Learning produces change – change of understanding, change of outlook, change of action. That is why we either resist learning because the change is a struggle against ourselves, or we prefer to learn things at a theoretical level rather than a practical one. Our conservative middle class background is suspicious of revolution it disturbs the peaceful backwater into which we have retreated whilst the last few of the six thousand years tick by. Of course we are not of this world, this present evil world of Welfare State cotton wool protection against illness and unemployment, comfortable semidetached, centrally heated, garden suburb homes, wall to wall carpets, T.V., two cars, fortnight in Majorca. But they’re alright, aren’t they, even if they are of this present evil world?
What we must avoid is the N.E.B., socialism and comprehensive education – then we really are keeping out of danger. The Kingdom is going to be something like the British Empire was only better, with Ezekiel’s Temple a bit like Prince Albert’s Crystal Palace. We’ll have dealt with Gog and Magog and the Scarlet Woman and her daughters we’re rather looking forward to that, because there’s no danger in it for us – we’ll be immortal and have no chance of losing. Then we’ll have the palaces and the thrones, the power and the glory.
STOP ! Yes, stop indeed; surely that’s not our vision of the Kingdom it might have been in Victorian times when we had very little of material wealth or authority: We looked forward to promotion in the Kingdom because there was little chance of it in this life, and we were proud of being despised, peculiar members of the sect every where spoken against. So we concentrated on the change that would come with the Kingdom.
But today we have opportunity in education to reach the heights of power, now ! The Cross is respectable, it’s been well upholstered, so it doesn’t rub the shoulders. So perhaps there isn’t so much urgency in the Kingdom vision because our barns are full. We don’t even want to change the present world – it’s pretty comfortable – that is,if you’re a white, middle class westerner.
What a lot we have to learn, and how slow we are to learn! – because learning produces change, and if we’re comfortable we resist change.
I make no apology for returning to my favourite theme – REVOLUTION. Not the future revolution of the Kingdom – and even that will be more tremendous than anything our respectable forebears fondly imagined in their visions of fraternal gatherings in Abraham’s palace. But REVOLUTION NOW. Learning produces change. The 15thC Renaissance sowed the seeds of the 18thC French Revolution; the 16thC Reformation under Luther and Calvin paved the way for the Revival of the Truth in the 19thC. Learning produces change. “Let this mind be in you ….”. What mind? The mind of the New M. More than “knowing” that man is not immortal; that Jesus is not God the Son; that the devil is not a fallen angel; – more than “knowing” – BELIEVING, UNDERSTANDING the implications; having FAITH to live in a NEW REVOLUTIONARY way.
“My Kingdom is not of this world.” Hence the people of the Kingdom cannot be produced like the people of the Kingdom of this world. God produces His saints miraculously; they have been born again, against nature (as Nicodemus said); they will be born yet again, from the earth, against nature (as some in Corinth said); they fight their battles without recourse to carnal weapons, and they conquer all things through the might of their Saviour.
In our daily lessons from Joshua and Judges we have both problems and solutions.
One important problem is in a comparison of Joshua 11:23, “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war,” and Judges 1:1, “Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?”
Now it would seem that not more than seventeen years at the most separated these two events. Joshua conquered the land, divided it by inheritance to Israel, and within seventeen years, apparently, it had been lost. Or does this imply that firstly Joshua made a rapid occupation of the land, taking certain key places and then secondarily, later, Israel had to confirm what Joshua had done by filling in as they advanced? The skeptic dismisses the problem as arising from two confused and contradictory sources. We cannot do this the record is historically true, and further it is an extension of the types and shadows by which natural events portray spiritual ones.
Joshua and Jesus are the Hebrew and Greek forms of the same name, and what name indicates “The Lord is our salvation”. The Lord had shown His salvation to Israel when by miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Moses they were liberated from dark bondage, baptized in the Red Sea, and maintained through more than forty years until they entered the Promised Land.
Before they could possess the Land, two things happened: one, they had to learn a new and revolutionary way of living, and two, their leader died. Moses was replaced by Joshua, and he then “took” the land and presented it to the people. But, through lack of understanding, they lost it and repeatedly (as we read in Judges) other saviours were raised up to repel the invaders. Why did Israel lose the land?
Two reasons: one, because they fought with carnal weapons instead of by praise and prayer appealing to God to fulfill His word and drive out the people. Two, having failed to conquer by carnal weapons, they then made themselves comfortable, living with the indigenous tribes, absorbed their culture, and were punished by God with the loss of what He had given them.
Which things were written as examples for our learning. The whole armour of God – all seven items in Eph.6:13-18, girdle, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, sword AND prayer are needed to fight against all the powers of evil which exalt themselves in the human mind.
This is revolutionary. False Christians have fought with sword, wrestling against flesh and blood adversaries, and ignoring the good fight of faith. They have been wolves in sheep’s clothing.
If the house which had been swept and garnished has been re-occupied with far worse influences, is it because we’ve not had faith to go on to fill our house with love, joy, peace, the fruit of the Spirit of our Saviour?
Israel failed to hold fast what Joshua had given them.
The Lord Jesus promises that if we hold fast what he has given us, if we overcome (ourselves?) then we shall be given power over the nations. But there can be no power given to us over others until we have accepted the power given to overcome ourselves. The revolution has started; the Saviour has conquered; we sit in heavenly places with Him – but-the indigenous powers of the human mind can easily re-occupy our lives.
Jealousy, apathy, ignorance, doubt, fears arise where revolutionary faith does not stimulate revolutionary action. Let us not lose our peace with God which we have in our Lord Jesus, as Israel lost the “rest” Joshua gained for them.
Soldiers of Christ arise,
And put your Armour on;
Strong in the strength which God supplies,
Through His beloved Son.
Strong in the Lord of Hosts,
And in His mighty power;
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts
Is more than conqueror.
Stand then in His great might,
With all His strength endued;
And take, to arm you for the fight,
The panoply of God.
To keep your armour bright
Attend with constant care,
Still walking in your captain’s sight,
And watching unto prayer.
From strength to strength go on;
Wrestle and fight and pray;
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day;
That having all things done,
And all your conflicts past,
Ye may o’ercome, through Christ alone,
And stand complete at last.
Reflections on the Potter and the Clay