Homilies on Joshua, Homily 11

For those who have joined themselves to the sons of Israel, all who were formerly their friends become enemies after their friendship and familiarity with the sons of Israel. The Gibeonites had received a covenant of peace from the sons of Israel; the Jebusite king of Jerusalem, inviting four other kings to join him, sets out to attack them. But the Gibeonites, seeing that five kings had conspired to make war on them, do not trust at all in their own strength and resources, but send to Jesus asking for help. And he, with divine permission, comes to the Gibeonites to bring help. Here wonders from heaven are shown. The Lord rains down hailstones from above and lays waste the army of the five kings who were fighting against Jesus. Then Jesus, seeing the divine right hand fighting with him and everything going forward successfully, raises to heaven a new and wonderful prayer, saying: “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Elom, until they overcome this people. And the sun and the moon stood in their place until the Lord conquered their enemies. And the sun stood in the midst of heaven and did not go on to its setting for one day. There was no day like it before, nor had God listened to a man in this way, for the Lord fought for Israel. And those five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.” These things, done according to the history, proclaim to all ages the miracles of divine power, and they need no interpretation from outside, since the light of the deeds shines forth in them. Yet let us seek what spiritual understanding they contain.

When the human soul has joined itself to the Word of God, it must not doubt that it will at once have enemies, and that those whom it had as friends before will be turned into adversaries; and let it expect to suffer this not only from men, but let it know for certain that this threatens it from the hostile powers and the spiritual forces of wickedness as well. And so it happens that he who seeks the friendship of Jesus must know that he will have to bear the enmity of many. Listen to the Apostle saying: “All who wish to live devoutly in Christ will suffer persecution.” And Solomon too says something similar: “Son,” he says, “when you come to the service of the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation.” The Gibeonites, then, of whatever sort they may be, are attacked even now because of their friendship with Jesus; and even if they are woodcutters and carriers of water — that is, even if you are of the lowest merit in the church — yet by the very fact that you belong to Jesus you will be attacked by the five kings. But the Gibeonites are not abandoned or despised by Jesus, nor by the leaders and elders of the Israelites; they bring help to their weakness. Does not that command of the Apostle seem to you to bring this about in us and command it, where he says: “Encourage the discouraged, support the weak, be patient toward all”? And again: “But you who are stronger, bear the weaknesses of the weak.” In this way, then, Jesus with his leaders and princes is present to those who are attacked by the hostile powers for his name’s sake, and not only gives help in war, but also lengthens the time of day and, prolonging the span of light, drives off the coming of night.

We wish, then, if we can, to show how our Lord Jesus prolonged the light and made the day longer, either for the salvation of men or for the destruction of the hostile powers. When the Savior came, the end of the world had already arrived. Indeed he himself said: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” But he held back and checked the day of completion, and prevented it from arriving. For God the Father, seeing that the salvation of the nations can be accomplished through him alone, says to him: “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession.” Until, then, the Father’s promise is fulfilled and churches grow from the various nations and the whole fullness of the Gentiles comes in, so that then at last all Israel may be saved, the day is prolonged and its setting delayed; the sun never goes down, but is always rising, while the Sun of righteousness pours the light of truth into the hearts of believers. But when the measure of believers has been filled, and the worse and faded age of the last generation has come, when, as iniquity increases, the love of many grows cold, and very few remain in whom faith is found, then the days will be shortened. In the same way, then, the Lord himself knows, when it is the time of salvation, to prolong the day, and to shorten it when it is the time of tribulation and destruction. But we, while we have the day and the span of light is prolonged for us, let us live honorably, as in daylight and do the works of light.

But let us also see what it means that it says there were five kings, and that these fled into caves. We have often said that the battle of Christians is twofold. For the perfect, and for such as Paul was and the Ephesians, as Paul himself says, the struggle was not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. But for those less advanced, those not yet perfect, the battle is still waged against flesh and blood, for those who are still attacked by carnal vices and frailties; and I think this is meant here too. For we said that war was declared on the Gibeonites by the five kings, and we said that their figure is found in those who are imperfect. These, then, are attacked by the five kings. And the five kings indicate the five bodily senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. For through one of these each person must fall into sin. These five senses are compared to those five kings who attack the Gibeonites, that is, carnal men. And that they are said to have fled into caves may perhaps indicate this: that a cave is a place dug deep into the earth. So these senses we spoke of above, when, placed in the body, they have sunk themselves in earthly acts and have done nothing for the work of God but everything for the service of the body, are said to have fled into caves.

We must know, however, that these very kingdoms whose kings are now conquered by Jesus and flee to caves afterwards come into the lot of the saints and are called the portion of the Lord, such as the kingdom of Jerusalem, or of Lachish, or of Hebron. In this I think it is indicated that these five senses too, which we explained above, placed in the body, when they have been conquered by Jesus so that unbelief and incredulity are driven out of them, and when they die to sin by ceasing from the service of sin — the soul will afterwards use these very senses as ministers to work the righteousness of God; and so it happens that in Jerusalem, where formerly a worthless and most wicked king reigned, David strong of hand, or the peaceful Solomon, afterwards reigns. For evil powers sit beside these very bodily senses of men of which we spoke, and tempt them into evil desires and shameful service to the soul. If faith in Christ overcomes these evil powers, and they are hanged on the wood of his cross, so that he triumphs over them too on the wood of his cross, then, when they have been killed and driven from the kingdom, the soul becomes the portion of God; then Jerusalem becomes the kingdom of God, and a temple is built in it for the Lord. Was not he thinking this of himself who said: “For we too were once senseless, unbelieving, going astray, slaves to various desires and pleasures”? For this is nothing other than what is written, that Jerusalem was once under King Adonibezek, and the other cities under other kings.

But meanwhile Jesus killed the enemies, not teaching cruelty by this, as the heretics think, but signifying in what was done the mysteries to come: so that, when he has slain those kings who hold the kingdom of sin within us, we may be able to fulfill what the Apostle said: “As you presented your members to serve lawlessness leading to further lawlessness, so now” let us present our members to serve righteousness leading to justification. What is it, then, that they blame in this place as cruel? This, they say, which is written: “Put your feet on their necks and kill them.” What if this turns out to be compassion and kindness rather than cruelty! I wish that you too would put your feet on serpents and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy, and to trample the dragon and the basilisk, that is, the little king who once reigned in you and held the kingdom of sin in you; so that, when all those have been killed who reigned in you by the work of sin, Christ Jesus our Lord alone may reign in you, to whom is glory and dominion for ages of ages. Amen.