EXTRACT

Joshua represents the spiritual leadership of Christ among His people. He does not represent Christ personally but the spiritual leading of Christ, such as is seen in Paul. We find Paul going straight on to the end; all he wanted was to finish his course, though bonds and imprisonment awaited him. It was not an easy path, but he wanted to finish his course. Six years later he wrote in 2 Timothy, “I have finished my course”. He had done all he wanted to do; he went straight through and was never diverted from the inheritance. We could not say that Paul did not give us a proper lead into the inheritance, but he has gone now and the question is, What are we to do? We have the privilege of considering the ministry, service and character of Paul, and that is the kind of person who gets the inheritance and enjoys it, and stands fast in it. Are we to follow Paul so that we may enjoy the inheritance, or are we to come under the influence of the nations? In principle there are only two things; it is either Paul or the nations.

It is touching that Paul should speak to the Ephesian elders about “the assembly of God which he has purchased with the blood of his own”. Think what it was to God to have you and me. He was prepared to pay that price; He purchased us with the blood of His own, and it is a matter of righteousness that He should have the affections of His people. He is always seeking their affections through the Supper. People say, I break bread because the Lord desired me to do it. Is that all? Are you not going deeper than that? There is a great deal more in it. Why did He desire it? What was His object? He thought of the effect of it on our spirits, the effect of His own love, so that that love might be impressed more deeply every first day of the week in indelible characters on our affections, so that we might love the Lord Jesus Christ and God, and thus enjoy the inheritance.

C. A. Coates (‘An Outline of Joshua’, p.99)

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