(-1:3). 2) This is where our Leader is (1:20-23). 3) This is where we are seated in Him (2:6). 4) This is where God is demonstrating His manifold wisdom to the whole intelligent uni verse (3:10). 5) This is where our foe is and where we fight (6:12). These hosts of darkness are the real Canaanites to the child of God today! And our victory for the present time, comes the same way that victory came for Israel (cf. Josh. 1:8 and Eph. 6:17a). In the conquest of the Canaanites we see the type of the experience of the Christian in appropriating per sonal spiritual blessings in Christ. (In this case the success of the former is always in proportion to the success of the latter.) Global Evangelization To make sure we are on the right track here, let us point out from the Scriptures an illustration of each of the above thoughts. 1) The evangelization of the world. This began after our Lord’s resurrec tion and ascension to God’s right hand, which was followed by the des cent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The first preaching of the gospel by the early Church was a wonderful thing, and compared with present day success, almost unbeliev able. If the Church was equipped with the gospel that was the power of God unto salvation, Jerusalem was the best place to prove its worth! If it worked there, then it would work anywhere! This first venture of the Church in its evangelistic enterprise was an indication of what it was appointed to do, what it could do, and, may we add, what it still can do! Would the first venture of Joshua and his army, as recorded in the book of Joshua, give us some kind of an idea, by way of illustration, of the power of that gospel in the early Church’s preaching? Well, look at the fall of Jericho! There stands the record, at the beginning of the first campaign to conquer the land. We believe this to be the most com-
romance of conquest continued complish the evangelization of the world: “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” In the book of Joshua the pro gram was laid out for the conquest of the land (see again the outline of the central section of the book). In the book of Acts our Lord indicated the program that His Church was to car ry out in the work of evangelization. He said that His disciples were to begin at “ Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter most part of the earth.” And just as the conquest of Canaan was effected by three definite campaigns, just so did the gospel go out through the working of three great campaigns: 1) Acts 1-7 shows how it reached Jeru salem and Judea. 2) Acts 8, 9 shows how it entered Samaria. 3) Acts 10- 28 shows how it finally reached the uttermost part of the earth! Peter! Philip! Paul! The three leaders! In the book of Joshua we have the power that was able to effect all this vic tory: “The land which I do give unto them: as I was with Moses, so shall I be with thee.” In the book of Acts we are told of the power that would effect the evangelization of the world: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you.” Joshua Claims the Land
sessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers . . . There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass” (21:43-45). Those summaries of the conquest of Canaan remind us of several sum maries in the book of Acts. In a beau tiful manner the Spirit of God summed up the conquests of the gos pel of Christ in the early years of the Church’s history. Read through the following verses, for instance: Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-5:16; 5:42; 6:7; 8:25; 9:31; 12:24. The detailed similarity between the book of Joshua and the book of Acts is not a mere whim or fancy, but it is a designed parallel. Just as Israel conquered the land for God, to be a testimony and witness unto Him, so the Church of Christ in apostolic days evangelized the world for the Lord Jesus Christ! In taking possession of the prom ised land, Joshua and the people were successful only in so far as they con quered the inhabitants of that land. From the review of the conquest (12:- 1-24) and from the entire warfare we learn how complete it was. God said to Joshua, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life.” In Joshua and the people, advanc ing step by step into the land and appropriating its blessings as well as engaging in combat with the foe (the former was always contingent upon the success of the latter), we have a picture of Christ leading His people into that realm of spiritual life and power, that realm which is described in the Epistle to the Ephesians as the heavenlies. Five times in that epistle we have that phrase and we find that: 1) This is where our spiritual blessings are
The exact record of Canaan’s con quest is not there just for the purpose of satisfying antiquarian curiosity, but, in accordance with the plan underlying all these books, to show that the promise of God to the fathers of Israel had been fulfilled. At the close of the record of the conquest it is said: “ So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses” (11:23); and after the last division of territory the same thought finds expression at greater length: “ And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they pos
♦ "Winning Our Unsaved Loved Ones,” by Dr. George H. Moore. Here’s an article that is practical and well il lustrated with actual case studies of how others have won their loved ones. This is an article you’ll want to keep on hand for future reference. ^ It would be difficult to find sweeter, more heart-warming devotional reading than the writings of Hannah Whitall Smith. For September we’ve selected "The Joy of Obedi ence,” an article we believe you cannot read without being a different person afterward. 18
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