In 1 Corinthians we see that the history of the children of Israel in the Old Testament is a type of the New Testament believer, and there is a warning not to repeat the negative history of those who had a heart of unbelief and didn’t enter the good land.
This week in our deeper study of the book of Numbers we come to the topic of, Partners with Christ Fighting for God’s Interest.
The background is Num. 13-14 where we see that Moses sent forth twelve representatives – one of each of the twelve tribes – as spies to enter into the good land, do a thorough search, and bring back some sample of the produce of the land.
All twelve spies said that the land is very good, flowing with milk and honey, but ten of them were in unbelief and gave a negative report, and they fostered an evil heart of unbelief among the assembly.
As a result, the whole assembly – with few exceptions – murmured not only against Moses and Aaron but against God, saying, Why did Jehovah bring us here to kill us? Only two – Joshua and Caleb – were full of faith, they focused on the Lord, believed in the Lord’s word and His promise, and gave a strong and positive testimony.
So God came in and spoke that the whole generation that came out of Egypt and was numbered at first, they will all die in the wilderness, but their children – of whom they said that they will be devoured by the enemy – will enter into the good land, together with Joshua and Caleb.
Joshua typifies Christ as our Leader in warfare to fight down the enemy and possess the good land. Caleb typifies the partner of Christ, as mentioned by Paul Heb. 3:14.
Caleb was an ordinary Israelite – he wasn’t classified with Noah and Abraham but was just an ordinary person, one whose character, constitution, faithfulness, and determination indicates that God can make ordinary people into overcomers.
In the midst of a chaotic situation full of rebellion, murmuring, and evil speaking, the Lord is well-able to take an ordinary believer and make him into an overcomer, a victorious conqueror.
But we need to be such ones like Joshua and Caleb, of a different spirit, those who love the Lord, are full of faith, focus on the Lord, believe in His word, and give a strong and positive testimony concerning God’s word and its fulfillment.
Today in this article we want to see the matter of the history of Israel being a type of us in the church life, and be warned concerning being watchful, so that we may not repeat the history of the people of Israel.
Warning: do not Repeat the History of Israel by Failing to Reach the Goal of God’s Calling
In 1 Corinthians Paul tells us that the history of the children of Israel in the Old Testament is a type of the New Testament believers, and their history is for our admonition, learning, and warning (see 1 Cor. 10:5-11; 5:7-8; 10:1-2).
Paul warned the believers not to repeat the history of the children of Israel in doing evil things against God (see vv. 6-11); he was clear and sober in thought when he said this, for he realised that there’s a definite possibility that the negative history of the people of Israel would be repeated in the church of God which is in Corinth or in any local church.
The goal of God’s calling of the children of Israel was that they would enter into the promised land to enjoy its riches, so that they may establish God’s kingdom and be God’s expression on earth (Exo. 3:7-8).
God wanted them to be delivered out of Egypt, see God’s signs and power, pass through the Red Sea, and be brought all the way into the good land to establish God’s kingdom and His dwelling place.
This should have filled them with faith, for if this was God’s goal, God will surely do what He said He will do.
However, although all Israel was redeemed through the Passover, delivered out of the Egyptian tyranny, and brought to the mountain of God to receive the revelation of God’s dwelling place, the tabernacle, nearly all fell and died in the wilderness, failing to reach this goal because of their evil doings and unbelief (see Heb. 3:7-19; 1 Cor. 10:5, 7-10).
The Lord Jesus made an application of this principle when He spoke of the five foolish virgins and the five wise ones; the foolish virgins had oil in their lamps but no oil in their vessel, and when they died, they didn’t have that extra portion of oil; when the bridegroom came, they still had to buy oil and were not allowed into the wedding feast.
This means that someone may be a believer his whole life or be in the church life for decades, but he may end his life in defeat, not being filled with the Spirit, not growing in life, and not entering into the full enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ, but rather, being like one who fell into the wilderness.
What a warning this is to us! It was only Caleb and Joshua who reached the goal and entered into the good land (Num. 14:27-30).
This signifies that, although we have been redeemed through Christ, delivered out of Satan’s bondage, and brought into the revelation of God’s economy, we may yet fail to reach the goal of God’s calling, that is, to enter into the possession of our good land, Christ (Phil. 3:12-14) and enjoy His riches for the kingdom of God so that we may be His expression in the present age and participate in the fullest enjoyment of Christ in the kingdom age (Matt. 25:21, 23).
What a warning this is to us!
It would have been normal for an Israelite to have been saved because of the Passover, make his exodus out of Egypt, be baptised by crossing the Red Sea, receive the revelation at the mountain of God, experience manna as the God-provided food, drink living water flowing from the smitten rock, and build up God’s dwelling place!
It would have been normal for one from the people of God to learn to worship Him and serve Him by living a clean, holy, pure, and joyful life, and be formed into an army which would enter into Canaan, deal with the enemy, claim their inheritance, cultivate it, build the temple, and establish the kingdom of God.
This is all normal; this is not for the super-people, but it is normal.
What is not normal is to be full of unbelief, rebel against God and His deputy authority, and perish on the way to the good land.
The Lord needs to – and we need to allow Him to – renew our mind so that we may have a proper understanding that an overcomer is a normal believer.
But because there’s so much abnormality today, when we meet someone who is learning to live an overcoming life, we may think that he is spectacular….but the Lord would never think this way and that person would never say that but rather, he would admit he’s just learning to follow the Lamb wherever He may go.
May we be warned by this and really open to the Lord to tell Him,
Lord Jesus, save us from failing to reach the goal of Your calling by having a heart of unbelief and by rebelling against You. Lord, bring us into the enjoyment and possession of the all-inclusive Christ as the good land so that we may be Your expression and Your kingdom in the present age, and we may participate in the fullest enjoyment of Christ in the coming age. Make us normal believers, the overcoming ones, those who are not only delivered from the world, are baptised, receive God’s revelation, enjoy Christ as our God-given portion, and build up God’s dwelling place, but also those who are formed as an army, enter into the good land to deal with the enemy, enjoy and possess the good land, build God’s temple for His expression, and establish God’s kingdom for His rule!
Learning from Joshua and Caleb to Enter the Good Land and Possess It in Faith
As New Testament believers, we need to be solemnly warned about repeating the failure of the children of Israel in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:6, 11), and we need to realise that, without God’s grace and mercy, we would be the same as the children of Israel (Rom. 9:15-16).
We need to read the history of Israel as our history, paying careful attention to Numbers 13-14 and praying that the Lord would grant us His mercy and grace to make us the Joshua and Caleb of today.
Of all the children of Israel who came out of Egypt, only two, Joshua and Caleb, entered the good land (Deut. 1:34-38; Num. 13:17—14:38).
We need to learn from Joshua and Caleb what it is to represent God’s interest in this age and fight down the enemy, realising that, as seen in Rev. 3 and 5, Christ Himself is the Overcoming One, and He wants to reproduce Himself in us.
Christ told the overcoming ones in Laodicea, To him who overcomes, he will sit with Me on My throne, even as I had overcome and I sit with My Father on His throne. Christ, in the third stage of His ministry – the stage of His intensification – desires to reproduce Himself in any one of us who would pray for this and would open to Him for this.
Although all the people of Israel were redeemed, only two overcomers – Joshua and Caleb – received the prize of the good land (see Josh. 14:6-14; 19:49-51).
There’s a stark contrast between the ten spies and Joshua and Caleb; the ten gave a negative report of the good land, believing rather in what they saw (the giants, the great cities, the impossibility of conquering the land) than what God promised them.
They measured themselves against the enemy, and their self was the center, the criteria. They saw themselves as grasshoppers before the giants in the land, and they concluded that it is impossible to take the land.
But praise the Lord, there’s the positive speaking of Joshua and Caleb, who boldly said, Let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome it (Num. 13:30).
They gave a positive report of the good land, and they looked to the Lord and believed into Him that, if Jehovah is pleased with them, He will bring them into the land and will give them this land flowing with milk and honey.
Only, they said, the people would not rebel against Jehovah and not fear the people of the land, for they are their bread; Jehovah is with them, so they should not be afraid. Joshua and Caleb were fearless; yes, there were giants, but the point of reference was not their size but Jehovah Himself.
So God spoke concerning the rebellious spies and the people of Israel, that all those who didn’t believe and tried God and rebelled Him, they will die in the wilderness, and their children will enter into the good land, together with Joshua and Caleb, who had a different spirit.
What an honor to have the Lord speak such a word on our behalf!
According to what has been depicted of the children of Israel in Numbers, not all believers in Christ who have been redeemed through Christ will partake of Him as a prize to them as their rest and satisfaction in the church age and in the kingdom age.
We need to take this as a warning and be those who learn from Joshua and Caleb to enter the good land in faith and possess it!
Lord Jesus, You promised us and You desire that we enter into the enjoyment and possession of Christ as the all-inclusive good land for us to be Your expression and kingdom on earth. Amen, Lord, it pleases You to do this – so do it in us and with us! Make us the normal believers, Your overcomers, those who are full of faith in Your word and are not evil-doers or rebellious ones. Have mercy on us, and grant us Your grace that we would not fail to reach the goal of Your calling but would enter into the enjoyment of Christ to become His kingdom and expression on earth today!
Read this article / blog post in Romanian – puteți citi acest articol și în limba română la următorul link – Avertisment: să nu repetăm Istoria lui Israel de Falimentare a Atingerii Țelului Chemării lui Dumnezeu!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msgs. 47-48 (Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallisation-Study of Numbers (1), week 11, Partners of Christ Fighting for God’s Interest.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Then wand’ring through the wilderness, / The land they could not find; / Till through the Jordan they did pass / To leave themselves behind. / Praise the Lord! In the land / They built up / God’s own temple. Hallelujah! / Praise the Lord! There they dwelt, / His people and their God. (Hymns #1270)
# God has set the land before us, / And the land we will possess. / God has finally found a people / Tired of the wilderness. / Down with every weight and sin; / Let’s go up and enter in. (Hymns #1166)
# To such a salvation our heed we must give, / Lest drifting away or neglecting we live. / Christ now as our life, future ruling with Him, / We’ll miss if we miss this salvation within. (Hymns #1129)
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