IT IS GOD WHO WORKS! CHOOSING JOSHUA The book opened by the proclamation of Moses’ death, and the delivery of leadership to Joshua. The divine inspiration has made it very clear in that proclamation, that God is the real leader, who chooses His ministers, grants them help and wisdom, supports them by His law (His divine Word), and accompanies them in every work. 1- Moses dies so that Joshua would reign 1 - 2 2- God’s faithfulness in His promises 3 - 5 3- He would always be with His ministers 5 - 7 4- His law as a support to His minister 8 - 9 5- The divine provision 10 - 11 6- The human role 12 - 18 1-Moses dies so that Joshua would reign: “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them -- the children of Israel.’ ” (Joshua 1: 1, 2) God, who chose Moses to lead His people, and to bring them out of the land of bondage to Mount Sinai, to receive the divine law, as a guide and a support amid the wilderness of this world, confirming, “I will certainly be with you” (Exodus 3: 12), is, Himself, proclaiming the death of Moses, and the choice of Joshua to lead the crossover, and to realize the inheritance. Moses had to die, for Joshua to appear; the law had to come to an end, for us to enjoy grace. God is The One who works in the two stages, by His integrated divine plan ... The secret of strength in both the ministries of Moses and Joshua, is in God’s call to them, to realize His divine will. God, who chose Moses, a representative of His law, is Himself, the One who allowed his death, to set Joshua, a representative of Jesus, 40 His only-begotten Son. I have previously spoken, in the introduction to this book, about the connection between Moses’ death and the setting of Joshua; namely, putting an end to the law, for the enjoyment of grace. Father Caesarius, Bishop of Arles says: [Moses died, for Joshua to reign! The old law came to an end, in order that the true Joshua -- namely Jesus -- would reign. Indeed the evangelist testifies: “The law and the prophets, up to John ...” ‘Moses’ here means (the law); as it is said, “They have Moses and the prophets” ( Luke 16: 29); namely, they have the law and the prophets; The apostle also says: “But even to this day, when Moses is read ...” (2 Corinthians 3: 15); namely, when the law is read. Therefore, by putting an end to the law, our Lord Jesus ascends to the throne]1. With another expression, St. Erinaus says: [It was fitting for Moses to bring the people out of Egypt, for Jesus to bring them into inheritance. Moses, as a representative of the law, had to stop; so that Joshua (Jesus), being the incarnate Word, would give the people the good tidings]2. God, who called Moses to work, is now, calling Joshua; or according to the apostle Paul, “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1: 1). Calling Joshua was not the end of the story; but God remained the real spiritual leader, working through Joshua; commanding him: “Therefore rise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people to the land which I am giving to them” (Joshua 1: 2). We dare to say, that this divine command, is a symbol revealing the relationship of the Father with Jesus, His beloved Son. If Jesus “became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2: 8), He was risen by the Father, not as an outer gift He granted Him, but as a proclamation of accepting the cross, through the will of the Father, that the Son would be raised; to go, together with his people, over the Jordan (the water of Baptism), for us to gain the fellowship of eternal inheritance. Jesus is the resurrection (John 11: 25); He has previously proclaimed that He has the authority to lay down His life, and has the power to take it again (John 1 Sermon 116: 1. 2 Fragm. 19. 41 10: 18). For our sake, He receives death; and for our sake He receives resurrection, which is not an outer nature granted to Him, as He, Himself, is the Grantor of life (John 11: 25). That is what God symbolically proclaimed to Joshua: “Arise, go ...” The Son rose in obedience to the Father, and for us, went over our tomb; granting us the power of resurrection, through His Baptism; so as to praise Him, saying: “He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places” Ephesians 2: 6). It was not possible for Moses to cross the Jordan, to enter the land of inheritance; as he does not carry the power of resurrection, nor the authority to “slay the reptile that is in the sea” (Isaiah 27: 1); while Joshua, on the other hand, carries the symbol of Jesus Christ, who crosses with power, to slay the reptile, and to break the sting of death by His resurrection (Revelation 20: 2; 1 Corinthians 15: 55). 2- God’s faithfulness in His promises: “Every place that the soles of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.”(Joshua 1: 3) He has previously confirmed to Moses, that He is giving them the land, that He promised the fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; God remains faithful in His promises, despite our unfaithfulness, according to the words of the apostle: “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3: 3, 4). If the generation that came out of Egypt, and of Pharaoh’s servitude, disobeyed God; yet God remains faithful, and realizes His promises to their children. He is faithful in His promises; and knows the “fullness of time,” to give His gifts according to His perfect divine plan, for our salvation and our good. Man, because of his human weakness, and his bond with the vain time, likes to see God, promptly giving him everything; but God, who cares for our salvation, does not only know what to give, and to what extent He would give, but He also chooses the right time, in order that His gift would realize His goal in us.... Abraham and Sarah requested a son, and for a long time, until they despaired, and grew so 42 old, that Sarah asked her man to get descendants through her maidservant. But God eventually granted her a blessed son, out of her own womb (that became as good as dead); who came at the right time to realize a portion of God’s plan for the salvation of the whole mankind! He gave her what she could not expect or dream of; yet at the time He predestined. God is Faithful in His promises, even if we assumed that He is late. That is as far as He is concerned; But from our side, it is not fitting for us to pay back the positively of God’s love toward us, by our own negativity; namely, to pay back His faithfulness by our own unfaithfulness. That is why the Lord says to the Bishop of the Church of Smyrna: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2: 10). But, how could we acquire that attribute of faithfulness, if not by union with the only faithful, who is able to grant us His attributes, working in us?! The apostle Paul says: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thesssalonians 5: 24); He is alone faithful and capable of granting us His faithfulness to work in us, through our fellowship with Him! That is concerning God’s faithfulness, and our likewise commitment through our union with Him; But concerning the gift that He gave, He says: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you”. It is as though God wishes to bring us up to a race that has no limit; He gives without limits, but it is we, who present the limits. Let us hasten, as long as we are still in this world; Let us tread upon all the love of the world with the soles of our feet; as every place that the soles of our feet tread upon, He will grant us as a gift from Him! Our fathers lived through this race, yearning to enjoy the free inheritance, through their incessant strife by God; according to the words of the apostle: “If, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead., I press toward the goal for the 43 prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 11 -- 14). As to the inheritance, does God care that we inherit land, or does he mean the literal meaning of treading upon it with the soles of our feet?! I do not think so; If He has promised the people in the Old Testament, to give them the land they tread upon with their feet; that in essence, carries what is far greater: that is our inheritance of heavenly places in which we enter and dwell! Some fathers believe that these lands refer to the position that was the devil’s and his hosts’ before their fall; as he has been an angel of light close to God -- the Morning Star -- by whose fall, he also treaded upon our hearts with his feet. Therefore, under the leadership of the true Joshua, we have to get our land back, and to tread upon the devil and his hosts with our feet, according to the Lord’s promise to “give us the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy “ (Luke 10: 19); so that, we would not only get our hearts back, but we would occupy the position that was the devil’s before. Concerning this, the scholar Origen says: [Consider what Joshua promised his soldiers at that time: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you” (Joshua 1: 3). That promise represented the lands of the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and all the nations, whose lands were confiscated, having been unworthy of them. But, for us, these words embrace other promises: There are capable satanic races, against which we should make war, and with which we should valiantly wrestle in this life. If we manage to tread upon those mighty hosts with our feet, and defeat them in battle, we shall occupy their lands, provinces, and kingdoms that the Lord Christ will give us. Those mighty hosts were angels before, who used to have fellowship in the splendor of God’s kingdom. Haven’t we read what the prophet Isaiah said about one of them: ‘How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning !‘ (Isaiah 14: 12). The dwelling place of Satan, the chief devil, was prominent in heaven; but once he turned into a fallen angel, I became worthy, by the Lord Jesus, of treading upon him under my feet (Romans 16: 20); and got the right to enjoy his former place in heaven. By this we can understand the promise 44 of the Lord Jesus, that every place we tread upon with our feet, he will give to us. Yet, we should not assume that we could enjoy this inheritance while we are still under the spell of negligence and listlessness] 1. The scholar Origen presents to us the (devil of anger) as an example of what we should tread under our feet, to drive him out of the land of promise (our hearts), in order that Jesus would reign in his place, saying: [Anger had caused that angel to fall from his rank; So if you fail to overcome him in your heart; if you do not drive him out, you will not be able to gain, as inheritance, the position that that angel had once occupied; and you will never drive him out of your land of promise, as long as you are listless. The same applies to the devils of pride, envy, selfishness, and uncleanness; every one of them has its harmful angels that initiate and encourage evil. If you cannot overcome them in your heart, to purify it from them; that which was already purified by the grace of Baptism, you will never enjoy the promised inheritance2. The scholar Origen is credited with another allegoric interpretation, which is that, for the believer to enjoy the eternal spiritual inheritance, he has first to tread, with his feet, upon the ‘low land’; namely to tread upon the killing letter of the law, to enjoy the spiritual interpretation, that lifts us up to the heavenly places. Whoever walks according to the spirit of the literal law, will live by an earthly mind; while whoever walks by the grace, will live spiritually in the heavenly places. He says: [What are these places upon which we tread with our feet?! They are the message of the law lying down on the low lands; never to be lifted up, as long as we walk in the literality of the law. Therefore, if you intend to be lifted up from the letter to the spirit, and rise from the historical significance to higher comprehension, you would be worthy of the exalted inheritance that God gives you. If you manage to comprehend the symbols in what is written, and understand its divine significance; If you seek by your spirit and mind, the things from above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God, you will inherit these things according to the words of our Savior and Redeemer: “Where I am, there My servant will also be” (John 12: 26); If you reach to where Christ sits 1 In Jos. Hom 1: 6. 2 Ibid. 45 at the right hand of God, through your faith, life, purity, virtue, and the soles of your feet, that were washed by Jesus (John 13: 5), you will inherit these places that God will give you, and will become a heir to God and a heir with Christ (Romans 8: 17)]1. The scholar Origen believes that treading with the sole of feet means the setting forth of the soul through its spiritual comprehension of the spiritual thought and deep interpretation of the word of God, through a life of faith, pure and sanctified by God. As to the extent of that land that they will inherit, God says: “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.” (Joshua 1: 4) In this verse we notice: (1) Its boundary is the wilderness; as the land of promise is actually our hearts that became, through their opening to the devil, a desolate and lifeless wilderness; that will turn, by Joshua’s entrance, into a fruitful paradise that pleases the heart of the Lord. That is why the prophet says: “The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad ...” (Isaiah 35: 1); and also says: “More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman” (Isaiah 54: 1). And in the Book of Songs, it is said to the bride: “Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” (Songs 8: 5). St. John Chrysostom says: [We, who were not worthy of earthly glory, are lifted up to the kingdom of heaven; enter heavens, and take our place before the divine throne] 2. Thus we leave the wilderness, not to enter into an earthly or worldly paradise, but into heaven itself, to be before the divine throne. (2) He says “From the wilderness and this Lebanon”; and according to the Septuagint version: to the location of ‘Antilibanon’, and not Lebanon itself ... The inheritance is not to be given to those who have been in the wilderness, but to those who were in Antilibanon. The scholar Origen believes that Lebanon refers to the Jews; while Antilibanon refers to the Gentiles who replaced the Jews through faith; saying: [If you see the first nation, which is according to the flesh -- 1 Ibid 2: 3. . 2 الحب الإلهي: ص 732 46 Israel, that was before the good “olive tree” (Romans 11: 24); understand that it is the real Lebanon; But, because of its lack of faith, it was deprived of the kingdom of God, that was “given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Matthew 21: 43). When you see one nation expelled, and another occupying its place in the Kingdom, you should understand that the later nation is ‘Antilibanon’, which is ‘The Church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3: 15); that was assembled“ also of the Gentiles” (Romans 9: 24), by our Lord Jesus Christ] 1. (3) “As far as the great river, the River Euphrates ... and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.” (Joshua 1: 4) The River Jordan entered into the territory of the Hebrews, being the ’River of life’; namely, the holy Baptism, without which we would not enjoy inheritance, nor life. In the Book of Revelations, St. John saw, “He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the lamb” (Revelation 21: 1). The waters of this world that fills the soul with corruption, would not enter into the land of promise: neither the great river nor the great sea ... Also in Revelation, He says: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea” (Revelation 21: 1). Let the waters of this world stay out of the territory of the land of promise; Let it not enter into our hearts, or disturb our souls, until our days pass away in peace! “Toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory” (Joshua 1: 4); as though the Sun of righteousness would never set on our land; would always shine in us; granting us a spiritual enlightenment, that would never stop. 3- He would always be with His ministers: “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1: 5, 6) If God called on Joshua to work, yet it is God who would work by and in him ... ”As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” As though 1 In Jos. Hom 2: 3.. 47 He is saying to him: If Moses succeeded in his mission, I was the secret of his success; so I will also be the secret of your success! Through this divine companionship, the minister would have no personal enemy; He would love all people, and desire their salvation. And if he encounters an opponent, it would be the evil one who agitates the people, and not the people themselves; That is why he says: No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life” (Joshua 1: 5). This does not mean that a minister will not encounter any opponent; but should understand that the real opponent is the ruler of the kingdom of darkness! Concerning this the apostle says: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 12) Also through God’s company, man would realize that he is hidden in God, the true leader of the battle; so he should not fear the hosts of darkness; as they are not wrestling against him, but against the divine Leader himself. That is why God confirms to Joshua: “I will not leave you or forsake you; Be strong and of good courage”. God wishes His ministers to be filled with hope and trust in Him, as the soldiers trust in their leader. That is what we feel in the words of the apostle Paul, who realized that our Master is the real Victor, who conquered as the head, when He came to us in the body; and still is conquering the hosts of darkness through the body, namely through His ministers and His Church; saying: “Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2: 14); and also saying: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8: 37). 4- His law as a support to the minister: If it is God who chooses the minister, calls him, supports him, and be with him, as the secret of his triumph, so that no man shall be able to stand before him all the days of his life; hiding him in Him before any attack of the devil; He, as well, presents His minister with His law, to meditate in it day and night; to become the secret of his sanctification, 48 and of His divine wisdom that helps him in his ministry. That is why God confirms to Joshua: “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to the law which Moses My servant commanded you; Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night ...” (Joshua 7, 8) God, in this talk with Joshua, concentrates on two important things in the life of a minister; that are closely connected and complementary to each other: (1) Being sure that God is with him, he would walk strongly, bravely; and confidently, trusting in God who works in and with him under all circumstances. The apostle says: “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance” (1 Thessalonians 1: 5). That is why, more than once, God confirms to Joshua: “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1: 7; 9) With the same Spirit, God says to the prophet Jeremiah: “ ‘Do not say I am a child; ...Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you’, says the Lord; ’They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you’, says the Lord, to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1: 7, 8, 19). As much as the minister hides himself in God, he would feel safe in Him, and would not fear anyone. And as St. John El-Dargy says: [Who becomes a minister to God, would only fear his Master; as whoever does not fear his Master, would most probably fear even his own shadow] 1. (2) He should abide to God’s law. As he hides in God, Who sends him, he would fear Him alone; lest, by breaking His commandments, and not realizing His will, he would hurt His divine Fatherly feelings. That is why he would meditate in God’s law day and night, to occupy all his heart, thought, feelings, and behavior -- both 1 Ladder, step. 49 apparent and hidden. By that, the word of God would become, for the minister, his food, drink, weapon, and the secret of his comfort; or, let us say, an integral part of his life. This is the secret of strength in the minister’s inner life and in his preaching. St. John Chrysostom says: [Indeed, we should not only seek, the help of the written word, but should also have our life pure; so as to have, for our souls, the grace of the Spirit, instead of the books; As the word is written in the books by ink, so also it would be, by Spirit in our hearts] 1. And he says: [Ignorance of the holy books, is the cause of all evil; If we enter into the battle with no weapon; how can we expect to conquer?! ] 2. St. John Chrysostom believes that the word of God is the true weapon for the minister; who receives it, not only through mental knowledge, or knowing it by heart, but through his own life, that should testify to it. Indeed, the world today, is in need of such spiritual leaders who lead a holy life, and who practice the word of God, as the secret of life for them, before preaching it by their mouth]. 5- The divine provision: Then Joshua commanded the officers, to instruct the people not to make haste, but to prepare for themselves, three days provisions. Who were these officers? And what are these provisions? These officers used to supervise the people under the Egyptian taskmasters, to make the bricks (Exodus 5: 6); but after the exodus, they became leaders of thousands, of hundreds and of tens, for the realization of justice (Deuteronomy 1: 15). What are these provisions? (1) Father Caeserius believes that the three-days provision, after which they are to crossover the Jordan, to enjoy their inheritance, is the faith in the Holy Trinity; saying: [The third day as we all know is the secret of the Trinity. What provision should we prepare in order to reach the third day? It seems to me, that we should comprehend provision as being faith in the Holy Trinity, through which Christians reach the secret 1 In Matt. Hom 1: 1. 2 In Col. Hom. G. 50 of Baptism (the River Jordan). ... Indeed, brethren, no man shall behold the true land of promise; namely the eternal blessing, unless he passes through the secret of Baptism] 1. (2) The same father sees in the three-days provision, in preparation to crossing over the Jordan, the enjoyment of the attributes of faith, hope, and love] 2. (3) The scholar Origen believes that the provision that we should carry inside us, to follow our true Joshua, to enter into the eternal land of promise, is the Holy Book, or the word of God, spiritually understood, and practically proclaimed in our life. He says: [After this, Joshua says: “Prepare provisions for yourselves”. And today, if you listen, ‘Jesus’ says to you: ‘If you are to follow Me, prepare for yourself provisions for the road’. These provisions are in fact the works that accompany us in our walk with the Savior to eternity. I wish, in our study of the Holy Book, to beware of the quick and superficial reading; Otherwise, how would we extract the provision?! ] 3. (4) We can say that the three-days provision is the possibility of the risen life in Jesus Christ. We know that the figure 3 refers to resurrection, without which we cannot crossover the Jordan, nor enter into the land of promise. The provision that we should prepare for ourselves, is not our own, but is the acquirement of the resurrected life of Christ, as our own; and without which we remain in the wilderness, until we turn into lifeless corpses. In our interpretation of the Book of Exodus, we talked about the secret of the three days; when Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh: “Let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God” (Exodus 5: 3); Pharaoh tried hard to deny them getting into the secret of the three days; as though he is the devil who wishes to deprive man of the power of being raised with Christ, so that his worship would not be received, and he would not enjoy the inheritance. Our father Abraham had experienced that secret, as he walked three days to offer his son as a sacrifice of love to God (Genesis 22: 4). Looking forward to the sign of resurrection from the dead, he 1 Sermon 115: 1. 2 Ibid 115: 2. 3In Jos. Hom 1: 4. 51 offered his beloved son, with sure faith that God is capable of raising him from the dead1. 6- The human role: As a sign of love, God not only gives man, but lets him share in the work; in order that the exalted will of God would meld with that of man, which is sanctified through its union with God in His Son ... That is clearly demonstrated in the divine talk with Joshua the son of Nun: If it is God who works within, as the Grantor of the power of resurrection, Joshua, together with his people are committed to arise and crossover (Joshua 1: 2). God grants the inheritance free, as promised, yet not for the negligent and the reluctant; but He gives every place that the sole of their feet treads upon (Joshua 1: 3); encouraging them to walk for the sake of inheritance; Proclaiming His companionship with His servant (Joshua 1: 5); and His support against any attack of the enemy. Yet the servant is committed to be strong and of good courage, and not to be afraid or dismayed (Joshua 1: 7; 9). Granting him His law as a support, yet the servant is committed to meditate in it day and night, for then he would make his way prosperous, and would have good success (Joshua 1: 8). Commanding them to prepare provisions for themselves, yet He Himself gives them these provisions! It is amazing how the abundant love of God is given free, yet without despising the will of man, or disregarding his strife and his love! That human role was clearly demonstrated in Joshua’s action with the two and a half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh), who requested to settle down west of the River Jordan (Numbers 32: 1 - 5), in the land of Gilead. Moses approved their request, on condition that they leave their women, children, and livestock back in the land; but the men would go before the rest of the tribes, and would not return to the land of Gilead until they consummate their strife together with their brothers, and everyone receives his inheritance in the land of Canaan. This bore a symbol of the Churches of the Old and New Testaments: two and a half tribes represent the first, and the second represented by the nine and a .38- 1 سفر الخروج 1981 ، ص 36 52 half. We have previously dealt in more detail with this issue1. God could have delivered the nine and a half tribes without the strife of the two and a half ... But as He sanctifies human work and unity; so He committed them to work together with their brothers, as long as they are able to work and to strive. God does not resort to miracles, except when there is no other way to get man out of trouble. In a clearer way, I wish to confirm God’s sanctification of His believers: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically; a sign of which is letting man work and strive, and without resorting to exalted miraculous work, except in case circumstances require them, a man’s inability to manage! God, Who, brought His people out of the land of bondage, by a strong and mighty arm, sustained them in the wilderness for forty years, and performed such numerous miracles, could have handed them the land of promise without the strife of those two and a half tribes, or even without that of the other nine and a half; Yet, in that case the unity of the people as a whole would not have been sanctified, and would not have got the blessing of God’s work with them. I say, that in seeking that our life be filled with exalted miraculous works, we are depriving ourselves of God’s acknowledgment; of His working in our hearts, minds, feelings, and hands; sanctifying all what He granted to work with His hidden way in us, until He brings us crowned, up to the land of inheritance.
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