THE FEATURES OF JOSHUA THAT SHOULD MARK EACH OF US
Reading 1
A.J.G. I thought that we could consider Joshua in these two readings. Joshua went out of Egypt; he went through the wilderness, and he came into the land. He therefore represents what must mark each one among us. It is striking to see in chapter 3 of Exodus that when God appeared to Moses in Horeb, it is said that He had come down to deliver His people from the hand of the Egyptians and to make them go up into that land, a land good and spacious, into a land flowing with milk and honey. Later on in this same chapter, it is said that when Moses had brought the people out of Egypt, they would serve God on this mountain, so that the two thoughts have been set before Moses from the beginning: that of the land in its attractive character, and also that of serving God in the wilderness. It is important that we should have these two thoughts before us: the service of God in the wilderness, in conditions that are publicly contrary, but also the idea of the power of the Spirit to enter into the spiritual and heavenly blessings that God proposes for us.
The first condition is that we should be delivered from Egypt, not simply from the world as being a system, but from its own principles. The principle that is particularly in evidence in the world is independence from God and counting on oneself and having every confidence in self. God would have us completely delivered from such features: He desires to be the portion and glory of His people. This is why what the children of Israel had first to learn is to feed on the manna. The manna came down from heaven; it is not a product of man. It was given on the principle of a day at a time. This is a principle of reduction for us, to learn that we must receive everything from above. The principle which is in view before God is that it is a matter of what is daily: just one day at a time. So we read in Deuteronomy 8: 16: “who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end”, so that the manna is not simply to help us to go through the wilderness, but to do us positive good, in developing us in the features of dependence on God, and giving us to be content to receive from Him, which is man’s true glory.
In chapter 17 of Exodus, the question of thirst is raised and the Spirit of God is introduced typically as being the great provision of God to face man’s thirst. He is introduced in a calculated way for us to appreciate Him, because God tells Moses to take in his hand the staff with which he had smitten the river, and that God Himself would stand before him; he had to smite the rock and the water would come out so that the people could drink. That presents to us the fact that the Lord had to bear the smiting; He had to be smitten by the judgment of God so that we should be able to receive this unspeakable gift. It is very remarkable that Moses had to smite the rock while Jehovah Himself stood on the rock: it is typically Jehovah Himself who was smitten, and as a result the water flowed. In 1 Corinthians 10, we are told that the people had drunk of a spiritual rock that followed them. The rock had no need to be smitten a second time, although Moses did it in a moment of unbelief. But having been smitten once, the water was always available to them. The position being such, Amalek comes to fight with them and that brings Joshua into evidence for the first time. It is very remarkable to see that his history, which goes through the whole wilderness and into the land, begins with this feature: the appreciation of the Spirit and entering entirely into the conflict with Amalek by means of which Satan would deny us the gain of the Spirit. Amalek represents Satan working by means of the flesh and the history of Joshua begins with the fact that he faces this challenge and that he enters into the conflict, breaking the power of Amalek with the edge of the sword.
J.B. What particular character of the flesh does Amalek represent?
A.J.G. Every feature of the flesh whatever it may be. It is said that the flesh lusts against the Spirit but it also says in this same epistle to the Galatians that one who sows to the flesh will reap corruption of the flesh. It is what in the flesh may have power over me; it may be that it is not the same feature as has power over you, but it is nevertheless the flesh in both cases. It was an experience of great importance; of such importance that Jehovah says to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua”, as if Jehovah desired that Joshua should particularly learn this lesson and that he should never forget it, to know that Jehovah would utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek; and the history of Joshua that follows shows that he learned this lesson and that he had benefited from it.
R.B. Do you think that at the moment Joshua was full of the Spirit of wisdom, for Moses had put his hands on him, as it is said, at the end of Deuteronomy?
A.J.G. Yes. Moses chose Joshua here. It is said in verse 9, “Moses said to Joshua”. One could well ask why he chose Joshua, because he was still only a young man and he had to choose men. Without doubt, Moses had seen some feature with Joshua justifying the fact that he had chosen him. But it is really by means of the exercises that follow that Joshua is qualified so that Moses confides fully in him at the end of the journey through the wilderness. The great thought is to choose men; it is a matter of men that God is going to develop Himself. God has His pleasure in men. We read that wisdom finds its delights in the sons of men. They are men that Satan has sought to overcome and it is also in men that God works in the conflict there is between Satan and Himself. We must therefore be men in our minds, and not set God aside in all that He does. This is what Paul says to the Corinthians: “be not children in your minds … be grown men”, and at the end of the first epistle he says, “be men”.
P.F. Would the expression “tomorrow” in Exodus 17: 8 suggest a time of preparation for the conflict?
A.J.G. Yes, I think so, although tomorrow may be very near, it is necessary to see the thing tomorrow.
P.G.B. What does the position of Moses on the top of the hill suggest?
A.J.G. With the staff of God in his hand? I believe that he represents the authority of the Lord over us. We see that there are moments when the hand of Moses became weak. It is said that when he raised his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hands, Amalek prevailed. There is obviously no weakness in Christ, but His authority over us can be weakened, and when that happens, Amalek prevails. So there is the intercession of Aaron and the support of Hur. It is said that Aaron and Hur held his hands up on one side and the other. There is the intercession of Christ, and I believe that the thought could be extended to the intercession of the saints who pray for us. Then there is this element of purity that Hur represents, an element that must be present with us in all our exercises. There is also the stone that they set under Moses, the work of God in us, a permanent work which is the foundation of the whole position. But in spite of all that, the conflict has to be faced. Joshua must use the edge of the sword, that is to say that we have to allow the Word of God to have its powerful effect in us. It is said that “the word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is not a creature unapparent before him; but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes, with whom we have to do”. That is the character of the two-edged sword; it is the application of it. By this means, Joshua will have the victory over Amalek.
R.G.W. In speaking of the staff, God says that it is the staff with which Moses had smitten the river of Egypt and also the rock. What does that signify?
A.J.G. He used it to smite the river of Egypt, which shows what judgment God had of Egypt. The language of Pharaoh is this: the river is my own, I made it for myself; this is the spirit of Egypt, independence of God, finding all its resources in itself. Now God had smitten the river, or rather Moses had done it at God’s commandment, with the staff. That shows God’s judgment as to this principle, and the same principle must be judged in us. But redemption is necessary and the gift of the Spirit. There is therefore a link between the staff which had smitten the river of Egypt and the staff which had smitten the rock so that they should receive the Spirit. It is by means of the Spirit that we are delivered from Egypt, but in this connection, if we feed on the manna, that greatly helps us because the manna is small; it comes down from heaven; it is given day after day; and all that has in view to reduce us naturally, but also to build us up in a character of man according to Christ. So it is said, “Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens”. We must keep this thought with us, that God cannot tolerate the flesh in any manner whatever.
A.R. What is the difference between these two thoughts: to blot out utterly the memory of Amalek from under the heavens, and secondly to have war with Amalek from generation to generation?
A.J.G. It is a little the same thing. We have to understand that God is against Amalek, and that we have to be against him; it is the attitude of mind of each one among us who desires to go through the wilderness according to God, and who desires to enter into His precious thoughts. This second declaration: “Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation!” was given when Moses built an altar and called its name Jehovah-nissi. It is a very definite point which is to be come to, and I have thought that the answer to that may be found at the end of Romans 13: 14: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not take forethought for the flesh to fulfil its lusts”. It is a definite point to be come to: to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh and the satisfaction of its lusts. I think that corresponds to Jehovah-nissi.
G.M. Could it be said that on God’s side Amalek has been overcome once and for all, but that on our side, we have to struggle with it continually.
A.J.G. That is so. We have to remember that the flesh is with us as long as we are down here. One has been very impressed by the fact that Paul, who had such gift and was so spiritual, who had been caught up into paradise, says that he buffeted his body, and that he did this for fear that after preaching to others he should be himself rejected, which shows that the flesh in the believer remains the same to the end, whatever the spiritual level may be that has been attained.
L.M. You would say that this feeling would keep us humble?
A.J.G. Certainly. It is one of the features that will be produced by feeding on the manna; each new day, one is confirmed in the feeling of dependence on God and there is nothing outside of what we receive from Him, so that Paul says “what hast thou which thou hast not received?” as if to show that you have produced nothing yourself, you have done nothing, you have received everything. We have to learn what it is to receive; on this line, the manna will greatly help us, delivering us from all confidence in ourselves and from all self-sufficiency.
J.P. Could the passage in 2 Corinthians 4: 7 be linked: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassingness of the power may be of God, and not from us”?
A.J.G. That is so. The Spirit comes on dependent men. When we repent, when we believe the glad tidings and we are sealed by the Spirit, we are at that point persons who have no confidence in themselves, having the language, “O God, have compassion on me, the sinner”. What leads to disorder among us is that we do not continue from the point we were at then.
S.O. In the epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle says, “laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us”.
A.J.G. Energy is needed for that. We are responsible to do these things, but at the same time, the only power is the Spirit. However, we must not say that the Spirit Himself will set the flesh aside; it is said, “if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live”. It is something we have to do and the only power for that is in the Spirit.
In Exodus 33, we have another exercise in which Joshua appeared: it is a matter of separation from evil; idolatry has come into the camp and it is said in verse 7: “And Moses took the tent, and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tent of meeting”. It is the great principle of separation from evil that Moses establishes here, while having no particular direction on God’s part as to it. The tabernacle itself had not been set up, but Moses took a tent and set it up far from the camp, calling it the tent of meeting, as if to show that God is going to meet with His people and that His people would be able to meet Him only in conditions separate from all evil. Whoever sought Jehovah had to go to the tent of meeting and it is said at the end of the paragraph that “Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not from within the tent”, so that a position was typically taken by Joshua, a position from which he did not depart.
P.G.B. Would it be right to connect this passage with 2 Timothy 2?
A.J.G. Yes, it is the position in which the truth can be presented, and in this position alone. All that being established in chapter 33 of Exodus and in chapter 35, we find that the construction of the tabernacle begins, then the whole system is arrived at and the service of God is established there. Then the glory of God fills the tabernacle. All that follows this action on the part of Moses, establishing the recovery of all God’s thoughts as to His people, as far as His dwelling with the people in wilderness conditions is in view.
P.P. It seems so that in chapter 40: 34, the tent and the tabernacle are identified? I wondered if all that was after the tabernacle was erected?
A.J.G. I believe that sometimes the tabernacle is a thought comprising the court. The immediate presence of God was evidently the most holy place; there was also the holy place and then there was the court which was around the whole. But here in chapter 33, it is the great principle that is established. Joshua is called the attendant of Moses, that is to say that he is attached to Moses and he shows that he has not the least intention of getting away from this position that he had taken before Jehovah, outside the camp.
P.O. Would the position be as the apostle establishes in Hebrews 13: “therefore let us go forth to him without the camp, bearing his reproach”; and he goes on, “let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually to God”?
A.J.G. The passage that you quote in Hebrews is remarkable because it seems to combine an allusion to chapter 33 of Exodus with an allusion to chapter 16 of Leviticus, where the body of the offering for sin is burnt outside the camp. It makes reference in this last passage to the bodies of the animals whose blood was carried for sin into the holy place by the high priest; these bodies were then burned outside the camp. This passage in Hebrews 13 therefore links these two scriptures.
H.R. Why did Moses go back alone to the camp in Exodus 33: 11?
A.J.G. I suppose that indicates the rights that the Lord has; he has the right to move in the camp because many of His own are found there. But whoever sought Jehovah went out to Moses outside the camp, and Jehovah justifies the position which has been taken by Moses when pitching the tent outside the camp, in speaking with Moses face to face “as a man speaks with his friend”. It is added that “his attendant, Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not from within the tent”. He was not half-committed; his heart was not partial; he was entirely devoted to the position; he did not depart from the test; he was inside it.
R.B. What thought do you have when Moses pitched the tent for himself outside the camp?
A.J.G. I believe that in a certain sense, Moses represents the Lord, so that it is as if the Lord was acting Himself and for Himself. Moses in this passage represents the Lord on the one hand, as having the right to return to the camp, but on the other hand, he represents someone who has consideration for God, and God shows His approbation in speaking with him face to face.
L.M. In the passage quoted in Hebrews 13, it is said “let us go forth to him without the camp, bearing his reproach”, which seems to imply that there is no reproach in the camp, but that the reproach comes from the fact of going outside the camp.
A.J.G. That is indeed the case. The camp is marked by the will of man and by conditions that are not living conditions; it is what is really idolatry: the maintenance of an outward form of the worship of God, but in conditions that are as in a mould. So they made a calf in a casting and they proclaimed a feast to Jehovah: things placed in a mould, formed in a mould, and it is on this line of thought that the feast of Jehovah proceeds. There is no reproach in going on with such a state of things because it agrees with man in the flesh, but reproach comes in leaving the camp.
P.P. The tent is not only pitched outside the camp, but far from the camp.
A.J.G. That is very important as to what is said as to Joshua: he departed not from this position.
L.D. What difference would you make between idolatry and apostasy?
A.J.G. Apostasy is the abandonment of the profession of the truth, while idolatry is to continue with the profession of the truth in a lifeless way. The Christian profession, I suppose, has not become apostate; that will only happen when antichrist appears; while the elements of apostasy may already be in evidence.
L.D. Would the fact that Joshua did not depart from the tent of meeting show that he was afraid to be contaminated?
A.J.G. I have no doubt that there is that idea. But I believe that it showed in a positive way that he had found a habitation for God in his own heart and that he desired to have his part there. God had already said in chapter 25: “And they shall make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them”, and I have no doubt that Joshua always had that in his mind although it may very well be Moses did not know that at that moment, for chapter 25 represents what Jehovah says to Moses on the mountain, and when he came down from the mountain, he saw idolatry; nevertheless, Joshua was on the mountain with Moses and he came down with him, so that it is very probable that Moses had told Joshua what was in view, to know that a habitation for God had to be prepared by the people.
L.M. It is striking to see that beforehand God establishes His thoughts with Moses on the mountain as to making a dwelling with His people. Satan worked in the people so that God would not have this habitation.
A.J.G. That shows how Satan constantly opposes. This thought enters in a particular way into our first passage. We have constantly to remind ourselves that Satan is always opposed to what is of God and that he finds in our flesh a ground on which he can work; until we come to appreciate the Holy Spirit as being the power which is greater than the power of the flesh.
J.B. Why does it say, “Joshua the son of Nun, a young man”?
A.J.G. That shows how important it is that there is entrance into these things when one is young. It is very encouraging. This feature came into evidence when he was young.
P.P. Joshua corresponds to the young men to whom John wrote: “I have written to you, young men, because ye are strong … and ye have overcome the wicked one”?
A.J.G. I think so up to a certain point. I believe that Joshua was in a certain sense more advanced even than these young men. The young men in the epistle were indeed established in the truth but they were in danger as to the world, so that John tells them not to love the world or the things that are in the world. But Joshua was one who was definitely departed from Egypt and who was going to be used for overthrowing the walls of Jericho. I believe that in a certain way the walls of Jericho represent the things of the world, the efforts of the enemy to hinder the saints from entering into their inheritance, not by leading them into the world, but by introducing the things of the world into the Christian circle. That, I believe, is what Jericho represents and Joshua has been used to overcome all that.
In the next passage, in chapter 14 of the book of Numbers, Joshua is seen in relation to the appreciation of the land. The first passage read is like the foundation, the second has in view serving God in the wilderness, but the third brings in the appreciation of the inheritance. We need to keep in mind the thought of the inheritance. It is the first thing that God sets before His people, that is to say, that He was going to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey. The epistle to the Ephesians must be constantly in our minds because God has nothing less than that in His mind for us. Here, the spies made a lot of the difficulties. It is said in verse 6 that Joshua, son of Nun, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh insisted that the land through which they had passed is a very good land. “If Jehovah delight in us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us”, and in taking this position, they would have been stoned. But Jehovah intervened and “the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting to all the children of Israel”.
P.G.B. The tent of meeting comes into view again.
A.J.G. Exactly. It is what God is linked with, it is His habitation, His dwelling. If we hold ourselves for the truth, God will always support us.
L.D. Here it is no longer idolatry; it is unbelief.
A.J.G. It is unbelief. What is at the root of unbelief is the failure to accept the cross of Christ. The different nations that had to be overcome are simply different forms of the first man. If on the one hand, we appreciate the cross of Christ as putting an end to this man, and the power of the Spirit as being given to form us after Christ, we will realise that nothing can hinder us from entering into all that is in God’s mind for us. The men who had searched out the land make a lot of the difficulties. They say that they have seen giants (v 34), while Joshua and Caleb say: “If Jehovah delight in us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us”, and it is added, “a land flowing with milk and honey”.
P.P. What does the expression milk and honey signify?
A.J.G. I believe that Mr James Taylor has made a remark1 that these two things are obtained without death; it is not a reference to moral questions, therefore, which have to be faced by the death of Christ, but things that speak of satisfaction and blessing and of what is founded in the eternal purpose of God, apart from every question of sin.
G.M. When it speaks of a very good land, the note says, in the Hebrew, ‘very, very good’.
A.J.G. That is so. That is to say, it is a question if we think like this. When we read the epistle to the Ephesians, for example, do we have in our minds the ‘very, very good’ things that God has for us? Are we ready to go all the way needed to possess them?
A.R. Caleb says in chapter 13: 31, “we are well able to do it.”. It is faith that is in evidence with him. But Joshua speaks in a different way: he speaks of the pleasure that God must take in us.
A.J.G. Yes, really the pleasure of God. There is the power of God and the pleasure of God.
ST ETIENNE
11th November 1954
Translated from the French magazine, ‘Ondées’,
September 1955
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