THE SERVANT AND THE WORLD
THE SERVANT AND THE WORLD
In Joshua 6 we see the first great lesson taught the children of God as regards the world. When they are established as to individual blessing and full acceptance with God, they have now to learn how to act towards an adverse world; how to walk in testimony before it, in daily patient service, disconnected from it, yet every day around it. There is to be no aggressive act from them, but they are to be simply in happy union and concord, bearing about the name of the unseen God. In the march round Jericho the armed men took the lead, thus showing their readiness for conflict; the priests followed, blowing the trumpets and bearing the ark of the covenant, declaring aloud the might and majesty of Jehovah, and the host followed.
[p. 262] Each one giving, in his measure, they all gave one unbroken, constant diurnal testimony, and when Joshua said, “Shout”, they shout. The saints cannot shout until their Joshua shouts. The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout. Thus, on the very threshold of Canaan, in the very moment of their introduction to the enjoyment of Canaan’s blessing, the terrible world is set before them as that to which they have to exercise a daily, and perhaps a long continued, patient testimony, in the assured hope of its utter fall. “Babylon is fallen” is written in distinct characters upon the world, and most surely read by all thoughtful believers. The fruit of all this service was one despised family! — Rahab!