“Then Y’hoshua said, ‘Open up the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me. They did it; they brought the five kings out to him — the kings of Yerushalayim, Hevron, Yarmut, Lakhish and ‘Eglon. After they had brought the five kings to Y’hoshua, he summoned all the men of Isra’el and said to the commanders of the soldiers who had gone with him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” They came and put their feet on their necks. Y’hoshua said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid or confused, but be strong and bold, because this is what Adonai will do to all your enemies that you fight against.'”-Joshua 10:22-25
The time of reckoning for the 5 kings had arrived.
Imagine what a sight this must have been.
Five of the most powerful rulers in the land of Canaan being paraded before Joshua in a most humiliating fashion.
Joshua was going to use these kings to make a point to all of Israel.
He instructed his officers to come forward and then he ordered the defeated kings to lay down on the ground before them.
What happened next was common Middle Eastern protocol.
Joshua ordered his officers to each place one foot firmly on the back of the necks of these kings.
This wasn’t about stamping on the back of the kings’ heads in order to hurt them or break their necks.
This action was to show to all Israel and anyone else who might be present who the real bosses in the land of Canaan were.
There’s something else you need to understand here.
It was probably pretty darn scary for these officers to place their feet on the necks of such high ranking nobility.
Why?
Because it was a common belief that kings were more than just human beings.
Kings were not only thought to have a special connection to the gods, but once they died, it was also believed they would become gods themselves.
Therefore, there was this great fear that if you hurt a divine being like a king, you would suffer supernatural consequences.
That’s why Joshua told his men…
“Don’t be afraid or confused,
but be strong and bold,
because this is what Adonai will do
to all your enemies
that you fight against.”
Through ordering this action, Joshua was letting his men (and the younger officers present) that Israel was above and superior to these men and it didn’t matter one bit that they were kings (a title they had just conferred upon themselves anyway).
The takeaway for today’s lesson is simple.
What Joshua told his men when they placed their feet on the back of the necks of the kings, believe that he is also speaking to YOU through the Scriptures thousands of years later.
“Don’t be afraid or confused,
but be strong and bold,
because this is what Adonai will do
to all your enemies
that you fight against.”
Islamic thinker background says
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my webpage; Islamic thinker background