GraceLife Thoughts – Train to Reign (Part 31)

Grace Thoughts

GraceLife Thoughts – Train to Reign (Part 31)

The time had come for Joshua to lead Israel into the ‘promised land’ to ‘subdue and have dominion.’ The children (armies) of Israel were trained to reign, but how well would they do under the intense pressures that awaited them?

The Promised Land

And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. Exodus 3:7-10

It’s important for us to keep sight of God’s eternal plan for His people. He told Moses from the ‘burning bush’ that He had ‘seen the oppression’ of His people in Egypt. He had ‘heard their cry’ because of their taskmasters. He ‘knew’ their sorrows. God’s Plan? To ‘deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’

God was ready to ‘lead’ Israel into the ‘promised land’ about a year after He led them out of Egypt. They had completed enough training by that time, including receiving God’s Law, building the Tabernacle, etc. However, the people believed the fears of ten spies over God’s promise so they had to wander in the desert for 40 years. That was one year for each day that the men ‘spied out the land.’ God called them an ‘evil congregation who are gathered together against Me’ (Numbers 14:35).

Once the 40 years were up and almost all of the people who had left Egypt had died in the wilderness, God was ready once again to lead Israel into the ‘promised land.’

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:1-9

With that ‘Divine Mandate,’ Joshua commanded the officers of the people to prepare provisions for the journey to cross over the River Jordan, ‘to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess’ (Joshua 1:11). The response of the people was different this time –

So they answered Joshua, saying, ‘All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage. Joshua 1:16-18

Israel Takes the Promised Land

The Book of Joshua is a detailed account of how Joshua led the Israelites across the River Jordan to take the land God had promised to give them. Some of the accounts are miraculous – the work of the Almighty God. Some of the accounts are demonstrations of Israel’s training to reign with God. I invite you to read the Book of Joshua and see for yourself the power of God and how He gave victory after victory to Israel.

One of my favorite parts is when Joshua met the ‘Commander of the Lord’s army’ –

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’ So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’ Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15

In some ways this reminds me of when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, except that God appeared to Joshua as ‘a Man.’ The fact that the ‘Man’ accepted Joshua’s worship and told Joshua to take off his sandals because he was standing on ‘holy’ ground, demonstrates what is called a ‘Theophany’ – sometimes also called a ‘Christophany.’ Abraham experienced the same thing in Genesis 18 when, ‘the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground.’ Joshua had a similar sighting of the Lord, but this time He appeared as a ‘Warrior,’ holding His sword drawn in His hand. When the sword is out of the sheath, it’s time for ‘war.’

The Lord On Our Side

One of the ‘train-to-reign’ lessons we can take away from our study of Israel’s battle for the ‘promised land’ is that the Lord is on our side. He trains us to fight, leads the fight, and wins the fight. Just as Israel did not fight and win on its own, so we don’t fight and win on our own. I often think of the Lord Jesus as the ‘Commander of the Lord’s army’ with sword drawn for battle. He fought for us when He died on the Cross, and won for us when He walked out of the grave alive. The Crucifixion and Resurrection are our strength for battle. Trying to fight life’s battles in our own strength is a futile attempt. Christ is our strength!

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13

Free eBooks

You can download the first 13 chapters of this series here.

You can download chapters 14 – 24 of this series here.

You can download chapters 25 – 30 of this series here.

Next Time

Joshua led the ‘armies of Israel’ into the promised land victoriously. However, the battles did not lead to total ‘dominion’ over the pagan nations around them. We’ll see why in the next part of our special series – Train to Reign.

Bible StudyChristianityIsraelJesus ChristJoshuaPromised LandVictory in Christ

Published by gracelifethoughts

Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts