Even though we may be disciplined, trained, and qualified, we still need further preparation before spiritual warfare; we need to experience spiritual circumcision (the constant application of Christ’s death to our flesh) and remember the Lord as our Redeemer and Savior to be our constant enjoyment. Hallelujah!
We see this in type with the children of Israel up to Joshua ch. 5; although the Israelites had been disciplined, trained, and qualified to take the land, after crossing the Jordan they still needed further preparation before the attack (see Josh. 5:1-10).
The crossing of the river Jordan was for a war against the seven tribes in Canaan (Josh. 4:12-13).
As Joshua was participating in the miracle of crossing the Jordan, he was strengthened to take the lead to war against the demonic Canaanites (3:6-7, 10; 4:14).
The Lord magnified him before the people, and he was confirmed by God before them so that they all listened to him, for the Lord was with him even as He was with Moses.
At this point, Joshua took the lead and was one with the Lord to lead the people of Israel in the war against the demonic Canaanites.
As believers in Christ, we need to realize that, even though the Lord has disciplined us, trained us, and qualified us to enter into the good land, we still need some further preparation before spiritual warfare.
We need to make sure we apply the death of Christ to our flesh in a continual way by living in the reality of the spiritual circumcision, and we also need to enjoy the Lord as our Savior and Redeemer, partaking of Him in spirit as our feast.
May we learn to open to the Lord so that He as the Spirit of reality may guide us into all the reality of what He is, even to guide us into the reality of what He is speaking in Joshua 5.
The Lord is doing a work of preparing for Himself an army, a trained group of people who are equipped to go forward and take the good land.
We want to receive the Lord’s mercy to be part of His overcomers, those who are one with Him to advance His kingdom, take the land, and defeat His enemies for Him.
This doesn’t mean that we want to be super-spiritual or “spiritual warriors”; we simply want to be normal Christians who learn to live in the mingled spirit so that the Lord would have a way to gain the group of overcomers He needs for Him to take the good land and defeat the enemy. Amen, may we be such ones!
Experience Spiritual Circumcision by having the Constant Application of Christ’s Death to our Flesh to make us a New People for Inheriting God’s Promised Land
In Josh. 5:2 Jehovah charged Joshua to circumcise again the children of Israel a second time; the first generation who left Egypt, through the forty years in the wilderness, has been consumed and is gone, apart from Joshua and Caleb.
The old generation had been circumcised, but the new generation had not; therefore, God charged Joshua to circumcise them so that they would become a new people for the inheriting of God’s promised land (cf. Gen. 17:7-12).
Although God made a covenant to promise the good land to us, this covenant needs to be confirmed by the covenant of circumcision.
This shows that the good land cannot be possessed by us with our flesh and fleshly activities; rather, we need to be circumcised people by having the constant application of Christ’s death to our flesh.
We are circumcised people; circumcision is the cutting off of our flesh, the denying of our self and our natural ability.
Only such people are qualified to possess the land and defeat the enemy.
The circumcising of the new Israel typifies the circumcision of Christ, by His death, applied to the believers in the putting off of the body of the flesh that they may inherit Christ in resurrection as the portion allotted to them by God (Col. 2:11-12; 1:12).
In Christ, we have been circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.
Spiritual circumcision is a continuation of the burial in the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4).
Through the crossing of the river Jordan, the old Israel was buried and a new Israel came forth; this was an objective work done by God.
However, the children of Israel’s being circumcised was their practical application of what God had done in the crossing of the river Jordan (Josh. 5:2-9).
We have to first see what God has done at the crossing of the river Jordan – the stones are in the river bed, and new stones were brought to the other side; we need to realize that God did this, and we acknowledge it and apply it.
Here is where the spiritual circumcision comes in.
In the New Testament, spiritual circumcision is the constant application of Christ’s death to our flesh (Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11).
We have to agree to what God has done by crossing the Jordan and by exercising our spirit to deny the flesh.
The way to experience and apply what God has done for us to bring us through death into resurrection is by the constant application of Christ’s death to our flesh.
Although in fact we have already been baptized into the death of Christ and have been buried and raised with Him, in practicality we still must apply the circumcision of the cross to our flesh by the Spirit day by day (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24).
We have to daily put to death the flesh with its passions and its lusts; God has accomplished the fact, He presented it to us, and we believe it, acknowledge it, and say amen to it.
Even more, every day, by the power of the Spirit, we deny the self, put aside the flesh, stand with God, do not follow the lusts of our flesh in our activities and in our daily life, by turning to our spirit to put to death the practices of the body. Amen!
This is the reality and practicality of remaining in the death and burial of Christ.
Our forever position is to leave the old man in the death and burial of Christ, while we as the new man are on the other side, having Christ living in us.
It is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us, and in resurrection we are one with Christ to take the good land.
Thank You, Lord, for baptizing us into the death of Christ. Hallelujah, we have been buried and raised with Christ! Amen, Lord, we agree with this accomplished fact, we say amen to it, and we exercise our spirit to apply the circumcision of the cross to our flesh by the Spirit day by day. Keep us under the constant application of the death of Christ to our flesh so that we may be in the reality of our baptism. Amen, Lord, our old man has been buried with Christ in death, and the new man is raised with Christ, ready to take the good land and fight the spiritual warfare. Praise the Lord!
Remembering Christ’s Redemption and Salvation by Keeping the Lord’s Table to remember the Lord as our Redeemer and Savior
In Joshua 5 we see four items of intrinsic significance: the circumcision of the children of Israel, the Passover, the eating of the produce of the good land, and the Captain of Jehovah’s army.
We have been baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), but we should apply the circumcision of the cross to our flesh every day by the Spirit (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24).
Secondly, we need to hold the reality of the Passover.
The feast of the Passover was held to remember Israel’s redemption from the death-judgement on the firstborn sons and their salvation from Egypt and from the tyranny of Pharaoh (Exo. 12:3-7, 11-14; 14:13-30).
The Passover is a type of the Lord’s table.
The Passover gave the people of Israel a remembrance of what the Lord has done for them in getting them out of Egypt and in passing them over with His judgment when He came to strike the firstborn in the land.
The children of Israel were saved by slaying the lamb, putting its blood on the doorposts, and eating the roasted lamb together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
The keeping of the Passover indicated that, just as Jehovah had saved Israel from Pharaoh and Egypt, so He would destroy the tribes of Canaan and deliver Israel from them (Josh. 5:10).
They were about to enter into the good land; they crossed the Jordan river, and the Passover reminded them that, even as God delivered them from Egypt, so He will fight for them.
When we experience the spiritual circumcision and our flesh is cut off, when we live not by the old man or by our strength, we realize that God has redeemed us, He is saving us, and He will save us again from all the evil enemies to possess the good land.
Israel’s keeping of the Passover typifies the believers keeping of the Lord’s table to remember the Lord as their Redeemer and Savior (Matt. 26:26-28). Praise the Lord!
We today need to remember Christ’s redemption and salvation daily, and when we come together for the Lord’s Table, we need to remember the Lord together.
What do we remember? We enjoy Him as the One who died for us, shed His blood for us, was judged by God on our behalf, and who came into us to be our life and life supply.
We remember the Lord as our Redeemer and our Savior, and we also remember Him and enjoy Him as our life.
We remember that the Lord not only has redeemed us but also is saving us, and He will lead us to fully possess the good land and subdue the enemies.
We remember the Lord as our Leader and Savior, and also as our Captain; He has qualified us, He is leading us, and under His command as the Captain of God’s army we advance, listening to His instructions, for He gives us the land and the victory.
He in us and through us wants to fulfill God’s purpose in creating man, image and dominion; He wants us to express Him with His image and represent Him with His dominion, and He in us does this for us. Amen!
Lord Jesus, we praise You for being our Redeemer and Savior. Thank You for dying for us on the cross, bearing God’s judgement in our stead. We remember You as our Lord, our Savior, and our Leader. Thank You for not only redeeming us in the past but also saving us in Your life today. Thank You for leading us into the full enjoyment and experience of Yourself as the good land. Amen, Lord, we trust in You and we enjoy You as the One who does everything for us. We focus not on the spiritual battle at hand but on You, and we want to enjoy You with one another and with God, for You are the One who does everything for us and in us!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. James Lee for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Joshua, pp. 25-28 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth (2021 summer training), week 3, Crossing the Jordan River and Being Prepared for Battle.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Thru my death with Christ, from Adam I am free, / Thru my life with Christ, new life is given me! / Minding not the flesh, old Adam cannot move, / Minding just the spirit, life divine I prove. (Hymns #593)
– By the cross discern the spirit; / Passing thru the riven veil, / Flesh and soul are wholly broken, / And the spirit doth prevail. (Hymns #748)
– Lamb and Bread are both Thy figures, / Showing Thou art life to us; / Feasting on Thee at Thy table, / We enjoy Thy riches thus. (Hymns #196)
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