Scripture Reading: Num. 36:13; Deut. 1:21; Josh. 1:3; Exo. 23:20, 23; Num. 6:22-27
Ⅰ
As the good land, Christ is ready to be taken and possessed by His believers; however, there is the need for those who are ready to take Him, possess Him, experience Him, and enjoy Him in His all-inclusiveness—Deut. 1:21; Num. 14:6-9, 24; Josh. 1:3.
Ⅱ
Satan, the enemy of God, has been doing his utmost to hinder the people of God from enjoying Christ as the all-inclusive One; he will do whatever he can to keep us from enjoying Christ as the good land—Col. 2:8, 18:
A
To this day, evil forces are veiling the all-inclusiveness of Christ from God's people—2 Cor. 4:3-4.
B
There is an exceedingly real spiritual warfare in which we must engage; we must fight the battle—Eph. 6:10-12; 1 Tim. 6:12a; 2 Tim. 2:3-4.
Ⅲ
Because very few Christians are like Paul in pursuing the all-inclusive Christ, God needs the overcomers; if we would be overcomers, we need to be today's Joshuas and Calebs fighting to take possession of the God-promised land—Phil. 3:8, 12; Num. 26:65; 32:11-12.
Ⅳ
After being formed, constituted, disciplined, trained, and qualified, God's people had come to the plains of Moab, where they were waiting to enter into the good land, to take it, and to possess it—36:13:
A
The formation of the children of Israel into an army to fight for God typifies the New Testament believers being built up into the organic Body of Christ to fight for God and with God for the carrying out of His economy—Eph. 4:16; 6:12.
B
Those who would fight to take possession of the good land had to prepare themselves to move with God in His move, entering into a full coordination with Him.
C
In order to take the land, God's people needed to deny themselves, sacrifice themselves, give up their own interest and preference in all things, and risk their lives for the carrying out of God's economy—Phil. 2:21, 30; Rom. 16:3-4.
Ⅴ
Both in the church life and in the Lord's work, we need to resist the temptation to have our self-choice for the purpose of taking care of our own welfare—Num. 32:1-33:
A
Self-choice comes from two things—considering what we have and need and considering how a particular situation or opportunity that we see in front of us fits in with our needs—vv. 1-5.
B
In spiritual matters we should not act according to our choice; it is much better for us to leave matters in the hand of the Lord and let Him do according to His choice.
C
If in the Lord's recovery our standing is that we will not have our self-choice but leave the choice to the Lord, there will be no problems among us.
Ⅵ
As the Angel of Jehovah, Christ is the One sent by God to guard us in the way and to bring us into the good land; Christ as the sent One brings us into Himself as the good land—Exo. 23:20, 23.
Ⅶ
As God's people increased, the Lord would cut off the pagan tribes "little by little" according to the degree of the increase of His people—vv. 29-30:
A
The pagan tribes signify various aspects of our natural life which hinder us from taking possession of the all-inclusive Christ.
B
As we grow in life, our natural life will be cut off gradually, according to our growth in life.
Ⅷ
Numbers 33:50-53 reveals that God's people were to destroy all the idols and high places, the places where the idols were worshipped; only then would they be qualified to take possession of the land and enjoy it:
A
An idol is anything other than God that occupies us; without dealing with the idols in us, we cannot have the genuine enjoyment of Christ.
B
Whether or not we can have the real enjoyment of Christ depends upon the extent to which there is a clearance of our inner being.
Ⅸ
With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, those who were qualified and ready to take possession of the good land were the younger ones—Deut. 1:35-36; Num. 14:31:
A
The second generation did not pass through as much as the first generation did, but they received the benefit of what the first generation experienced.
B
What the older ones experienced was effective in building up the younger ones; therefore, God could prepare from the second generation more than six hundred thousand men with a rich inheritance and strong background who were qualified to be formed into an army to fight for God's kingdom.
C
The principle is the same with us in the Lord's recovery today; what the older ones have experienced is being passed on to the younger ones and will be very effective in building them up and preparing them to fight for God and with God.
Ⅹ
God's army was prepared and ready to take the good land under the blessing of God in His Divine Trinity and also under the blessing of Moses, the man of God—Num. 6:22-27; 2 Cor. 13:14; Deut. 30:16; 33:1.