The Trojan War

You may have watched the movie Troy. It is based on the war waged between Greeks and the Trojans. The war went on for a long time. The end of the war came with one final plan. The Greeks built a big wooden horse, an animal that was sacred to the Trojans. The horse was hollow on the inside.

On the outside, the horse was inscribed, “the Greeks dedicate this to Athena for their return home”. Enough Greek soldiers got into the hollow belly of the wooden horse. The rest of the Greek army burned the camp and sailed away.

When the Trojans discovered the Greeks were gone, believing the war was over; they joyfully dragged the horse into the city while they debated what to do with it. Some thought they ought to hurl it down from the rocks, others thought they should burn it, while others said they ought to dedicate it to their god Athena.

The Trojans decided to keep the horse and turned to a night of mad revelry and celebration. When it was midnight and the clear moon was rising the soldiers from inside the horse emerged and killed the guards. They entered the city and killed the sleeping population.

The Greeks had no power to overcome the Trojans from the outside. They had to find entry into the inside of their city.

Now, to some lessons from this account:

1.    To take a city, you need an “INSIDE MAN”. The ancient cities were greatly fortified and would take great effort to bring down. The effective way to overcome Troy was by designing a strategy to take it from within. Historians relate the fall of great empires and cities such as Egypt, Jericho and even  Babylon on the work of an "Inside Man"

2.    The external environment has no power to corrupt unless it finds root in the human heart. The external environment only affords the opportunity for a resident principle to manifest. An ancient proverb states that a man without self control is like a city without walls. It is of great import to watch what we let into our lives, for once inside us it could be the source of our defeat.

3.    Deception: a wise man once said that all warfare is based on deception. It is therefore important to watch when you think you stand lest you fall.

4.    Keep watch; be on guard. Do not “fall asleep”.