I. THE FIRST PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE OLD TESTMENT
From Moses to Samuel
Message Ten—Joshua (2)
Scripture Reading: Josh. 5:14; 6:6; 7:2, 4; 8:33; 22:1-9; Eph. 6:10-18
I. If we would possess the good land for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, we must engage in warfare to defeat the satanic forces—Josh. 5:2—6:16: (2013 FTTA-F, msg. 6)
A. Satan, the enemy of God, has been doing his utmost to hinder the people of God from enjoying Christ as the all-inclusive One; he will do whatever he can to keep us from enjoying Christ as the good land—Col. 2:8, 18: (2013 FTTA-F, msg. 6)
1. To this day, evil forces are veiling the all-inclusiveness of Christ from God’s people—2 Cor. 4:3-4. (2013 FTTA-F, msg. 6)
2. There is an exceedingly real spiritual warfare in which we must engage; we must fight the battle to gain the all-inclusive Christ for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ, the new man, and the kingdom of God—Eph. 6:10-12; 1 Tim. 6:12a; 2 Tim. 2:3-4; Col. 1:13, 18; 2:19; 3:10-11. (2013 FTTA-F, msg. 6)
B. Israel’s fighting against the inhabitants of the land portrays the invisible spiritual warfare that is taking place behind the visible scene on earth—Dan. 10:10-21; Eph. 6:10-20: (2013 FTTA-F, msg. 6)
1. Christ is our good land, and God wants us to gain Christ, but there is a layer of devilish, demonic forces between us and the good land; if we would take possession of the good land for our enjoyment, we must defeat these satanic forces—Col. 1:12-13; 2:15; Eph. 3:18; 6:11-12. (2013 FTTA-F, msg. 6)
2. We need to be today’s Joshua and Caleb, fighting against and defeating the satanic forces so that we can gain more of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ, setting up and spreading the kingdom of God so that Christ can come back to inherit the earth—3:8; 4:16; Matt. 24:14; Rev. 11:15. (2013 FTTA-F, msg. 6)
II. The victory of Israel over Jericho was not by their fighting but by their blowing the trumpets and exalting Christ by bearing the ark, through their faith in God’s word of instruction—Josh. 6:1-16: (2001 FTTA-S, msg. 16)
A. In the spiritual warfare the first thing we should do is exalt Christ—v. 6: (2001 FTTA-S, msg. 16)
1. Jericho was shut up tight because of the children of Israel; no one went out and no one went in; the people of Jericho were limited, unable to do anything; this indicates that even before Israel went up to take the city, Jericho was already defeated—v. 1. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 7)
2. Jehovah promised Joshua that He had given Jericho and its king and its mighty men of war into his hand—v. 2. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 7)
3. In order to destruct Jericho, God’s people did not need to do anything to destroy Jericho; they only needed to believe and trust in God, to listen to the instruction from the Captain of the army of Israel, and to exalt Christ by bearing the Ark—1:17; 6:6. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 7)
4. The priests did not blow their trumpets according to their own will; instead, they waited for the captain to give the command; they needed instructions and leading, just as we today need the leading and guiding of the Spirit—v. 4. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 7)
B. The silence of the people signifies being one with the Lord to carry out the matter in the Lord’s way without the expression of any thought, opinion, or feeling—v. 10. (2001 FTTA-S, msg. 16)
C. God did the fighting, and Israel simply shouted, proclaimed, and testified—vv. 5-7, 19-20: (2001 FTTA-S, msg. 16)
1. The ark of Jehovah circling the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day; Israel actually did not have to fight but enjoyed the Sabbath, that is, enjoyed the rest—vv. 11-15. (Life-study of Joshua msg. 7)
2. Jehovah went on to instruct Joshua that when the people shouted with a great shout, the wall of the city would fall down flat; then they were to go up, each straight ahead—v. 5b. (Life-study of Joshua msg. 7)
3. They did not take anything from the destruction but saved all the silver, the gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, sanctified them to Jehovah, and put them into the treasury of the house of Jehovah—vv. 18-19, 24b. (Life-study of Joshua msg. 7)
D. Israel marched around the city with the ark, a type of Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God, on the shoulders of the priests; the spiritual significance of this scene is that it is a picture of the corporate God-man—God and man, man and God, walking together as one person—v. 6. (2001 FTTA-S, msg. 16)
III. The secret of Israel’s defeat at Ai was that they lost God’s presence and were no longer one with Him—7:2, 4: (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 8)
A. God can do everything without man, but according to the record of the book of Joshua He wants man to be one with Him—v. 4. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 8)
B. Israel was separated from God because of their sin; this sin caused them to become foolish, proud, and blind—v. 11. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 8)
C. Today we should not merely follow the Lord but walk with Him, living with Him and having our being with Him; this is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 8)
IV. We cannot enjoy Christ as the good land without the Body; we must be one with the Body to fight for the land, to possess the land, and to share our portion of the land—Num. 32:1-32; Josh. 22:1-9. (2001 FTTA-S, msg. 16)
V. “We need to be one with God in His history, moving, and energizing in His loving overcomers. that is, we need to be one with God in life, in living, and in our entire doing today on this earth! We need to write God’s today’s history! We need to march on as one with the energizing God! In Him! With Him! By Him! And for Him! We need to be vital, living, and active! We need to be today’s Joshuas and Calebs to take possession of the God-promised land for Christ that we may become His possession. ” (Life-Study of Joshua, msg. 1)