SPIRITUAL BATTLES
Joshua 5:2-6:27
“Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”
The bible uses the experience of the Jews as a metaphor for the Christian life. Egypt represents our slavery to sin. The Promised Land represents our inheritance through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we become Christians by accepting Jesus as our Saviour we are circumcised—In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ (Colossians 2:11)—and given a new identity; we are no longer slaves to sin, but alive to God.
Just as the Passover reminded the Israelites of how God delivered them from Egypt, it was during the Passover festival when Jesus became God’s Passover Lamb, sacrificed on the cross for the sins of many.
And so just as Joshua prepared the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, circumcising them and celebrating the Passover, so too we as Christians owe it all to God as we claim his promises of victory over sin and death.
In the same way, the difference between victory and defeat is God. It doesn’t matter how immovable the walls are, God can send them tumbling down.
The real problem for Israel is not the battles that await them; it is that there is an impenetrable wall between them and God. The sin of unbelief and rebellion resulted in God rejecting them and that generation died in the wilderness, never tasting the fruit of the Promised Land.
As that generation died, God moved to renew his relationship with the new generation, led by Joshua. Having learned the bitter lesson of their forefathers, this generation is anxious to be on God’s side.
“Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:16-18)
The obstacles that matter are the ones that prevent us from enjoying the presence of God. The battles we face in overcoming sin and temptation are ultimately spiritual battles; we will win only with God on our side. When we fail, when we disobey, when we do not follow his instructions, when we open ourselves to the dark forces of evil, we need to return to God, not run away from him. And it is repentance and faith that will allow God to restore us back into fellowship with him, and allow us to go forward in our walk with him.