Joshua 5. Continued
WE have found that the Jordan is behind, and there are enemies before, and they are first spoken of. The kings of the Amorites, and of the Canaanites were afraid when they heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan that the people might pass. But the children of Israel are not ready for war; there is another lesson to be taught.
Before the believer can be ready to fight Satan, he must attend to an enemy within. As we saw in our previous paper the believer is to “mortify”—put to death—his “members which are upon the earth”, not in order that he may win God’s favor and so be safe from His judgment, but because the judgment due to him has been borne by Jesus whose death and resurrection have put him into a new position of acceptance before God. 2 Corinthians 5:15-1715And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:15‑17) expresses this in the beautiful language of Scripture:
“He (Christ) died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again . . . . Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.”
God considers all that Christ has done, as though it had happened to me His child: Christ has died to sin, and in Him I am dead to sin; I am now risen with Him as to my position before God. Then in everything in my life today I must remember that I am dead, and ask myself, what have I to do with sin? Every likeness to, or mark of, the world is a reproach to the Christian.
“He who possesses this life may pass through the world, and do many things that others do. He eats, works, suffers, but as to his life and his objects, he is not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world. Christ risen and ascended up on high is his life. He subdues his flesh, he mortifies it, for in point of fact he is down here, but he does not live in it.”
Next follows the passover in the plains of Jericho, where enemies were, which suggests Psalm 23:5,5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (Psalm 23:5) “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”
The next day the people ate of the old corn of the land, a type of Christ known as heavenly who feeds our souls. The manna, food of the wilderness, ceased; it expressed Him as down here, God manifest in flesh. This character of His is never forgotten, but while knowing what He has been, it is Himself, where He is now, once dead, but alive again, and gone up where He was before, whom I now know.
ML 06/14/1925