THE FALL OF AI Because of sin, the people were defeated before that weak village of Ai; But now, as all were sanctified, after taking away the accursed things from their midst, they did not only get conquest and victory, but presented through that a symbolic prophecy, for the work of salvation of God. 1- Setting an ambush for Ai 1 - 17 2- Striking down Ai 18 - 28 3- Crucifying the king of Ai 29 4- Building an altar to the Lord 30- 31 5- Joshua writes the Law of Moses on the stones and reads it 32 - 35 1- Setting an ambush for Ai: As evil was removed from the midst of the people,“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.”(Joshua 8: 1) God commanded him to divide the people into two groups: The first group to lay an ambush against the city, behind Ai, between it and Bethel, on its west side. It seems that that group was in its turn divided into two groups: an ambush formed of 30, 000 men of valor (Joshua 8: 3), to be able to go against any movement of the people of Bethel to come to the aid of Ai; and another group of 5, 000 men (Joshua 8: 12), to be set in ambush close to Ai, to attack it when Joshua gives them the sign to attack. The second group, the obvious one under the leadership of Joshua, was to advance toward the front entrance of Ai. The plan was that, when the enemy comes out at them, that they would flee before them; the whole city of Ai will follow, leaving the city empty of its inhabitants; then, the other group would rise from the ambush and seize the city from behind. That plan carried a living portrait of the work of salvation of God, on the level of the Church of the New Testament as a whole, and on the level of each of its members; It represents the conquest of the 118 (catholic) Church over the devil (king of Ai), depriving him of all his authority and capabilities; as well as the conquest of every soul over him. Concerning the Church as a whole, the two groups represent two divisions in the Church of the New Testament: one of Jewish origin, and another of Gentile origin. The division, that was under the leadership of Joshua, that approached the entrance of Ai from the front, and pretended to escape, to draw the king of Ai, his army, and all his people, out of the city, represents the group of Jewish origin, that having received faith in Christ; approached the city in full sight; having come through the law and the prophets, to attack by its Jesus the kingdom of darkness, and to destroy the devil, its ruler. That is the group about which the Lord said: “I have only been sent to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 25: 24); and the apostle said: “Glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 2: 10). As to their pretending to flee before the city of Ai, according to the scholar Origen: [All who followed Joshua pretended to flee; having fled from the burden of the law, from keeping the Sabbath according to the statutes, from the circumcision of the body, and from offering the bloody sacrifices. But beholding their following movement, we find that those who followed Joshua, the perfect and the fulfiller of the law, did not flee but got back to enter the city] 1. They pretended to flee, to draw the king of Ai and his people out of his city, then got back and conquered them. So did the Jews who received faith in the Lord Christ; they appeared to retreat before the law and its statutes, but came back to comprehend the two of them by the Spirit and not by the letter. They were freed from under the law, to live, not as breakers of the law, or despisers of its statutes, but to enter into its spiritual secrets, to appreciate its depths, and to realize its goal, under the leadership of “the true Joshua”, the bearer of the curse of the law, for our sake. As to the second group, it represents two divisions: one of 30, 000 men of valor, to approach from Bethel behind Ai; and the other, of 5000 men directly behind Ai. These two ambushes represent the congregation of believers of Gentile origin, whom Joshua had chosen and directed, yet was not physically present in their midst; the same way like the Gentiles, among whom the Lord Christ was not present in body, as He was with the Jews, but they heard of Him, and came to know Him 1 In Jos. Hom 8: 2. 119 through the preaching of the disciples and the apostles. Those also did not approach the city from the front, but were hiding behind it ... ; as they did not have the law nor the prophets, and were not given the covenants nor the promises; and as the apostle says: “The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith:” (Romans 9: 30). They came from behind, with no prior knowledge of the law, the statutes, and the prophets, yet, by the faith in their hearts, they attacked the city, destroyed the forces of darkness, and robbed the devil of his authority and might.... Their work melded with that of the first group, under the leadership of Joshua himself. The two figures: 30, 000 and 5,000, concerning the two ambushes against the devil and his hosts, bear two spiritual concepts. The figure 30, 000 is the product of multiplying 3 X 10 X 1000. So if the figure 3 refers to faith in the Holy Trinity, or to the secret of resurrection with Christ, as we know from the previous chapters; the figure 10 refers to the law including the 10 commandments; and the figure 1000 refers to heavenly life; so this figure in its wholeness would mean that that group of nations, which did not receive or know the Mosaic law, by their faith in the Holy Trinity, as well as their enjoyment of life risen in Jesus Christ, became consummators of the law (10), yet in a spiritual or heavenly way (1000). The Gentiles (believers) did not break the law, nor despised it, but by faith they became justified in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead; as though they have consummated the commandments and realized them in a spiritual heavenly thought, and not in a killing literality. As to the figure 5000, it refers to the sanctification of the senses of those believers, who were before living in darkness and sinking in defilement; then by the living faith, had their five senses sanctified, and acquired the spiritual heavenly feature (1000). As the plan was integral, and no one group could have won alone; both groups should be working together; so the Church appears integral, through acceptance of members of Jewish origin, and others of Gentile origin; despite the difference in culture, thoughts, and circumstances. If we consider that plan presented by God to Joshua to overcome and to seize Ai, as representing the spiritual war in the life of each one of us, we would likewise, need a similar plan; to fight spiritually through the apparent strife, under the leadership of the true Joshua, as in the liturgical worship, fasting, private and family prayers, partaking of 120 giving, prostrating, etc. To meld all that with the hidden secret life, that acts as an ambush by the soul against sin and its kingdom, under the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; as for example the moaning of heart, (arrow) prayers -- the permanent prayer of Jesus --, the sanctification of the will and feelings, etc. Things unseen by anyone, and not recognized except by the Lord Himself. In other words we say, that our spiritual strife against the kingdom of darkness, would be by the sanctification of the body and its apparent works, together with the sanctification of the soul with its hidden works; no separation of the body in its sanctity, from the Spirit; and no contradiction between the two, as long as they both walk by Spirit, under the leadership of Our One Lord Jesus. Thus, our apparent life would meld with our hidden life, as one integrated life, harmonizing all our behavior, both in the Church, at home, at work, with friends, as well as with oppressors; to work in one harmonious spirit, worthy of our spiritual Leader, the Lover of mankind; to turn our life in its wholeness, and from all its sides, into one harmonious life, like a guitar on which the Lord Jesus Christ plays, by His Holy Spirit; each of its strings produces a special tune, but in harmony and integration with those produced by the rest of strings, all composing an unutterable symphony of love, to be presented by the Leader to His heavenly Father, by His Holy Spirit. 2- Striking down Ai: Striking Ai was not through human tactics, but by a divine plan, in which God used His ministers and people; although He was the One who ordained and who granted the conquest. At the beginning, He commanded His servant Joshua to “arise, go up to Ai” (Joshua 8: 1), proclaiming that He is going to give him victory, and even providing him with the fighting plan (Joshua 8: 2). The Lord Himself followed up all his steps, saying: “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand ... So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hastened to set the city on fire.” (Joshua 8: 18; 20) God was the One working in the midst of His people, yet not without them! He rejoices and has pleasure to work on their account and with them! He acknowledges man and raises his value; granting him 121 salvation as a free divine gift, yet does not disregard the human factor, the human will, and the human work! The divine command was for Joshua to stretch his hand with the spear toward Ai, in order to give it into his hand ... That command symbolizes the work of divine incarnation, in which the “hand” refers to the Person of the Son; while stretching it means its proclamation ... It is as though the Son proclaimed Himself through incarnation, and crucifixion; His cross acting as a spear, by which to destroy the forts of the devil, and to burn down his kingdom, by the fire of His Holy Spirit! “They struck them down, so that they let none of them remain or escape.” (Joshua 8: 22) The scholar Origen comments on this phrase, saying: [This expression embraces certain secrets; The meaning we extract here, is that we should let no single devil remain alive; we should kill them all till the end ... The saints are those who kill and destroy the inhabitants of Ai, and let none of them remain or escape. Yes, that would make their heart precise; “for from within, out of (their) heart proceed evil thoughts” (Mark 7: 21); and would watch out that “no corrupt communication proceed out of their mouth” (Ephesians 4: 29). So, let us fight in this way, and strike Ai with the sword, to drive out the adversary forces. I could also shake the heart of the sinner, by the sword of my mouth; strike adultery and fornication, by the words of my mouth, to let none of them remain or escape. Oh! The day all enemies (sins) are destroyed, God would be glorified as though in a feast; and before the failure of our enemies, we would greatly rejoice. That, in my opinion was what the prophet meant by saying: “Early I will destroy all of the wicked of the land. That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord” (Psalm 101: 8); namely, to cut off the devil who pushes men toward wickedness. When you hear the expression “the city of the Lord,” think of the soul of each one of us, as being “living stones” (1 Peter 2: 5), built by virtues of every kind ... To trust my words about the war against sin, read the words of the apostle Paul: “You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin” (Hebrew 12: 4). Speaking of striving against sin till bloodshed, he means continue doing it until the end. The Holy Book confirms this, saying: Sanctify the war! “Fight the Lord’s battles” (1 Samuel 18: 17). What does it mean to sanctify the war, but 122 to kill all the enemies of our souls, namely, the deadly and wicked lusts. “Put to death your members which are on the earth” (Colossians 3: 5)1. 3- Crucifying the king of Ai: “So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day. And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.”(Joshua 8: 29) The scholar Origen comments on that saying: [We said before that the king of Ai could refer to the devil; so how could he be hanged on a tree? The crucifixion of Jesus bore two aspects: The Son of God was crucified in flesh in a seen way; while the devil was crucified in an unseen way; “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them” (Colossians 2: 15) ... And the apostle proclaims: “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2: 14) Therefore, there are two meanings for the cross of the Lord: the first one is mentioned by the apostle Peter: “Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example” (1 Peter 2: 21); and the other is that the cross presents the cup of the conquest of Christ over the devil] 2. If the Lord Christ was nailed to the cross to proclaim the perfection of the love of God; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3: 16); so on the cross the Lord nailed our eternal debt, and destroyed the might of the devil, taking us away from his kingdom, so that he no longer has any authority over us (Colossians 2: 14, 15). By the cross we accepted to be crucified together with our Lord Jesus; in order to crucify every wicked lust and every vain worldly love, in us. That is why the apostle says: “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6: 14). It is as though the cross bears two sides: the side of divine love, offered by the only begotten Son, through accepting it for our sake, in obedience to His Father; which motivated us to accept the fellowship of crucifixion 1 Ibid. hom. 8: 7,8. 2 Ibid 8: 3. 123 with Him, as a proclamation of our love to Him. The second side is the nailing of the devil, his works, his darkness, and his deceits, so that they would have no authority over us! In other words, the Lord Christ was lifted up on the cross, to draw us by His love, and to nail our spiritual enemy! St. Jerome says: [On the cross Satan and all his army were brought to shame; while Christ was indeed crucified in flesh, He nailed the devils on the cross] 1. It is interesting that hanging the king of Ai on the cross, was connected to the burning down of Ai, and turning it into an eternal heap; as though the crucifixion of the forces of darkness, and the deprivation of their kingdom, would also be by an opening of an everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25: 41). The scholar Origen comments on saying “Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day” (Joshua 8: 28), saying that this phrase applies to the spiritual meaning more than the historical one. The location occupied by the devil will be devastated, and his kingdom will be burnt, when the Lord reigns, and when He judges the world. Nobody would then trespass, and sin would have no more places; He would say to the conquerors of the two groups (the Jews and the Gentiles): “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25: 34) While to the others, He would say: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25: 41) I wish our true Joshua would enter, a Conqueror and a Vector into our heart; and in case He finds in it a place for the devil; namely an “inner Ai”; He would burn it down with His Holy Spirit, and would turn it into an eternal heap, would devastate it forever that sin will have no room there; and would crucify its king, to take away his authority in us! Let our Joshua hang him on a tree, to see it as “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2: 9); On it the Lord Christ is crucified to grant us power and life (2 Corinthians 13: 4); and on it, evil would also be crucified, to perish and to die for us! 4- Building an altar to the Lord: Having entered into the land of promise, and realized the conquest over Jericho and Ai, Joshua consummated what Moses commanded, concerning the building of an altar of stones: “Then Moses 1 On Ps. Hom 21. 124 with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying, ‘Keep all the commandments which I command you today. And it shall be, on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land which your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime. You shall write on them all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 27: 1 - 3). He fixed its location, and the way to build it, with great accuracy (Deuteronomy 27: 4 - 8). In the building of that altar, it is to be noticed: (1) God, beforehand, fixed its location on ‘Mount Ebal’; and the timing of building it, after crossing over the Jordan, and before finishing the wars and feeling relaxation. Mount Ebal is “Mount Salamieh nowadays on the northern side of Nables (elevation 3077 feet above sea level); of rocky surface, where olives can be planted only at its bottom. It is parallel to Mount Gerizim, where only a narrow valley separates them, (Deuteronomy 27:12,13) and is close to the terebinth trees of Moreh (Deuteronomy 11: 30), and to Shechem (Genesis 12: 6, 35, 4) 1. God chose that mount, for the people to ascend on it after seizing Jericho and Ai, and before starting the rest remaining wars, in order that their hearts would be lifted up high, once they start to enjoy God’s promises, before they get preoccupied with the land itself, or its material fruits, of milk and honey; to set forth to the heights, to offer God their thanksgiving, and to ask for His help to complete their strife, and to enjoy the consummation of the inheritance. It is not fitting for them to wait until they end all their wars, to set the altar of God in Jerusalem, but they should, from the early beginning come to enjoy the encounter with God through the sacrifice, in order to enjoy all His promises. The altar of God in Jerusalem was to be built later on by king Solomon, when all are settled; as though it represents our entrance into heaven itself to enjoy God’s presence, face to face through the eternal sacrifice; while the altar of God in Ebal represents our entrance into a sort of a pledge of heaven, during our strife on earth, so as to enjoy being permanently in the presence of God, through faith, and not face to face, through the holy sacrifice! How much are we in need, amid our strife -- after conquering Jericho, and after our fall then our recovery in Ai -- to rise up on Mount Ebal, to offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving; in order to enjoy Him personally, as the ultimate goal of our strife, and the secret of our 1 The Westminster Dict. Of Bible, p. 236. 125 spiritual conquest ... By that, our goal amid our spiritual strife would be well defined, so as not to deviate from it, until we complete the days of our sojourn on earth, to set forth to the altar of the higher Jerusalem. (2) This altar is to be built “of whole stones over which no man has wielded any iron tool” (Joshua 8: 20). What are these ‘whole stones’, over which ‘no man has wielded any iron tool’, but the believing souls that encountered their Christ, who made them into whole stones, to unite together through Him -- “the Corner Stone”; having become in Him, ‘whole’, after being destroyed by the evil one. No man has wielded over them any iron tool; because being attached to their Groom, Jesus, the Lord of Glory, no enemy shall be able to approach them with an iron tool (evil); but they will be kept in the hands of the Savior (John 10: 28), not to be touched by the wicked one (1 John 5: 18). These are the stones that connect together as holy living stones, to build one altar and a holy temple for Him, where He dwells with His Spirit! The scholar Origen talks about these ‘whole living stones’, saying: [All of us who believe in Jesus Christ, are called (living stones), according to the words of the holy Book, saying: “You also, as living stone, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2: 5). As far as the earthly stones are concerned, we first place the most solid and firm stones, to set over them the whole building; to be followed by less solid ones, and so on until we reach the least solid of all on the top, close to the roof. That is also what we understand concerning the living stones for our spiritual building. What are the most solid stones that we place on the foundation? These are (the apostles and the prophets), according to the words of the apostle Paul: “Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2: 20). To be close to these stones set on the foundation, you should know that Christ Himself is the foundation on which the whole building is built; which is confirmed by the apostle Paul, saying: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3: 11); Blessed are those who can build a holy and pure building, over such foundation of whole purity] 1. He also says: [But, in this building, namely, the Church, there has to be a temple; I believe that any of you, who is a living stone, can be a 1 In Jos. Hom 9: 1. 126 temple; through his prayers, offering, day and night, the sacrifice of his supplications; By this, God would build His temple] 1. And he talks of the concept of ‘whole stones over which no man has wielded any iron tool’, saying: [What does a ‘whole stone’ mean in your opinion? It is the conscience that should be whole in everyone, with no defilement or spiritual uncleanness, so as to be counted among those, over whom ‘no man has wielded an iron tool’; namely, those who have not been wounded by the (flaming arrows of the evil one), but have protected themselves against them by the shield of faith; those who have not gone through the irons of war, namely, of fights and conflicts, but lived in peace, as is fitting for the humility of Christ. Those are the living stones, by which Christ our Savior builds His temple: the whole stones, over which no man has wielded any iron tool; over which to offer sacrifices to the Lord. I also believe that the undefiled whole stones, could be the saintly apostles, who, all together have built one temple, through the unity of their hearts and souls. The Book says: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1: 14). They opened their mouths to say: “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all” (Acts 1: 24). They could pray together with one accord, with one voice, and one spirit; that is why they could easily build one temple, in which Jesus may be offered as a sacrifice to God the Father! As far as we are concerned, we should seek to have the’ one saying’, the ‘one soul’, and the ‘one mind’ (1 Corinthians 1: 10); “nothing to be done through selfish ambition or conceit” (Philippians 2: 3) 2. I wish that our true Joshua would accept each of us believers, as a living stone, to be welded to Him, sanctified in Him by His Holy Spirit; to be counted as whole stones with no blemish; to unite in love together, with one integral accord, as one temple, on which His holy sacrifice would be offered, the pleasure of His Father! (3) “And there....., he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses.” (Joshua 8: 32) Thus, the altar melds with the law; or the worship with the commandment. No acceptance of our life as a sacrifice of love for God, by worship alone, without obedience to the divine commandment; and no obedience to the commandment, except by the work of God in us through the sacrifice and worship. Our life with God is one unit that cannot be divided into a life of worship and a life of behavior; but it is a 1 Ibid. 2 Ibid 9: 2. 127 life in the One Jesus Christ. When we worship God we present our life of behavior as a sacrifice to Him in Jesus Christ, the unique sacrifice; and in our Christian behavior, we practice that behavior, to present it as a sacrifice to God in Jesus Christ, the Leader of our souls. If we, by our true Joshua, become living stones in His holy temple, it is that we carry in us our slain Lord Jesus Christ; And if our Joshua writes down His commandment unto us, it is that we receive within us our Lord Jesus, the living Word of God. He is both the sacrifice and the commandment; in us He is proclaimed, both through the sacrifice of His cross; as well as through His commandment. What Joshua did, writing down the law of Moses on the stones of the altar, refers to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, by which is presented to us, the holy sacrifice,inseparable from the word of the bible and the commandment. That is why this Sacrament is not done without the liturgy of the Catechumens, in which we receive the word, written and proclaimed through the Holy Book] 1. 5- Joshua writes the law of Moses on the stones and reads it: Having built an altar for the Lord on Mount Ebal; and having written the Law of Moses, on its stones, in the presence of the children of Israel; the inspiration says: “Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and thecursings, according to all that is written in the book of the Law.” (Joshua 8: 33, 34) Such was the great celebration, where 6 of the tribes of Israel stood on Mount Ebal; Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Nephtali; and 6 tribes on Mount Gerizim; The group of Mount Gerizim proclaims the blessings of the Lord, to those who obey the commandments; while the other group of Mount Ebal, proclaims the cursing on those who commit crimes and trespasses, and who deviate from the commandments of the Lord. 1 راجع كتابنا: المسيح في سرّ الأفخارستيا. 128 We have previously spoken about Mount Ibarim; but as for Mount Gerizim, it is rocky and sloping, forming the southern border of the valley where Nables and Shechem are located. Its elevation is about 2894 feet above the Mediterranean Sea level, and 700 feet above the city; 40 miles north of Jerusalem1. Josephus, the Historian says that in the days of Alexander the Great, ‘Sanballat’ built a temple on Mount Gerizim facing Jerusalem; because the Jewish priests warned Manasseh, his daughter’s husband and the brother of the High priest, that they would not receive him in the temple unless he divorces Sanballat’s daughter; So he built that temple to avoid divorcing her. That temple is considered the origin of the Samaritan temple, which the Samaritan woman referred to, in her talk with the Lord Christ (John 4: 20, 21). The well of Jacob was at the foot of the mountain, known nowadays as the Mount of Tor2. Moses had already received the law written on two tablets of stone; So why now is Joshua writing it on the stones of the altar? The scholar Origen says: [Joshua wrote the second law, because the first one became obsolete! Hear what the Bible says: “You have heard that it was said to those of the old: ... But I say to you” (Matthew 5: 33). That is the Torat that Joshua wrote on living and whole stones, so“You are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stones, but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3: 3) 3] Thus, after Moses received the law written on two tablets, not of the altar, Joshua came as a representative of our Lord Jesus to write it on whole and living stones, that is, on our inner hearts, the hidden altar of God. The scholar Origen continuing his comment on this says: [Up till now, Joshua writes the law through our words, on the hearts of those receiving the word with sound faith, whole spirit, good ear, and thought; and abiding to what we say to them; as the Torat has to be written on “whole stones” 4]. After writing the law on the living stones, a magnificent celebration took place, during which half of the congregation of the children of Israel stood on Mount Gerizim -- the Mount of blessing, while the other half stood on Mount Ebal -- the Mount of cursing. It is to be noticed that the tribes of higher honor and prestige were those lifted 1 Antiq. 11: 8,2,7. 2 The Westminster Dic., p. 325. 3 In Jos. Hom 9: 3. 4 Ibid. 129 up to Mount Gerizim, to utter the blessing to come unto believers who walk in obedience of the law; While the other tribes, of less prestige stood on Mount Ebal, to utter the cursing to come unto the rebellious and the wicked. The scholar Origen believes that that celebration refers to the existence of two categories of believers, one of which is of more zeal and more initiation toward the Savior: [The first category is enflamed with a longing toward the heavenly promises; demonstrating great zeal and enthusiasm, so as not to lose the eternal blessing. They are not only wishing to gain the blessing, and to “partake of the inheritance of the saints” (Colossians 1: 12); but also to be always in the divine presence, with the Lord. The other category, on the other hand, is satisfied with just trying to avoid getting into eternal hell, and to be “cast out into outer darkness” (Matthew 8: 12) ... Those who approach Mount Gerizim, are chosen for the blessing; because they approach it, not out of fear of judgment, but out of hope for the blessing and for observing the commandments; while the others, who approach Mount Ebal -- chosen for the cursing -- represent those who approach the Savior and consummate what is written in the law, out of fear of judgment and condemnation. God alone knows who among us belongs to either of these two categories1]. The divine inspiration confirms that Joshua the son of Nun was the one who read the book of the Torat, or the Law of Moses, before all the congregation of the children of Israel, the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them (Joshua 34, 35). Here we notice the following: (1) Joshua himself read the Torat of Moses; as though representing our true Joshua, our Lord Jesus, who came to reign on us after the death of the Mosaic letter; to read unto us the Mosaic Law; but not through the veil, nor through the symbols and shadows, but to bring us into its hidden secrets, by an exalted spiritual mind. The scholar Origen says: [Joshua revealed the secrets of the law. We, the members of the (catholic) Church, do not despise the law of Moses, but accept it, yet on one condition, that it should be read by Jesus Himself, in order to understand it properly, and to comprehend its statutes and views. Yes, was not Paul following the way of thinking of Jesus, when he said: “We did not take the spirit of the world, but that of God, to know these things given to us by God”. So also the two disciples from Emmaus, who said 1 Ibid 9: 7. 130 to one another: “Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and while he opened the Scripture to us? “ (Luke 24: 32); as the Lord Christ, “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24: 27)] 1. (2) Joshua talked to “the congregation of Israel, the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them” (Joshua 8: 35). Whom does He mean by these categories? a- He talks about Israeli men, as being “the congregation of Israel” ; and as we previously mentioned in the Book of Numbers, that every member of the Church, namely, “the congregation of the new Israel”, either it is a man, a woman, an elderly, a child, or a young man ..., should be committed to spiritual manhood, namely, to maturity, with no feminine nor childish attitude. That is why the apostolic command to all members was to “be men”. And that is why the census of the people in the old came to include only males, without women or children (Number 1). b- While Joshua is talking to the congregation of Israel, as mature men, who accept the divine commandment; who enjoy the solid food; who, “by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrew 5: 14); yet he also provides suitable food to women, and special milk to the little ones. And as the scholar Origen says: [The category of women, children, and strangers, refers to the weak souls that are still in need of milk] 2. If men represent the strong souls, with welltrained senses; women, on the other hand represent weak souls, who are in need of support to follow the example of strong souls. Our true Joshua does not reject these souls, but He Himself will talk to them, in order to lift them up from the state of indulgence and lavishness to a level of persistence and maturity. As to children, spiritually, our Lord Jesus does not despise them, but He rather embraces, and sustains them with milk, until they mature and become capable of enjoying the solid food. The Lord does not disregard even the strangers; namely, the Catechumens, who seek membership in the holy congregation; He talks to them, to bring them up to His holy Body; to be counted as true sons to God. For fear that the text before our eyes, would be understood as discrimination between men and women, according to gender, the scholar Origen says: [The Holy Book does not discriminate between 1 Ibid 9: 8. 2 Ibid 9: 9. 131 men and women; and before Christ, there is no difference between the two genders; but the difference is realized in the heart, that may divide believers into men and women. Many women before God are counted just like strong men, and many men, like negligent women!! Don’t you think that we should count as women, those men who say: I can’t sell all what I have to give to the poor; I can’t offer my other cheek to the striker; I can’t bless him who curses me, or pray for him who does me wrong, nor can I bear with him who persecute me? 1]. Anyway, whatever the condition of our soul is, we should listen to the true Joshua, while He talks to us; If we are men, we should listen to abide in Him, and grow up to reach the measure of His stature; and if we are women, we should hearken to let Him take away our negligence, and to bring us up to spiritual maturity; and if we are children, let us hasten to Him, to let Him lift us up to spiritual manhood; while if we are still strangers, let us come to Him, to let Him embrace us, to bring us in Him to His heavenly Father. 1 Ibid.
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