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5) Breaking the Bow
After the harvest, the 'cutting down', of the harvest of the place named Armagedon in the valley of Jehospahat (which has nothing to do with Megido) then is then a new 'sowing' at the place called Jezreel as El shall 'sow' the people of Israel into the whole earth. Will a gathering occur at the place called 'the Mighty shall sow'? Jezreel is on a high place overlooking the logical, and historical, place for the highway out of Egypt to Mesopotamia. It is written specifically,
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. (Isaiah 19:23)
Though not important now, ancient Jezreel may become an important rest point.
In context the greatness of Jezreel seems to be about the good to be brought to the earth. The JPS translators of the Hebrew Tanakh footnotes the English translation of “the marvellous day of Jezreel”, as “the day when the name Jezreel will convey a promise (2:23-25) instead of a threat (1:4-5).” The things of joy and prosperity for life on earth, 'corn' and 'wine' and 'oil' shall all hear Yisre'el, as El himself shall sow. In the valley of Jezreel, Yahweh broke the bow of Israel (Hosea 1:5), then, when he makes a covenant for Israel with the animals, birds and creeping things, he will break the bow (and sword and battle) out of all the earth. (Hosea 2:18). To break the bow brings peace.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King comes unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:9-10)
This links to Hosea where they gather to appoint one head. The reference to the removal of the bow appears also in Ezekiel 39 relating to Gog's forces
And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:3-5)
Gog must fall on the mountains of Israel, and the valley of Jezreel is not the mountains of Israel.
Is the 'open field' on the mountains of Israel, or a final place of defeat somewhere else? The valley of Jezreel might be called an open field. One cannot be dogmatic, as it is said that the enemy forces 'cover the land.' The end is that the battle-bow is cut off from that time forward. This is the emphasis of the removal of the bow and Jezreel.
Jezreel is to be a place where peace breaks forth and a place of new sowing. The end of the first victory in the valley of Jezreel is that Gideon (whose name means 'one who cuts down', or 'fells') declares that Yahweh reigns. The day when Yahweh reigns openly on the earth will be great indeed..
For more see Armageddon, not Megiddo
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