Bible Battle #6 - C. 1407 BC
This
second battle of Hormah is mostly unrelated with the first given the time that
had elapsed in the wilderness – 40 years. It was fought with different people
for a different reason. Nevertheless it is a vindication of the first defeat.
Date: 1407 BC
Scripture: Numbers
20:14-29 – 21:1-9
Other names: Arad
destroyed;
victory over Canaanites at Hormah
Campaign: Wilderness.
Bible Timeline:
Escape from Egypt – Wilderness – Joshua
Geography:
road to Atharim, south of the Dead Sea.
Belligerents:
Hebrews vs Canaanites
Forces an leaders: Hebrews: Joshua; Canaan: King of Arad
HISTORICAL SETTING
1407 BC is a very busy period for war, ripe with conflict. We cover 9 major battles in this single year alone!
The wandering in the desert was at an end. The whole cursed generation was now dead except for the leaders and
among them only Caleb and Joshua had faithfully stood on God’s promises and,
consequently, the remained the only ones destined to enter the promised land.
Moses too was barred from the promise because of his disobedience at the waters of Meribah.
CONFLICT BACKGROUND
The time in the wilderness after the defeat at the First Battle of Hormah 40 years earlier left the Hebrew delivered from destruction but downcast
low morale and their reservoirs of faith depleted.
As the time
in the wilderness drew to a close it was time for formulating a new strategy
and a new route of advance. The New generation of Hebrews (still led by Moses)
planned now to go around the Canaanite defences instead of through them.
Instead of advancing northward the plan called them to March west and around
the Dead Sea and then North.
Plan “A” 40 years earlier was the original strategy devised by God calling for a breakthrough northward. Had they followed it, the people would have succeeded. Now, after the wilderness wait,
Plan “B” was carried out but, as this was a worldly plan (and not godly) it had opposition straight away.
The new route
called for passage through the land of Edom. The people only planed to go through the land, not
take it, but the King of Edom refused them. With the threat of a large
powerful army in their path the people retreated. This army was still not as
large as the Egyptian army which pursued them at the Red Sea crossing and the
people were by now clearly organized and trained by Joshua into an effective
fighting force, but the years of suffering caused by their parents’ unbelief
had drained the courage out of them. So they left he Edomites unchallenged.
The big
detour from the original had an even bigger detour. The Hebrews now went much
further south along the frontier of Edom. Aaron died along the way and was
buried at Mount Hor.
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The BATTLE
King Arad of Canaan, ruler of the
Negev, no doubt confident in the fact that the Hebrews had recently shied away
from fighting the Edomites decided to attack. He first met with success and
took prisoners.
The Hebrews promised God they would
destroy the enemy cities if He would deliver them. God listened and the
Israelites overran all the Canaanites settlements in their path.
The fight must have been consistent
with the usual tactic conditioned by the available weapons:
(1) Archers used their arrows to bombard and disorient the enemy.
(2) Cavalry followed on a quick passage by the enemy throwing spears and
using swords.
(3) Foot soldiers joined in to fight a, hopefully, weakened enemy on
hand to hand combat.
The Hebrews so utterly levelled the
land that it took the name “Hormah” (Hebrew: “holy destruction”). The people
made sure God retained the credit for this victory. This was of course the same
place to which the Hebrews had been beaten back 40 years earlier when they had
charged up the hill irresponsibly.
AFTERMATH
BETTER THAN EXPECTED
This was the
most successful battle during the Israelite march through the wilderness to
date. The crossing of the Red Sea had been a victorious escape from the enemy
and Rephidim had been a victorious repelling of the enemy. The second battle of
Hormah was more than that it was the first complete destruction of the forces
in front of the Hebrews. It created a reputation that would cause terror in the
enemy ahead of them from then on.
SECOND BEST
Victorious
as this was it was not the best scenario, for it was not God’s perfect will. The
original plan of God
(“Plan
A”) was for them to go
from the wilderness of Paran straight north. However after the rebellion
resulting from the people’s
pessimistic take on the report of the 12 spies and the doubting even
after the second battle of Hormah when they were victorious, they still went
east and north around the Dead Sea that became the new plan but not as good
because it was a huge detour to the land of milk and honey. It was a barren
land and even after crossing the Jordan their route gave their enemies in
Canaan a lot of time to prepare for them and resist them in the Hills rather
than a surprise blitzkrieg from north of
Arad towards the plains of Gaza
and north and beyond in fact didn't tire campaigns of Joshua were because of
this poor man problem of the 12 spies many died unnecessarily.
Since the
rest of the people did not have faith in victory then God met them where they
were at by telling them to bypass the enemy rather than confront him. The
people would have to be content with second best.
Although
God allowed this secondary strategy, it would have the greatest repercussion
for the people which we will address later.
SHORT MEMORY
Incredibly,
despite knowing the cause of the demise of the previous generation and despite
God delivering Arad into their hands, the people grumbled again about their
condition in the wilderness. Perhaps they thought they were entitled to the
spoils of victory after the battle. We are not certain of the time elapsed.
Perhaps the riches of Arad were gained and used and the people were now back to
rags. What is important is that God was grieved again and this time He allowed
them to be consumed by venomous snakes but, in His mercy, he provided an
antidote: a bronze snake was made and put on a pole for healing all who looked
upon it.
[13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. [14] And as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be
lifted up. [15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have eternal life.
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SPIRITUAL ANALYSIS
The SINS of the FATHERS
When they
came up against the Edomites the Hebrews buckled and turned back. Had they
stuck with God earlier they would have simply fought and pushed this army aside
like they had done with the Amalekites at Rephidim. However, when their faith went
so did their confidence in battle. The fighters themselves understood that as
they did not trust God with what He told them about the land, they knew their
faith had left them with regards to them overpowering their enemies.
Sometimes
the results of sin continue even years after. The Hebrews had stayed in the
desert for nearly four decades, and the generation that had caused this were
now gone (save for Moses, Joshua and Caleb). Nevertheless the effects were
still there. It is clear that although this was a new generation, the fright
and weakness of the previous generation that passed away in the wilderness had
transferred onto the new. It is easy to understand, for instance, that parents
that are always gloomy and downcast will produce children that have the same
traits. The sin of fear, doubt and revolt that grieved God 40 years earlier had
affected the children (and perhaps even descendants) of the people responsible.
This is why they didn't have the courage to fight against the Edomites when
they began their march.
NO EXPIRY DATE
The first
battle of Hormah had been one generation earlier. At that time the people had
lost because they had initially been afraid to take something God had already
given them. This was 40 years later and a new breed of fighters. Before the
battle against the King of Arad they pleaded that God would give them victory.
They were unnecessarily asking God for
something He had already promised them. If they had remained in His obedience
they would not have this doubt. They would have
trusted Him then and trusted Him now without a need to pray for something He
had declared.
There is no
expiry date on the promises of God. When He says something is ours we do not
have to ask for it. We can declare it to strengthen our morale and quicken our
faith but not to remind God.
FURTHER CURSES
The
people's continuing complaining in the wilderness had brought further curses on
them. They may had thought they had nothing to lose since they were already in
the wilderness but they were wrong, for Their deadly speech bore deadly fruit.
So, the words of death on the tongues of the people brought on the curse of
physical death on the tongues of the snakes.
Upon Moses’
intercessory prayer, God instructed a bronze snake to be put on a pole for healing
all who looked upon it.
POINT A CROSS
The
bronze snake might have been put on a pole with a beam – a cross (how else do
you put a snake on a pole?). That those who look upon it are healed (of their
infirmity and sin).
This
calamity again led Moses to intercede for the people in prayer as he had done
earlier, after the rebellion following the spies’ return from the first mission
into Canaan (Numbers 14:17-19).
The origin of the universal medical symbol today
ON LOCATION
Tel Arad;
old Canaanites ruins from
the time of Moses,
and newer Israelite
citadel from the time of David and beyond
All timeline dates prior to 664 BC are based on Rohl’s New Chronology. Refer to our chapter “Chronological Discrepancies” for clarification.