Following the book of Numbers, the book of Deuteronomy describes the good land of Canaan and reveals how the children of Israel conducted themselves in that land. In typology, this land is exceedingly meaningful to us today. It is a picture of the all-inclusive Christ. We must go on to experience this Christ, but the more we experience Him in our daily life, the more spiritual warfare we will encounter. The children of Israel enjoyed the land in Egypt apart from any battle. Even so, if we experience Christ only as the passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), we will not experience any warfare. If we would go on to enjoy Christ in a further degree, such as the heavenly manna day by day (1 Cor. 10:3), then we must defeat the Egyptians (Exo. 14) as well as the Amalekites (Exo. 17). Deuteronomy gives the details of the enjoyment of Christ as the all-inclusive One. First, He is enjoyed as the passover lamb in Egypt. Then He is enjoyed as the heavenly manna and the living water in the wilderness. His enjoyment is also typified by all the offerings, as well as the ark with the enlarged tabernacle. All the furniture of the tabernacle-the table of showbread, the lampstand, the incense altar, and the ark-are types of how we must enjoy Christ by a daily experience of Him. Eventually, we must enter the good land of Canaan, typifying an enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ. Here we are confronted with many battles. The enemy of God does not want us to enter into such an experience. He is determined to frustrate us and keep us from enjoying the good land, the all-inclusive Christ. Therefore, we must fight the battle and defeat the enemy.
Not one battle was fought by any individual Israelite. All the battles were fought by the army. We can never fight the battle alone. Chapter six of Ephesians speaks of the spiritual warfare. Such warfare is a matter of the whole Body of Christ, not any one individual believer. We must fight the battle in the Body. This is why we need the house, the building, for the house is the serving priesthood, and the priesthood is the fighting army. This is why we must be built up and formed as a priesthood to serve God; it is only then that we may be the army which can fight the battle in a coordinated way.
The main point concerning the possessing of the good land is the actual fighting, as seen in the book of Joshua. The book of Numbers informs us concerning the formation of the army, while Joshua records the army marching and fighting to possess the land. We have already mentioned the weapon used by the army-the ark. Now we must see the way of engaging in the warfare. The way is simply this-the priests bear the ark on their shoulders into battle. This ark is called the ark of testimony. The only way for us to fight as a spiritual army is to bear Christ as our testimony. Christ as the testimony is sufficient. We should never argue, debate, or quarrel with others, but simply bear Christ as the testimony. He is the most powerful, the most prevailing weapon.
The first stronghold encountered by the Israelites was the city of Jericho. Let us see how that city was defeated. The Lord commanded Joshua, “Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark” (Josh. 6:4). The priests were the real generals, the real soldiers. Their weapons were not guns, but the ark, and with the ark they also blew the rams’ horns. The ram is something related to God’s redemption and God’s peace. We have seen how the rams’ skins were used as a part of the covering over the tabernacle (Exo. 26:14). The priests blew the trumpets of Christ’s redemption and peace in the time of war.
We need not argue with others; we should just bear Christ and sometimes blow the trumpet. Blowing the trumpet means giving the testimony. If someone argues, just praise the Lord. The more they try to condemn you, the more you should give the testimony and praise the Lord. If you bear the ark and blow the horn in such a way, you will win the battle. Jericho will surely fall. The more they quarrel and fight, the more they will collapse. Your part is to do nothing but bear the ark and blow the horn.
The sixth major point concerns the setting up of the tabernacle after the battle has been won. Joshua 18:1 says, “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there: and the land was subdued before them.” Praise the Lord that the land was subdued! Here we must be reminded again of Genesis 1 and the principle of the earth being subdued by man as God’s representative. The tabernacle was erected and established because the land was subdued. There was no more wandering because the victory was won. The tabernacle was set up at a place called Shiloh; the tabernacle was an established center where the people could seek and find God. The book of 1 Samuel tells how the father of Samuel left his own city once each year to worship and sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh (1 Sam. 1:3). He made this yearly trip because the tabernacle was there.
In 1 Samuel 1:9, the tabernacle is spoken of as the temple. This was not the future temple built of stones, but the existing tabernacle, which was called the temple. In 1 Samuel 1:24, the tabernacle in Shiloh is called the house of the Lord. These two references are full of meaning. When Samuel was weaned as a child, his mother brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. Samuel’s mother and father had a definite place where they could go to meet God. If in the whole land of Canaan there was not such a definite place with the tabernacle established, the people would have no place to meet God. Even so, when the proper church is built up and the battle is won, a center is established where people can easily meet God. There must be such a place as a center where seeking ones can meet God. However, all of this depends on the building.
With the bird’s-eye view of this vast area of Scripture, from the end of Exodus to the beginning of 1 Samuel, we realize that it is a record of just one thing-God’s building. Exodus reveals the finished tabernacle. Immediately following, Leviticus tells us that it is from the tabernacle that God speaks, and then it goes on to describe the priesthood serving God. Numbers then reveals the formation of the army for the purpose of conquering the enemy and possessing the land. Deuteronomy tells the people how to enjoy the land, and Joshua gives the record of the fighting, of the final victory, of the ground being gained, and of the tabernacle being erected in an established center. The tabernacle is set up in a definite place as a center for God’s seeking ones to come and worship Him. Praise God for this definite place where His glory was manifested! The enemy was defeated, the land was subdued, and God’s dwelling-place was set up. It was so easy for God’s people to meet and worship Him. All this depended upon the building.
The Old Testament is but a type, a shadow, of the New Testament. These books have presented a picture of the real church life. Today we also must be built together and formed as a priesthood to serve the Lord. Then we will be an army to fight and win the battles, and thus we will recover the land that God’s house may be established. On the ground which is won we will have a definite center where the seeking ones may meet and worship God. This brief sketch from these Old Testament books is the key which opens to us the secret of God’s Word. This is the key to the real building, the real church life.
Home | First | Prev | Next