GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES THIRTEEN
GOD’S ECONOMY IN ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
God’s Economy as Revealed in the Old Testament
Message Seven
God’s Economy as Revealed in Joshua
Scripture Reading: Josh. 1:2-4, 14:2, 5:12,23:4, 10, Exo. 1:11-13, Num. 11:4-15, 31-35, 12:1-15, 20:2, Josh. 2:1-21, Ruth 4:21
I. The greatest type in the Old Testament is the history of the people of Israel, who typify the church, composed of the New Testament believers as God’s elect; coming after the five books of the law, the books of Moses, Joshua is the first book of the twelve books of Israel’s history, from Joshua to Esther; the twelve books of history are not concerned merely with history; they are a part of the divine revelation concerning God’s eternal economy—1 Cor. 10:1-13: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 1)
A. God’s eternal economy, which concerns Christ as the embodiment of God and the church as the organic Body of Christ for the consummating of the New Jerusalem—Col. 2:9, Eph. 1:23. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 1)
B. The intrinsic revelation of the books of history in the Old Testament is to unveil to us how the eternal economy of god is carried out by His elect on the earth—Exo. 25:9, 26:30, Josh. 1:2. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 1)
C. The eternal economy of god is altogether concerning Christ and for Christ, mainly in the person of Christ and the kingdom of Christ—Isa. 9:6, John 1:14, 2 Sam. 3:17: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 1)
1. Regarding the person of Christ, the record of history in the Old Testament keeps a line of the genealogy of Christ for His coming through incarnation to be a man—Isa. 9:6, John 1:14. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 1)
2. Regarding the kingdom of Christ, the Old Testament history maintains a line on the kingdom of God for Christ to establish His divine kingdom on the earth. These two items form the governing line of the divine revelation in the books of the history of Israel.—2 Sam. 3:17. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 1)
D. To take possession of God’s promised land for Christ and to provide the proper persons to bring forth Christ into the human race are the spirit, the intrinsic significance, of the section of the Old Testament history in the three books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth—Josh. 1:2-4. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 1)
E. Joshua typifies Christ and also grace (Christ) replacing the law (Moses)—John 1:17, Heb. 13:25: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 2)
1. It was when Moses the lawgiver died that Joshua came in to bring the people into the good land, typifying the Lord Jesus bringing the people of God into rest, into the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ as all the blessings ordained by God—Josh. 1:2, 6, Heb. 4:8, Eph. 1:3-14. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 2)
2. Christ has brought us into the good land, has taken possession of the land for us, and has allotted the land to us as our inheritance for our enjoyment; Christ has gained the good land for us, and eventually He is the good land for us to enjoy—cf. Deut. 8:7, footnote 1. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Josh. 1:1, footnote 2)
II. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers portray in typology God’s need for a people to be saved and to go on with Him to enjoy His Christ, to receive His revelation, and to be built up with Him as the processed Triune God, that they may be formed into a priestly army to journey with Him and to fight with Him—Num. 1:3, 18, Josh. 23:10: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
A. These books also show that God’s people need to be disciplined by passing through certain difficulties and undergoing different kinds of frustrations—Exo. 1:11-13, Num. 20:2, 11:4-15, 31-35, 12:1-15: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
1. In Exo. 12—14, Israel ad God’s people was redeemed from God’s judgement by the Passover and saved from Egypt by the saving power of the Triune God: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
a. Then, they enjoyed the heavenly provision and the divine care in their initial journey in the wilderness—Exo. 15-17. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
b. In Exo. 19-40 and Lev. 1-27 they received the divine revelation and training in knowing God, in being built up together with God as His dwelling on earth for His expression and testimony, and in the building up of the priesthood from the divine service. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
2. All this took place at the foot of Mount Sinai, where the people were given the law as a portrait of what God is in His attributes. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
B. The book of Numbers records how God’s chosen and redeemed people were formed into a priestly army to journey with God and to fight with God for His interest on earth—chs. 1-4, 9:15-10:36, 12:16, 20:1-21:35, 31:1-54, 33:1-49: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
1. In Numbers the children of Israel also passed through various frustrations, trials, and disciplinings for their purification—11:4-15. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
2. Eventually, in ch. 32 and in 33:50-36:13 God’s people received the prearrangement for the distribution of the promised good land. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
3. After all the foregoing, God’s chosen and redeemed people were ready to cross the Jordan, enter Canaan, consume its inhabitants, and possess the good land promised by the faithful God—Josh. 1:2-3. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
C. With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, those who were qualified to take possession of the land were the younger ones, the second generation of those who had come out of Egypt—Num. 14:29-31: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
1. This younger generation had received the benefit of all that the first generation had experienced—Deut. 1:1, 5. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
2. With a rich inheritance and strong background, they were qualified to be formed into an army to fight with God and for God for the accomplishing of His economy—Exo. 1:11-13, Num. 11:4-15, 31-35, 12:1-15, 20:2, Josh. 1:2: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
D. This history of Israel is a full type of the history of the church in its accomplishing of God’s eternal economy in the mystical union with the all-inclusive Christ, who is the embodiment of the processed and dispensing Triune God—Deut. 1:35-36, Num. 14:31. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Num. 36:13, footnote 1)
III. God’s chosen and redeemed people needed to undergo different kinds of frustrations; as a result of all these things, God’s people were ready to take possession of the God-promised land—Exo. 1:11-13, Num. 11:4-15, 31-35, 12:1-15, 20:2, Josh. 1:2: (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
A. God’s people were made ready to take possession of the God-promised land by being redeemed from God’s judgment by the Passover and by being saved from Egypt by the saving power of the Triune God—Exo. 12, 14. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
B. God’s chosen and redeemed people enjoyed the heavenly provision and the divine care in their initial journey in the wilderness—Exo. 15-17. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
C. In Exodus 19-40, the children of Israel received the divine revelation and training in knowing God, in being built up together with God as His dwelling on earth for His expression and testimony, and in the building up of the priesthood for the divine service. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
D. The book of Numbers records how God’s chosen and redeemed people were formed into a priestly army to journey with God and to fight with God for His interest on earth—Num. 1-4, 9:15-10:36, 12:16, 20:1-21:35, 31:1-54, 33:1-49. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
E. The children of Israel were also made ready to take possession of the God-promised land by passing through all the frustrations, trials, and disciplines for their purification—Exo. 1:11-13, Num. 11:4-15, 31-35, 12:1-15, 20:2, Josh. 1:2. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
F. In Numbers 32 and 33:50-36:13 God’s people received the prearrangements for the distribution of the promised good land; this made them ready to take possession of the land. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
G. After all the foregoing, God’s chosen and redeemed people were ready to cross the Jordan, enter Canaan, consume the inhabitants thereof, and possess the good land promised by the faithful God—Josh. 1:2-3: (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
1. The people were ready to get settled with God in the good land; for them to be homeless was for God to be homeless; for them to be settled in the good land was for God to be settled in the land, for they were to settle there with God—1 Kings 6:14. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
2. God’s people were also ready to be built up with Him in His divine Trinity as the mutual dwelling for God and His redeemed people for the expression and testimony of the Triune God on earth among men; this was the destination of the children of Israel, and it is our destiny today—Eph. 2:22. (Life-study of Numbers, msg. 52)
IV. The content of the book of Joshua is that Joshua led the children of Israel to enter the promised land and to take it, possess it, allot it, and enjoy it—Josh. 1:2-6, 14:2, 23:4, 5:12. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
V. The central thought of the book of Joshua is that God intended to fulfill the promise concerning the good land that Israel might have a place to carry out God’s economy, especially to keep the line of bringing in Christ to the earth through His incarnation in humanity—Josh. 1:2-6, John 1:14: (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
A. The book of Joshua has four sections: entering into the good land (chs. 1-5), taking possession of the good land (chs. 6-12), allotting the good land (chs. 13-22), and Joshua’s departure (chs. 23-24). (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
B. Israel’s taking possession of the good land was in the line of bringing forth Christ—Josh. 2:1-21, Ruth. 4:21: (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
1. Israel’s taking possession of the good land was in the line of bringing forth Christ by gaining two females—Rahab and Ruth—v. 17. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
2. These two women play a crucial part in the bringing in of Christ—Josh. 2:1-21, Ruth 4:21: (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
a. Rahab as the mother of Boaz became one of the ancestors of Christ—Josh. 2:1-21, 6:22-25, Matt. 1:5a. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
b. Ruth was another ancestor of Christ; she was the wife of Boaz and the great-grandmother of David—Ruth. 4:21, Matt. 1:5b. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)
3. Matthew 1:1 says, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David”; hence, Matthew is linked to Ruth and is the continuation of Ruth concerning the bringing in of Christ. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 1)