Joshua 11

THEY had to return to Gilgal, as we see in the last chapter; how else could they start from it? They always had to return to the place where they had rolled off the reproach of Egypt. When you return to Gilgal you return to all that the cross accomplished. People often return to the cross to get rid of their sins; but the right way is to return to the cross to get rid of yourself. There are these three things: First, I am cleared from everything that God had against me. Second, I am united in glory to the One who has cleared me: Third, I return to the cross to get rid of everything in me that hinders the practical shining out of the life of the One to whom I am united. The first you never can do. The second is only done once by the Spirit. The third you are doing every day.- it is circumcision; going about always with the knife in your hand.
Now it is possible for a person to aim at the third, and never to have got the second; then he would be legal; and it is possible for a person to. have the second and never go on to the third, and then he would be worldly-the sad state in which the Corinthians were. And so Paul shows them the cross that they may there get rid of themselves. Often a saint, after a very happy meeting or private time, will have a fall just because he is trusting to himself and not to Christ; he has not gone back to Gilgal.
Verses 1-5.-This is the last great battle; it is a desperate struggle, and you must bear in mind that the army has been successful until this; but no amount of success without complete' subjugation will ever silence the foe, or cause him to abandon his position. There had been victories enough to make them all quail - to make them all surrender; but now they make one violent effort from all sides, north, south, east, and west. The enemy in the wilderness Amalek-was a direct enemy to yourself; but in the land. the effort of the enemy is to prevent your getting possession of it. There he is determined not to let you pass; here he will prevent your being a heavenly man in the land that you have reached. There he will not let you travel, will not let you get to the land; so you meet him at the beginning of the journey-at Rephidim. It is sad to see how often saints are stopped at their beginning. Amalek is more than the flesh, for God says He will " utterly put out the remembrance of it from under heaven; " it is the terrible spirit that acts against God. When you get out into the wilderness you find that nothing helps you; there is no bread, no water, and up comes the enemy to dispute your passage. That is the wilderness for you.
Any one who reads this history in Exodus reads his own. All the difficulties he will have to encounter, and also the divine way in which, to meet them. Indeed the Old Testament is very like what is now called a surveying ship, which is a ship that goes about to mark out the true path for vessels, and to point out where the rocks and shoals are; to mark how a quicksand lies here and another there. In my knowledge of brethren nothing has hindered progress more than people thinking that they have done enough-thinking they have made a very good sweep of the world, Stripped off so much, made such renunciation at the start that there is nothing more left to be done; instead of which there is no change of circumstances that does not bring a new battle with it. Everyone knows that what does not seem worldly this year may next. You must wait until things come before you say there is nothing to give up.
- Verses 6-8.-All so many battles to oppose your being a heavenly man. " Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life," is more the Amalek battle. The thing here is that God does give possession, and He will support you in taking it. It is not that there will not be opposition, but that you will surmount it-all.
Verses 10-13.-Why did Joshua burn Hazer? Because it was the seat of power-the leader. This is very different to what was done by Christians when they made Rome their chief city; they took Pagan eminence and sought thereby eminence for Christianity. They ought to have said, We cannot allow any connection with earthly eminence; we must destroy it.
Verses 15-20.—A natural man reading this says it is a terrible thing to be killing people off in this way-taking possession of a land and driving the inhabitants out of it; lie does not see that it is God setting aside earthly people who had rebelled against Him, and using Israel as His sword to do it. It was governmental judgment.
Verses 21-23.-Well, possession was an established thing. I think there is a moment in the history of a soul when it knows that it has possession. But, if you think that there are no more enemies to be overcome, you are mistaken, for there are. It is something like what we get in Peter: " After ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." It is a great thing to get a soul settled. But at the same time it will not do to rest on your oars, and think there is nothing more to be done. However, there was no more fighting; this is the end of it; the neck of the enemy was broken; there was no more avowed opposition; "the land rested from war." There must be two antagonistic parties to have a war. Israel were owned to be the masters of the land, though they had not carried out their rights to the proper limits.