazor, where the devil was reigning; ... to our life, that was used by the enemy as a palace for his kingdom; to strike the devil by Jesus Christ, our Lord, the only conqueror. And as the scholar Origen says: [We were under the reign of sin (Romans 6: 12); under the reign of wicked lusts, according to the words of the apostle: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23). In every one of us there is a king who reigns and dwells: In one man, meanness dwells; in others, vanity, lying, carnal lusts, or anger; the apostle Paul says: “ Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts” (Romans 6: 12). Before we have faith, there have been kingdoms of sin in each of us; but by the coming of Jesus, all the kings reigning in us were killed ... He taught us how to kill them all, and not to let any of them escape. For if we let anyone of them live, we shall be unworthy of being counted as followers of the sword of Joshua. If the sin of meanness, vanity, or carnal lusts, reigns in you, you would not be a .38- 1 للمؤلف: حزقيال 1981 ، ص 21 163 soldier of Israel, and would not have obeyed the command of God to Joshua] 1. The divine command to Joshua, has been to destroy evil utterly, to leave no trace of it, lest it comes back to resume reigning on the heart. That was the command that Joshua obeyed: “For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.” (Joshua 11: 20) The scholar Origen says: [It was not said that Joshua took one and spared the other, but took them all, and killed them; in the same way, the Lord Jesus has purified us of all kinds of sins, destroying them all. Actually, before faith, we were all, “foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another” (Titus 3: 3); but Joshua killed all those who went to war; There is not one sin, however big it is, that God can not forgive. “He is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 24), who overcomes everything. Do not you join me in believing that sin with all its kinds has been taken away from us in the water of Baptism? That is what the apostle Paul intended to say; for after counting all those kinds of sin, he added: “Such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6: 11)] 2. Once more the scholar Origen says: [How can the words of the Book, “There was none left breathing” (Joshua 11: 11), be realized in us?!... Suppose that a feeling of anger is rising in my heart; this feeling may not go far to the stage of action, for fear of anticipated reaction or punishment; yet, this is not enough. According to the Holy Book, I should try hard to eradicate any trace of this feeling in me; for if the soul is disturbed, even if the thought of anger does not develop into action, this disturbance, in itself, is not fitting for a soldier of Christ. The soldiers of Joshua should do their best to let nothing disturb their hearts; If something is left, either it is a habit or a mere wrong thought, it may with time, grow and develop, and may lead us to “return to our own vomit” (Proverb 26: 11); then, “the last state would be worse than the first” (Luke 11: 26). That is what is meant by the Psalm: “Happy shall 1 In Jos. Hom 15: 4. 2 Ibid 12: 5. 164 he be who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock” (Psalm 137: 9). Here, he means by the little ones of Babylon, the evil thoughts... those, that may initially look little and of no significance, we should take, cut, and dash against the rock, namely Christ (1 Corinthians 10: 4). We should kill them, according to God’s command, and leave none of them breathing inside us] 1. The Book says about Joshua and his men, that they “struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire” (Joshua 11: 11). It should not stop at leaving no chance for any trace of evil to breathe inside us, but we should burn (Hazor) -- the palace of king Jabin -- with fire. What is this fire that Joshua throws on the palace, but that of the Holy Spirit, which burns in us all thorns that may strangle our souls; to make of our Hazor, a palace not for Jabin but for Joshua. In place of the kingdom of the devil, there will be the Kingdom of Jesus our Lord, with His fiery Spirit that sanctifies our inner depths. Finally, it was from the Lord, that the adversary kings hardened their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, by which the cup of the devil and his angels would be full, and the kings would become worthy of utter destruction, and would receive no mercy. At the same time, the hearts of the children of God would strengthen to proceed on their spiritual war, to become worthy of the crowns of victory. Hardening the hearts of the kings, does not imply that God makes them hard, but He would lift His hand up from them, to let their fierceness appear, having temporarily pressed down for the sake of protecting His people; but at due time, He would let them act according to their will, to fall into the fruit of their doing. 6- Then the land rested from war: The scholar Origen says: [In the days of Moses, this statement was never said, “Then the land rested from war.” (Joshua 11: 23) Surely, that land, full of conflicts and wars would never rest from war except through a gift from the Lord Christ ... For in us, there is place for all the people of wickedness, who work and would never let us get any rest. Yes, we have inside us the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, whom we should strive to drive away, through persistent 1 Ibid 15: 3. 165 watching, strife, and patience; so that our land would finally rest from war] 1. In another place, the scholar Origen says: [How could it be confirmed to Joshua, that the land rested from war, although war had not come to an end in his time? That was consummated in the Lord Christ ... If you find in yourself that “the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit lusts against the flesh” (Galatians 5: 17); as you come to the Lord Christ, and gain the grace of Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the land -- that is you -- would rest from war; on one condition that you “always carry about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in your body” (2 Corinthians 4: 10). By this, war would end in you, and “you become a peacemaker, and be called a son of God” (Matthew 5: 9). Yes, that will be yours, when war comes to an end, and you overcome your enemies; to get rest in your (vine), which is Jesus Christ, and “under His fig tree” (Micah 4: 4); namely, the Holy Spirit; then you will thank God the Almighty, “to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4: 11)] 2. 1 Ibid 1: 6. 2 Ibid 15: 7.
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