“There is no doubt that when a human soul associates itself with the Word of God, it is immediately going to have enemies, and that those it once considered friends will be changed into adversaries. The soul should not only expect to suffer this from humans, but it should also know that such will likewise be forthcoming from opposing powers and spiritual iniquities. Thus it happens that whoever longs for friendship with Jesus knows he must tolerate the hostilities of many.…Even now, therefore, the Gibeonites, such as they are, are assaulted because of friendship with Jesus [Joshua], even though they are "hewers of wood and carriers of water." That is, although you are the least worthy in the church, nevertheless, because you belong to Jesus, you will be assailed by five kings. The Gibeonites, however, are not abandoned or scorned by Jesus [Joshua] or by the leaders and elders of the Israelites; instead they offer help for their weakness.”

“In this manner, therefore, Jesus [Joshua] with his chiefs and princes comes to those who are attacked for his name by opposing powers, and not only does he furnish assistance in war, but also he extends the length of the day and, prolonging the extent of light, dispels the approaching night.Therefore, if we are able, we want to disclose how our Lord Jesus prolonged the light and made a longer day, both for the salvation of humans and for the destruction of opposing powers. Immediately after the Savior appeared, it was already the end of the world. Even he himself said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near." But he restrained and checked the day of consummation and forbade it to come. For God the Father, seeing that the salvation of the nations can be established only through him, says to him, "Ask from me, and I shall give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession."11 Therefore, until the promise of the Father is fulfilled and the churches spring forth in the various nations and "the whole fullness of the nations" enter so that then "all Israel may be saved," the day is lengthened and the setting is deferred and the sun never sinks down but always rises as long as "the sun of righteousness" pours the light of truth into the hearts of believers. But when the measure of believers is complete and the already weaker and depraved age of the final generation arrives, when "the love of many persons will grow cold by increasing iniquity" and very few persons remain in whom faith is found, then "the days will be shortened."15 In the same way, therefore, the Lord knows to extend the day when it is time for salvation and to shorten the day when it is time for tribulation and destruction. We, however, while we have the day and the extent of light is lengthened for us, "let us walk becomingly as in the day" and let us perform the works of light.”

“But perhaps renown in war keeps some so bound to itself as to make them think that fortitude is to be found in battle alone and that therefore I had gone aside to speak of these things, because that was lacking in us. But how brave was Joshua the son of Nun, who in one battle laid low five kings together with their people! Again, when he fought against the Gibeonites and feared that night might stop him from gaining the victory, he called out with deep faith and high spirit: "Let the sun stand still"; and it stood still until the victory was complete.”

“Consider how great of value is the righteous man. Joshua the son of Nun said, "Let the sun stand still at Gibeon, the moon at the valley of Elom [Aijalon]," and it was so. Let then the whole world come, or rather two or three, or four, or ten, or twenty worlds, and let them say and do this; yet they shall not be able. But the friend of God commanded the creatures of his friend, or rather he besought his friend, and the servants yielded, and the one below gave command to those above. Do you see that these things are fulfilling their appointed course for service?”

“Let no one tell me, therefore, that the motions of the heavenly bodies constitute time. For when the sun stood still at the prayer of a certain man in order that he might gain his victory in battle, the sun stood still but time went on. For in as long a span of time as was sufficient the battle was fought and ended.I see, then, that time is a certain kind of extension.”

“Thus also with power did Joshua, the son of Nun, command the sun and the moon, and they were restrained, and each of them stood still in its course. Joshua stretched out his hand and spake with the power of faith, saying, "Thou sun, tarry in Gibeon, and thou moon, in the valley of Ajalon;" and the sun was restrained, and the moon stood until the people had taken vengeance upon its enemies.”

“"God made the two great lights, the smaller light to rule the night," that is, the Old Testament, "and the greater one to rule the day," that is, the New Testament. As the moon receives its light from the sun, so does the Old Testament from the New. And so when the sun stands in the east, and the moon on the opposite side in the west — "Stand still, O sun, at Gabaon, O moon, in the valley of Aialon!" said Josue — then is the Old Testament lighted up: it cannot shine, except by means of the New.”

“What we say is that God not only stands outside the power of all necessity; he is its Lord and Maker. For in that he is authority and the very source whence authority flows, he himself does nothing through any necessity of nature or at the bidding of any inviolable law. On the contrary, all things are possible to him, including those we call impossible. To prove this, he established once for all the courses of the sun and moon, which are borne on their way by inevitable laws, and forever and ever will be thus borne, and at the same time to prove that nothing is to him inevitable but that all things are possible that he may choose, just once he made a special "day" that Scripture sets forth as a "sign," solely that he might the more proclaim, and in no way invalidate, that divine ordinance with which, from the beginning, he fixed the undeviating orbits of the stars.”

“But let us also see what it means when it says there were five kings and they fled into caves. We have often said the battle of Christians is twofold. Indeed, for those who are perfect, such as Paul and the Ephesians, it was not, as the apostle himself says, "a battle against flesh and blood but against principalities and authorities, against the rulers of darkness in this world and spiritual forces of iniquity in the heavens." But for the weaker ones and those not yet mature, the battle is still waged against flesh and blood, for those are still assaulted by carnal faults and frailties. I think this is indicated even in this passage; for we said that a war was declared by five kings against the Gibeonites, whose figure I maintained was of those who are immature. These, therefore, are assaulted by five kings. Now these five kings indicate the five corporeal senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell; for it must be through one of these that each person falls away into sin. These five senses are compared to those five kings who fight the Gibeonites, that is, carnal persons. That they are said to have fled into caves can be indicated, perhaps, because a cave is a place buried in the depths of the earth. Therefore, those senses that we mentioned above are said to have fled into caves when, after being placed in the body, they immerse themselves in earthly impulses and do nothing for the work of God but all for the service of the body.”

“For if the armed host of the Lord was represented by the trumpets of the priests, we may see in Jericho a type of the overthrow of the world by the preaching of the gospel. And to pass over endless details (for it is not my purpose now to unfold all the mysteries of the Old Testament), five kings who previously reigned in the land of promise and opposed the gospel army were overcome in battle with Joshua. I think it is clearly to be understood that before the Lord led his people from Egypt and circumcised them, sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch had the dominion, and that to these, as to five princes, everything was subject. And when they took refuge in the cave of the body and in a place of darkness, Jesus entered the body itself and killed them, that the source of their power might be the instrument of their death.”

“Whoever fights under the leadership of Jesus [Joshua] against opposing authorities ought to merit that which is written about those former warriors: "And the whole people," it says, "returned safely to Jesus [Joshua] and not one of the sons of Israel muttered with his tongue." You see, therefore, that the person who serves as a soldier under Jesus must come back safely from battle and ought not even receive a wound "from the fiery darts of the wicked one"; he ought to be neither polluted in heart nor defiled in thought, and [he] ought not allow any place for demonic wounds—not through wrath, lust, or any other occasion.Moreover, what is added, "No one muttered with his tongue," seems to me to have been expressed because no one boasted about the victory, no one attributed it to his own power that he conquered. Indeed, knowing that it is Jesus who bestowed the victory, they do not mutter with their tongue. Understanding that well, the apostle said, "Not I, but the grace of God that is in me." I think, in addition, that he has in mind that command of the Lord in which he said, "But when you have done all these things, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have only done what we should have done.' " For in this similar manner he also seems to prohibit boasting about things well done.”

“But meanwhile Jesus [Joshua] destroyed the enemies, not teaching cruelty through this, as the heretics think, but representing the future sacraments in these affairs, so that when Jesus destroys those kings who maintain a reign of sin in us, we can fulfill that which the apostle said, "Just as we presented our members to serve iniquity for iniquity, so now let us present our members to serve righteousness for sanctification."What is it then that is condemned by them in this place as cruelty? It is this, it says, that is written, "Set your feet upon their necks and slay them." But this is discovered to be humaneness and kindness, not cruelty, is it not? Would that you might be the sort of person who can "set your feet upon serpents and scorpions and upon every hostile power" and "tread underfoot the dragon and the lizard," the petty king who once reigned in you and maintained in you a kingdom of sin. Thus, with all those destroyed who used to rule in you by the work of sin, Christ Jesus our Lord alone will reign in you, "to whom is the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen!"”

“But Marcion and Valentinus and Basilides and the other heretics with them, since they refuse to understand these things in a manner worthy of the Holy Spirit, "deviated from the faith and became devoted to many impieties," bringing forth another God of the law, both creator and judge of the world, who teaches a certain cruelty through these things that are written. For example, they are ordered to trample upon the necks of their enemies and to suspend from wood the kings of that land that they violently invade.And yet, if only my Lord Jesus the Son of God would grant that to me and order me to crush the spirit of fornication with my feet and trample upon the necks of the spirit of wrath and rage, to trample on the demon of avarice, to trample down boasting, to crush the spirit of arrogance with my feet, and, when I have done all these things, not to hang the most exalted of these exploits upon myself, but upon his cross. Thereby I imitate Paul, who says, "the world is crucified to me," and, that which we have already related above, "Not I, but the grace of God that is in me."9 But if I deserve to act thus, I shall be blessed, and what Jesus [Joshua] said to the ancients will also be said to me, "Go courageously and be strengthened; do not be afraid nor be awed by their appearance, because the Lord God has delivered all your enemies into your hands." If we understand these things spiritually and manage wars of this type spiritually, and if we drive out all those spiritual iniquities from heaven, then we shall be able at last to receive from Jesus as a share of the inheritance even those places and kingdoms that are the kingdoms of heaven, bestowed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, "to whom is the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen!"”

“But if we examine the very meanings of the names more eagerly and more diligently, it will be discovered that the significance of the names can have an interpretation at one time of a wicked kingdom, and at another time, of a good kingdom. For example, I think Libnah means "whiteness." But whiteness is understood in different ways, for there is a whiteness of leprosy and a whiteness of light. Therefore, it is possible to indicate diversities in the meaning even of the name itself, and of either condition. Thus Libnah had a certain whiteness of leprosy under the wicked kings, and, after those are destroyed and overthrown, when Libnah comes into the Israelite kingdom, it receives the whiteness of light; because whiteness is mentioned in Scriptures as being both praiseworthy and blameworthy.”

“And again, Lachish is interpreted "way." But in the Scriptures, a way is both a laudable and a culpable thing. That is not difficult to demonstrate, as it says in the psalms, "And the way of the impious will perish"; and in another place, on the contrary, "Make straight the way for your feet." Therefore it can also be understood here that the city of Lachish was at first the way of the impious, and afterwards, when it was destroyed and overthrown, it was won over to the right way with the Israelites reigning.”

“In like manner, there is also Hebron, which they say means "union" or "marriage." But the union of our soul was at first with a wicked man and a most evil husband, the devil. When that one was destroyed and abolished, the soul was "freed from the law" of that former wicked man and united with a good and lawful one, him about whom the apostle Paul says, "I determined to present you a chaste virgin to one man, to Christ."18Thus even the understanding of the names themselves agrees with this twofold condition of every city.”

“Likewise, it is especially the work of the Word of God to pull down the diabolical structures that the devil has built in the human soul. For, in everyone of us, that one raised up towers of pride and walls of self-exaltation. The Word of God overthrows and undermines these, so that justly, according to the apostle, we are made "the cultivation of God and the building of God," "set upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself the chief cornerstone, from whom the uniting of the edifice grows into a temple of God in the spirit." And thus at last we may be entitled to be included in the inheritance of the holy land, in the Israelite portion. Then our enemies will be abolished and destroyed so "that none of them remains who may breathe in us," but only the spirit of Christ breathes in us, through works and words and spiritual understanding, according to the teaching of Christ Jesus our Lord, "to whom is the strength and the power forever and ever. Amen!"”