«　WEEK 2　DAY 5　»

　　Josh. 5:13-14 …There was a man standing opposite [Joshua], and His sword was drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are You for us or for our adversaries? And He said, Neither, but as the Captain of Jehovah’s army have I now come. Then Joshua fell to the ground upon his face and worshipped. And he said to Him, What does my Lord speak to His servant?

　　This vision [in Joshua 5:13-15] was an unveiling to Joshua of Christ as the Captain of Jehovah’s army (v. 14). Whereas Joshua was the visible captain of Jehovah’s army, Christ was the invisible Captain. Christ was such a captain to fight against the seven tribes of Canaan for Israel. Because of this, Joshua needed to stand on the position of sanctification (holiness) all the time (v. 15). (Josh. 5:13, footnote 1)

　　The Lord Christ as the Prince, the glorious Captain, of Jehovah’s army (Josh. 5:14)…will take the lead in the army, …will go before us, and …will fight the battle for us. We need such a vision. How could Joshua receive this vision? It was simply because he was exceedingly burdened for the battle before him. Immediately after he and the people of Israel enjoyed the produce of the good land, he realized that before them lay the enemy and the stronghold of Jericho. Joshua had a clear view of the situation, and he was burdened for the battle. I believe that because of this he went to the Lord in prayer, and at that time the Lord revealed Himself to Joshua as the Captain of Jehovah’s army. Joshua received such a vision and, thereby, the faith and assurance that the Lord was with him. Joshua knew then without a shadow of doubt that the Lord Himself as the Captain of the army of Jehovah was going before him. We too need such an assurance.

　　Some can testify from their own experience that immediately after enjoying something of the all-inclusiveness of Christ, they have realized the need of spiritual warfare. They have seen that the enemy and his evil powers in the heavenlies are still usurping the good land of the all-inclusive Christ and veiling it from the Lord’s children. Who will fight the battle to uncover the land? If we enjoy Christ in such a way, we will spontaneously go to the Lord with a burden for the battle. It is then that He will give us a vision of Himself as the Captain….We can then go forward with full assurance.

　　We must also remember that our enemies are not flesh and blood; they are not people. They are the spiritual forces, the principalities, the powers in the heavenlies….We are not fighting with people but with the evil forces behind the people. If we are faithful with the Lord to take the ground of resurrection and be formed into an army to fight the battle for Him, we must be ready for many evil reports to be spread concerning us. We must be prepared for considerable opposition…. But praise the Lord, whenever we hear these reports, we may rejoice, for they are signs that we will win. They are signs that the enemy is in fear and his defeat is inevitable. Jericho will certainly fall before us. Hallelujah! …Praise the Lord!

　　Our enemy is not on the earth but in the heavenly places. Hence, we should not use weapons of flesh. We should not argue with people; we should not come down to their level and engage in their tactics. No. Our weapons are spiritual. What are they? They are the trumpets of rams’ horns. Let us blow the trumpets; let us blow the rams’ horns. Let us declare the victory of the cross, the victory of the victorious One. We must proclaim Christ—the Christ we enjoy, the Christ who is the Conqueror over every foe. This is our weapon—we know nothing else. This is the way to possess the all-inclusiveness of Christ. This is the way to take the good land in faithfulness, in rest, and in enjoyment. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” pp. 336-337, 339)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” ch. 14; CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, “The Experience of Life,” ch. 18