I wish to emphasize the fact that in gaining the good land the children of Israel were not defeated. They entered the land, they conquered the land, they fully possessed the land, and they had the enjoyment of the rich produce of the land. My burden in this message is to apply this section of the history of Israel to us. For this reason the message is entitled, “Growing into the Full Possession and Enjoyment of Christ.”
In the first section of the history of Israel every positive thing is a type of Christ or of something related to Christ. The Passover with the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs typifies Christ. The Red Sea is a type of the death of Christ, and the cloud is a type of the Spirit of Christ. Likewise, the manna, the smitten rock, the living water, and the tabernacle with its utensils and furnishings are all types. But the ultimate type of Christ, the greatest and all-inclusive type, is the good land. The children of Israel entered the good land, possessed it, and enjoyed it. We need to apply this part of their history to our experience today.
As we consider this portion of their history, we shall see that the children of Israel were not defeated. On the contrary, they were victorious: they gained the land, entered it, possessed it, and enjoyed it. This should encourage us not to be disappointed by the situation among Christians today. We must believe that our God is still the God of victory and that He has a way to carry out His purpose. Furthermore, we also believe that the recovery is needed for God to fulfill what is typified by that portion of the history of Israel concerned with entering the land, possessing it, and enjoying it.
With the children of Israel from the Passover to the entering of the good land, there were two generations. The first generation was made up of those who came out of Egypt, and the second, of those who entered the good land. This indicates that we believers have two generations. We were saved with the first generation, but we shall enter the good land with the second generation. The first generation is our old man, and the second generation is our new man.
With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, who had another spirit, the first generation died out. Joshua and Caleb belonged to the new generation, not to the old generation. That is why they experienced a double baptism, the first baptism when they passed through the Red Sea and the second when they crossed the Jordan River. The old generation passed through the Red Sea, but it was the new generation that crossed the Jordan.
When the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea, I doubt that they realized that they were experiencing a baptism. But although they may have lacked understanding, in the sight of God they were in fact baptized at that time. However, after their baptism they were still in a very poor situation. In principle, the same may be true of believers today. After we are baptized, our church life may still be in confusion. Therefore, we need to pass through the Jordan River. The first baptism did not actually terminate the children of Israel. Rather, it buried Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. It was the baptism in the Jordan River that buried the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, represented by twelve stones placed in the bottom of the river (Josh. 4:9).
Between the first baptism at the Red Sea and the second baptism at the Jordan River, the children of Israel were experiencing transformation. If you could have visited them after they had passed through the Red Sea, you may have wondered how they could be God’s people. Perhaps you would have thought that Moses was mistaken in helping them to enjoy the Passover. They were fighting, murmuring, and criticizing. But during the forty years between passing through the Red Sea and crossing the Jordan River, there were many dealings related to transformation. This means that, spiritually speaking, during this time the children of Israel were transformed. Yes, the old generation was strewn in the wilderness, and this is a warning to us. But a new generation came forth. This is transformation. After they crossed the Jordan, they became a mighty army.