Preparing for Victory

1
Preparing for Victory

• Joshua 5

2

• Now on the other side of Jordan River the
  countries were afraid
• People of Israel were united while the people of
  Canaan were paralyzed by fear
• Two weeks of preparation before their first
  victory
• Gods people must be prepared before they can be
  trusted with victory
• Three Steps of Preparation
• Renewing the Lords covenant (51-9)
• Pause at Gilgal
• To renew their covenant relationship (2-7)

3

• Israel, a covenant nation
• Israek, a marked people belonging to God
• Their bodies belong to God
• They were special people, separate people, holy
  nation
• Not practiced circumcision during the years of
  wandering
• Older generation died off
• New generation now in inheritance
• Circumcision symbol of spiritual operation on
  the heart
• Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your
  heart, and be stiff-necked no longer (Deut
  1016)
• God of covenant, not of external mark
• To test their faith (58)
• Camping in an enemy territory

4

• Testing
• Abraham (Gen 12)
• Elijah (I Kings 18-19)
• Jesus (Matt 313- 411)
• Circumcision unlike Meribah
• God allows us to be tested in order to remind ud
  to depend on Him
• To remove their reproach (9)
• Gilgal Hebrew word means to roll
• Reproach of Egypt ridicule of the enemy when
  Israel (Num 1411-14)failed to trust God
• Kadesh Barnea Mt Sinai when golden calf was
  created (Ex 311-12)
• To qualify them to eat the Passover (Ex 1243-44,
  48)
• No male could participate unless circumcised

5

• To picture some important spiritual truths
• Old Testament events lead to illustrations in New
  Testament (Rom 154, I Cor 1011)
• Identification with Christ in His circumcision
  (Col 211-12)
• Physical surgery vs spiritual surgery
• Jews only part of the body while whole body of
  the sins of the flesh for Christians (Col 211)
• False teaching on circumcision to be saved (Act15
  Gal)
• Names dogs, concision,
• True circumcision believers (Phil 31-3)
• Men at Gilgal submitted to Gods will while the
  believers yield to the Spirit
• Remembering the Lords Goodness (510-12)
• Passover
• No circumcision, no participation

6

• The death of Jesus Christ is typified in slaying
  of the Passover lamb (I Cor 57)
• Wave offering resurrection
• On a day after Sabbath (Lev 23 10-14, I Cor 15
  23)
• On the day of Passover manna stopped (40 years)
• God took people out of Egypt, but it was
  difficult to take Egypt out of people
• Same with Christians
• Col 3 1-2
• Harvest death and ressurection
• Jesus the manna (John 6 26-29) harvest (John
  12 20-28)
• Reaffirming the Lords Presence (5 13-15)
• Pre-incarnation appearances of the Lord Jesus
  Christ in Old Testament

7

• Abraham (Gen 18 1-8)
• Jacob (Gen 32 24-32)
• Three Hebrew men (Daniel 35)
• Joshua the Captain of the Lords armies
• Loneliness in leadership
• The Lord is a man of war the Lord is His name
  (Ex 153)
• Joshua worshipped and waited for His orders
• Not until we take the place of a servant can He
  take the place as Lord Watchman Nee
• Second in command
• Without me you can do nothing (John 155)
• Lords first order stand on the holy ground
• We behave accordingly
• Do all things to the glory of God (I Cor 1031)

8

• Sequence humble worship, holy walk, then
  heavenly warfare
• Joshua bowed (Eph 314) then he submitted to the
  holy walk (Eph 4 1, 17 52, 8, 15) then he
  battled the enemy in the power of God (Eph 61
  ff)
• When Joshua met the Lord, he realized the battle
  was the Lords He already overcome the enemy
• Listen obey God will do the rest
• Step by faith claim the victory by obeying the
  Lord
• Hudson Taylor Three ways to do Gods work
• Make the best plan we can carry them out to the
  best of our ability
• We may aske God to help and prosper us as we lay
  down the plan carry through

9

• Begin with God to ask His plans offer
  ourselves to Him to carry out His purpose
• The main lesson we must be spiritually prepared
  if we are going to do the Lords work
  successfully glorify His name
• Take time to be holy