Rising Darkness (6 page)

“I tell you our gods are the greatest in the universe!” boasted Zogor, who was now preparing his mount for the quick return to Jericho. “They have chosen to smile upon us this day.”

“Then pray to them, Zogor,” said Jarez, grimly surveying the scene. “For the river is opening up for the enemy to cross!”

Chronicles of the Host

Joshua commanded his men to stay behind. They had been scouting the city of Jericho for the last hour, discussing the best point of attack, trying to pinpoint possible weaknesses. One even suggested they could use Rahab to help them gain entry. However it was to happen, the city had to be taken. Jericho, though small, was a strategic point of conquest and could not simply be bypassed. It had to be destroyed. To leave an entrenched enemy behind was only inviting trouble later on.

Joshua went on ahead of the men, and looked at the silhouette of the city against the sun setting in the western sky behind it. Proud and impregnable, its walls seemed to taunt Israel, daring the Hebrews to assail them and feel their sting. True, the reputation of Israel had preceded them in the land and cast a terror throughout the region. But Jericho was a formidable foe—and the first real test of Joshua’s leadership in engaging the enemy on his own soil.

Joshua began to pray silently to the Lord. How was he to lead his untested people against this warlike, godless nation? How were they to breach the walls? He understood that God was with him, but how was he to orchestrate the attack? All of these thoughts exploded in Joshua’s head as he looked upon Jericho in the twilight evening. Then something else caught his eye. Standing right in front of him was a large man—a warrior—with a sword drawn!

“How are we to conduct a war against humans if the Lord continues to step in and assist them?” asked Kara. “It is hardly fair!”

Rugio, who along with Kara and Pellecus had been given the task of keeping Jericho intact, growled at Kara. “You sniveling fool,” he said. “The Lord has never been fair in this war. He always will side with the humans!”

“That’s not entirely true,” piped in Pellecus. “Yes, the Lord interferes from time to time. But for the most part He respects only men who cry out to Him…who seek Him earnestly…men of faith like Joshua.”

“Joshua,” muttered Rugio. “How I hate that man! First there was Moses, who humbled Kara’s pharaoh, and now Joshua, who is on the brink of shattering Jericho.” He added in great frustration, “When shall these Hebrews stop producing men of faith and become like the rest of the nations?”

“Soon, I suspect,” said Pellecus. “When they have established themselves in the land, they will slip back into their old ways. It’s the nature of humans to be motivated at the beginning of a great endeavor and then to lose interest over time. I’m sure that in a few generations they will have forgotten Joshua and become another mediocre nation of humans who are enslaved to their passions and forgetful of their gods.”

Kara looked up scornfully.

“A wonderful summation, Pellecus,” he said. “Provided we were in a classroom and you were lecturing. But we have been ordered by Lucifer to stave off the attack. Khasis is proving himself of little worth.” He smirked at Khasis, who stood silently nearby. “So teacher, the question remains—how do we stop Joshua at Jericho?”

“Perhaps we don’t,” came the voice of Lucifer.

He motioned for everyone to remain seated at his appearance. They were meeting on the rooftop of the king’s great house in Jericho.

“I sense fear in the king of Jericho,” said Lucifer. “Which means he is defeated already. Fear is a great weapon—a weapon which we have become very adept at using. Unfortunately it cuts both ways.”

“Are you saying we simply give up Jericho?” asked Kara.

“Not at all,” said Lucifer. “But it occurs to me that Jericho is only the beginning of a very long campaign, to be followed with the task of creating a new nation with no king and only the memory of Moses to guide them. I quite agree with Pellecus. Given time these people will disintegrate into the madness of the rest of humanity.”

Rugio stood up, a bit angry at what he was hearing.

“So we let them in?” he asked. “Surely we must resist!”

Lucifer looked at his chief warrior.

“Of course we must resist,” he said, speaking in comforting tones. “Wars are won in the long term, Rugio. If we must give ground here and there to win the war, then so be it. It is who is standing in the end that matters.”

“May I speak, my prince?” asked Khasis cautiously.

Kara snorted and was about to say something when Lucifer stopped him.

“Of course, Khasis,” he said. “Jericho is, after all, your responsibility. I simply asked my three most important rulers to assist you in any way they might.”

“I am of course grateful to you for their assistance,” Khasis said, bowing slightly to the others in humble recognition. “But I must add that the talk here seems to be drifting from how to stop Joshua to whether or not he is to be stopped.”

Pellecus smiled at Khasis’s bold assertion.

“Excellent observation,” said Pellecus. “But I believe what we are saying is that you should do all you can to stop the Hebrews—by all means!”

Kara snickered at Khasis’s dilemma. Rugio grunted angrily under his breath and then exploded.

“Khasis is right,” Rugio blustered. “We cannot simply give Jericho up without a fight. They must know we will resist them.”

“Of course we shall oppose them,” said Lucifer finally, looking upwards toward the heavens. “The Most High has shown what He intends to do in this war—He was quite clear at the Jordan when He stopped the river for them. He will fight for them so long as they remain faithful to Him.”

Rugio responded, “Then our course is…”

“Our course, as always, is to defeat them at Jericho,” said Lucifer resignedly. “It shall be a long war, my brothers. And there shall be many battles. And perhaps the Seed shall even find its way to fruition in this miserable land.”

At the mention of the Seed a chill went through all the angels. Lucifer looked down over the little city of Jericho and glanced at the walls around it. “But ultimately the outcome of the war will not be decided by walled cities. It shall be decided in the hearts of men. And so long as the war is dependent upon men remaining faithful, we shall have hope.”

Joshua knew that the enemy had scouts all around him and prepared himself to fight, reaching for his sword. But the man simply stood there. Puzzled, Joshua remained still and silent for a moment, returning his sword to its sheath. He scrutinized the magnificent soldier who stood before him. He didn’t look like a Canaanite soldier. His appearance was very different.

Joshua walked over to the visitor, careful to keep one hand on his sword and to make sure that there were not others ready to spring upon him.

“Are you for us? Or are you for our enemies?” he resolutely asked.

“I represent nobody but the Lord God as commander of His Host. His Presence is quite near.”

The voice was one of sharp authority that commanded immediate respect. Joshua’s heart rallied and he fell to the ground before the angel. He cried out to him, “What does the Lord wish for His servant to know?”

“Joshua, the Lord Most High wants you to understand that you are on holy ground. Remove your sandals!”

Joshua immediately obeyed, taking off his sandals but remaining low to the ground and not daring to look up. After a moment or two of silence, he slowly looked up. The angel was gone!

Joshua started to get up when another Voice spoke to him. This one was unmistakable, penetrating the very core of Joshua’s being. He fell low to the ground again, and this time answered unhesitatingly, “Yes, Lord?”

Michael stood at a distance as the Lord spoke with Joshua on the plain outside Jericho. He was still amazed at the relationship that a mere man could share with the greatest Person alive. The Most High wanted nothing to separate Himself from the one made in His image—even to the point of removing the man’s sandals so that his feet would touch the ground of His Presence—and so Michael had instructed Joshua in preparation for this encounter with his God.

As Michael watched, Crispin sidled up next to him noticing Michael’s keen interest in the dialogue between the Most High and Joshua. Of course not one of the enemy was present.