PREPARATION FOR CONFLICT

^[p. 322] PREPARATION FOR CONFLICT

Joshua 5; Romans 4: 23 - 25; Colossians 2: 12

Christians are not all alive to the thought that the books of the Pentateuch set forth typically the path and experiences of a Christian. They are not mere history. In fact, there is no real history in Scripture; that is, nothing that would be accounted such by man. The great bulk of the Old Testament is taken up by the dealings with and interventions of God on behalf of His people. In writing a history one would record the social, political, military, and commercial life of a people. The interventions of God on their behalf are not history. But if you take away the interventions of God from Scripture, you would have but little left.

Now these early books of the Bible show prophetically the Christian’s pathway, and God’s dealings with him in it. The instruction which they give is not found anywhere else. The Gospels do not give us such instruction; they give us the facts of Christ’s ministry, etc. But in the early books of the Bible God’s ways in His moral government are seen.

In Exodus, for example, we have two main thoughts; namely:

1. God redeeming His people from Egypt; and
2. His setting up His dwelling among them.

This is realised in the Christian. He is first redeemed, and then he is indwelt by the Spirit of God.

Turning to Numbers, we get there the exercises of the wilderness. The world is a wilderness to the Christian, and in it he finds out the contrariety and perverseness of the flesh, but the grace of God. And there is another thing that he learns there; namely, God’s ordering and provision for His people in the wilderness.

^[p. 323] In Leviticus we get another important subject; namely, the manner and details of approach to God. Now the apostle tells us that “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope”. (Romans 15: 4.) I think many Christians fail to look at these early books of the Old Testament in this light; but these books are of great interest, as giving us the account of God’s ways with His people.

My subject during these lectures has been the resurrection platform. It is on the platform of resurrection that God has approached man. “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day”. (Luke 24: 46.) This is the resurrection platform where everything contrary to God has been removed in the death of Christ, so that God can freely approach man. It is not the platform of responsibility, nor of judgment; but it is the platform where God addresses Himself to man with a view to salvation.

Our chapter brings us to the land of promise; that is, to the side of Jordan westward, which is sometimes spoken of as ‘the other side of Jordan’. I want to take up the typical meaning of the circumstances we get in this chapter, rather than to speak about them in detail.

I would first of all like to say a few words about one point which has been previously before us, viz., our being risen together with Christ. Now this is a question entirely of divine grace, and it is most important to understand this. It is through faith, and hence of grace, just as much as justification. What faith does is to apprehend the pleasure of God. In illustration of this you might call to mind how God spoke to Abraham of His purpose to bless. Abraham by faith apprehended it. The same is seen in David when God spoke to him of raising up one to sit on his throne. David by faith apprehended it.

Now in the gospel we apprehend that it is God’s pleasure to justify, through faith in Christ. We are saved in apprehending God’s pleasure. I am not called to believe anything about myself. Justification of a man is not exactly the act of God, but it is His mind. The act of God was in raising Christ, and now man is justified in apprehending by faith God’s act. “To whom it” (righteousness) “shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification”. (Romans 4: 24, 25.) I see that it is God’s pleasure to justify, and in apprehending this I am justified.

Now in Colossians 2: 12 we have further: “Wherein also ye are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead”. We are risen with Him thus by faith, the same principle by which we are justified. This is also God’s pleasure, and we apprehend it. To be risen with Christ means that it is as much God’s mind we should be with Him over Jordan as it is that we should be in the wilderness. But this is just what people fail to apprehend, and so, like the two and a half tribes, they settle down this side of Jordan. They are satisfied with justification, it is enough for them; but the pleasure of God is for us to occupy heavenly ground with Christ Himself before. Over Jordan, that is, the side of Jordan westward, contemplates saints in the occupation, in their souls, of heavenly ground in association with Christ, though still here on earth. This is a difficult thing to many to take in. They understand much more quickly if one speaks to them of heaven or earth; but to speak of heavenly ground is puzzling, and one can only receive it as prepared by the grace of God to receive it. But it is none the less the mind and pleasure of God for us.

I might say this, that justification is our side, while risen with Christ is God’s side. As justified I am cleared from every reproach connected with this world; but as risen I apprehend that it is God’s pleasure to have me with Himself. To illustrate this, turn to John 20,

^[p. 325] and read verses 17 and 19. In verse 17 the Lord makes known the pleasure of God: “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God”. That is, the disciples were associated with Himself as risen. And in verse 19 we find Jesus in the midst of a company gathered round Himself, morally outside of the world. Christ had just died out of the world, and now comes into their midst, saying to them, “Peace be unto you”. They were morally risen with Christ.

If you turn to the end of Luke you will find another thought, which I want to bring before you by way of contrast. Look at chapter 23: 43: “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”. Paradise is a contrast to what I have spoken about, and the thief was to go straight to paradise. He did not occupy heavenly ground down here, and the same would apply to anyone who might be converted on a deathbed. But then the most of us are left down here for a time, and it is important for us to know that it is God’s mind that we are risen with Christ.

If you look at the exhortations of Scripture you find how little they make of this world. The fact is that we are justified before God to accept death to the world that we may apprehend His pleasure in being risen with Christ, to be with Him who died for us and was raised again. It is a great thing to apprehend the pleasure of God. Is such a thing really possible as that I should be associated with Christ? Yes, it is.

Now turn to our chapter (Joshua 5). It gives us the preparation for going up into the land, where we have to withstand the power of evil. We get this brought out in Ephesians 6: 13: “Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”, etc. But it is not an easy thing to stand. This is the evil day, and the influences which are at work in the world are subtle and deadly. Israel had to fight with flesh and blood,

^[p. 326] things which they could see, but it is different now. You cannot see the deadly influences at work today, but they are all directed against the light and testimony of a glorified Christ. The god of this world blinds people, that they may see not the glory of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4: 4.)

But you say, How are these to be met? Well, I will tell you a thought which I have. I doubt if you can meet them in a solitary way. One cannot meet them as a unit. What we need is the support of fellowship. The Lord was competent to meet these powers of evil, but then He was the strong Man. He was able to bind the strong man. But I am weakness itself, and hence as a unit I am unequal to meet the powers of evil which are at work. Unity and fellowship are indispensable. There is nothing which affects me more painfully than to see the young exposed to the deadly influences of the world. We all, and they especially, want the support of unity.

In the place of conflict with the power of evil, therefore, saints are looked at as a company. God does not mean us to stand solitary. When the Ephesians were told to stand, I think the apostle was addressing the company; they were to take the armour to be able to stand. So it is with us, we have fellowship one with another, and thus are enabled to withstand the subtle influences down here. Those who are without this support are in danger of giving in and making terms. Unity and fellowship are the manner of the Spirit’s support.

Now let us take up the points of our chapter.

1. In verse 1 we get the weakness of the Canaanites westward of Jordan. Their hearts melted.
2. Verses 2 - 9 give the circumcision of Israel. This was done when they were over Jordan, not in the wilderness.
3. Verses 10, 11 give the keeping of the passover.
4. Verse 12 the manna ceases, and the old corn of the land is eaten.
5. The captain of the Lord’s host appears to Joshua (verse 13), and this brings us back to verse 1.

The people of Israel were to go against the Canaanites and to expel them. Thus the beginning and the end of the chapter refer to the Canaanites being expelled, while the rest of it is taken up with the preparation of Israel for conflict.

You or I might very naturally have supposed that Israel ought to have gone up at once when the hearts of the Canaanites melted. But that was not God’s way. Natural powers are of no use for God’s warfare; the flesh must be put off. Take, for example, a Christian who endeavours to meet an infidel in argument, that is with carnal weapons; he is likely to encounter defeat. The power of evil can only be met with divine weapons, and for this the flesh must go — all self-confidence and that kind of thing. The apostle warned the Colossians of this in speaking to them of philosophy and vain deceit. All that is of the flesh must be put off in fighting for God. All links which connect me with the world must be broken, all the moral links. You cannot fight flesh with flesh, and any effort to do so only exposes you to defeat. I think that has been commonly the case.

The next point is the passover. The flesh is distrusted (for you cannot actually get rid of it, but you can morally, by distrusting it), and now you come to the passover. We must be in communion with the death of Christ, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Christ’s death tests everything for the Christian. If things in the world are unsuitable to the death of Christ, they are unsuitable for the Christian. We find the Corinthians were allowing many things which were inconsistent with the death of Christ, and they had to purge out the old leaven.

The next point in the preparation of the people is the ceasing of the manna and the eating of the old corn of the land. Now the manna is, I judge, food for the individual. It is grace for the wilderness — daily ^[p. 328] grace for daily need. It is the grace which enables me to go through the day down here. The gathering of it is individual and for the wilderness.

But the old corn of the land is the food of saints collectively. I want manna while I am down here for my individual path, but I eat the old corn of the land with the saints, I do not want the manna then. The difficulty is that in our case the things overlap. We have not done with the manna as Israel had, we need it daily; but we have part too in the old corn of the land. The old corn of the land is heavenly food, heavenly sentiments, all that is the growth and produce, so to say, of the land. The manna is angels’ food which comes down from heaven, but the old corn of the land is what is proper to heaven, and can only be tasted in the Christian circle. I speak of these things morally. It seems to me that many who come to the meeting hardly touch the assembly. We need divine preparation for the assembly. But if the assembly is realised in the Christian circle, it is a most blessed thing and a foretaste of heaven; the food of heaven is tasted upon earth.

Take John 20 for example. Were not the disciples happy? Do you think that there was any fear of the Jews when Christ was in the midst? None, it was all dissipated, for Christ was amongst them as the risen One who had proved Himself stronger than man. I believe they were supremely happy and full of affection for Christ and for one another — I do not mean natural affection, but heavenly.

Then the last point I call attention to in the chapter is the recognition of Christ in glory as the Captain of the Lord’s host with the drawn sword in His hand. It is He who leads in conflict against the powers of evil and their influences. Now are you going to stand or, to make terms? Suppose your purpose is to stand in the power of the truth. Well, I think you will stand if you apprehend the glory of the Lord, but if you fail in this, what will happen will be that you will remain ^[p. 329] under the influences of the glory of man — the glory of this world; and this Babylonish. There is plenty of it, and it is attractive to man. The only antidote to it is to apprehend the glory of the Lord. (See 2 Corinthians 3: 18.) I have lived now a good many years in this world, and it has not been for nothing. I know something of the power of the world system. Indeed, there are few who have active minds who are without desire for a little of the world’s glory. But it is Babylon. It is confusion, for that is what Babylon means; and how could it be anything else when God has no place in it? It is the apprehension of the glory of the Lord which has delivered me. One word more. We must remember that all the glitter of this world is soon to be headed up in Antichrist. The great trinity of evil will be developed here in an open and public defiance of God. It is a great thing to be preserved now from elements which are working up to this. And there is but one antidote, beholding the glory of the Lord with unveiled face.

The Lord give us to take up things in this order. Then you will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Returning to what I said earlier, resurrection with Christ is as much God’s mind in regard to saints, as it is His mind that we are justified.