The purpose of God’s calling was not only to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, the land of bondage, but also to bring them into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey (Exo. 3:8, 10, 17). In typology, to bring the children of Israel into the good land signifies the bringing of man into Christ, the all-inclusive One typified by the good land. Today Christ is the good land flowing with milk and honey.
The children of Israel were redeemed through the Passover, delivered out of the tyranny of Egypt, and brought to the mountain of God to receive the revelation concerning the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. Due to their unbelief, however, most of them fell in the wilderness and were not able to reach the goal (Heb. 3:8, 10, 17). Even Moses, because he struck the rock twice in Kadesh (Num. 20:11) and thus disobeyed God’s economy, was not allowed to bring the children of Israel into the good land (Num. 20:12). Eventually he died in the wilderness (Deut. 34:5).
God spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, to rise up and cross over Jordan with all the people to the land that He would give to them as their inheritance (Josh. 1:2, 6). Joshua 11:23 says, “Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.”
There were seven tribes in the land of Canaan: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (Deut. 7:1). After the children of Israel entered into the good land under the leadership of Joshua, they defeated the seven tribes who were the enemies occupying the land. These enemies typify the rulers and the authorities in the air (Eph. 6:12), who try to frustrate us from the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ. The Egyptians were dealt with when the children of Israel ate the Passover lamb. But after they entered into the good land, they were not fighting with the Egyptians but with the many nations of the land. In type, these nations refer to the evil forces of darkness, the evil authorities, the rulers, and the authorities of the air. These usurping forces in the heavenlies always try to prevent us from enjoying the riches of the all-inclusive Christ. Hence, in order to enjoy the all-inclusive riches of Christ, we must defeat the rulers, the principalities, the powers, and the authorities in the heavenlies.
According to the Bible, the real rest comes when man expresses God and represents God for God’s satisfaction. When the children of Israel entered into the good land under Joshua’s leadership, they defeated the enemy and settled down to live. Then they built the temple and thus were able to express and represent God. When God is expressed and represented, both God and man are satisfied. This is the real rest.
From the time the children of Israel left Egypt to the time of the prophet Samuel when David was king of the whole nation of Israel (2 Sam. 5:3-4), it was about 450 years (Acts 13:17-20; Judg. 11:26; 1 Kings 6:1). A major section of this period may be called the age of the judges. During this age, the children of Israel could not utterly drive out and destroy the seven tribes in Canaan. Consequently, they gradually forsook God, followed the customs of the nations, had mixed marriages with the nations, and worshipped other gods. Therefore, God delivered them into the hands of the nations according to His warnings. But whenever they repented, God would listen to their prayers and would deliver them through the hand of a judge. The children of Israel would forsake God, but they would then repent and God would deliver them. But eventually they would forsake God again. This cycle was repeated, as many as seven times.
Thirteen judges are mentioned in the book of Judges: Othniel (3:9), Ehud (3:15), Shamgar (3:31), Deborah (4:4), Barak (4:6), Gideon (6:11), Tola (10:1), Jair (10:3), Jephthah (12:7), Ibzan (12:8), Elon (12:11), Abdon (12:13), and Samson (15:20). Besides these, in the book of Judges there were other judges whose names are not mentioned, such as Eli (1 Sam. 4:18), Samuel (1 Sam. 7:13), Joel and Abiah (1 Sam. 8:2).