After a prolonged journey through the desert, I brought you into the sacred territory, allowing you to take possession of the land of the Amorites, as previously mentioned, which Moses later distributed among the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. Along with these blessings, I also appointed prophets from your sons, and from your chosen young men, I consecrated the Nazoreans. In speaking of God’s glory, the narrative order may not be consistent; sometimes events that occurred later are described first and vice versa. The Psalms, particularly the seventy-seventh and one hundred and fourth, illustrate this principle, as they recount miracles according to their significance rather than chronology.
For example, in the book of Kings, we first encounter Doeg the Edomite, linked to the title of the fifty-first Psalm, before learning about Absalom’s insurrection against his father mentioned in the third Psalm. Thus, the devastation of the Amorites, although it occurred afterward, is recounted at the outset, while the exit from Egypt and the forty years wandering, which were earlier events, are detailed later, disregarding chronological sequence. Therefore, before our deliverance from Egypt, out of the iron furnace, God demolished the Amorites, whose name signifies ‘bitter’ or ‘one who speaks frequently.’ This king of the Amorites, Seon, represents a barren tree—not because it produces no fruit, but due to the bad fruit it yields, as evidenced by the scripture that states every tree that does not bear good fruit is uprooted and cast into the fire (Matthew 7:19). Similarly, regarding false prophets, it is written that they appear in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves; you will recognize them by their bad fruit (Matthew 7:15-16). Thus, a tree is deemed fruitless if it fails to produce good fruit or any fruit at all.
Concerning Seon, it is declared that 'already the axe is laid at the root of the tree' (Luke 3:9); for it is a barren tree, cut down by the Lord, compared in stature to the cedars, of which the psalmist notes that he has seen the wicked exalted like the cedars of Lebanon, only to find they are no longer there when he looks (Psalms 36:35-36). Indeed, before Him who transcends this age, and who can proclaim, ‘I will perceive this mighty vision’ (Ex. 3:3), the cedar fades, leaving no trace of arrogance. He was as strong as the oak, that mightiest and most enduring of trees. In fact, Philo, a most eloquent Jewish philosopher, speculates that Esau took the name ‘druinon,’ meaning ‘oak,’ although Esau may also suggest ‘doing,’ particularly in reference to wickedness. Concerning this strong figure, the Lord states in the Gospel: ‘When the strong man armed guards his own home, his possessions are secure; but when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides up the spoils’ (Luke 11:21-22).
The Lord has enabled us to crush and eradicate the fruit of this Amorite Seon—the barren tree—so that those who mistake them for good may not perish. He also eliminated its roots, preventing any resurgence of branches from that weak tree. The Lord Himself has led us out of this age, and during the forty years—which symbolizes trial, fasting, sorrow, and suffering—He brought us into the sacred land, that we might first inherit the territory of the Amorites, transforming what once belonged to them into our own. This preparation paved the way for electing prophets from among your sons—holy men endowed with the spirit of prophecy, as elaborated upon in the correspondence to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 14)—and selecting the Nazoreans and the sanctified from your chosen youth, who offer their souls as a sacrifice to God and abstain from intoxicating wine. This way, we might obtain the hair of Samson, the source of strength and triumph (Judg. 16), as the head of man is Christ.
THEOSIS