T. Austin-Sparks · 1 of 3

Predestination, Preparation, Possession

Reading: Joshua 1.

Joshua is the book of the inheritance in the Old Testament and there are some significant things attached to the occurrences and usages of this word "inheritance". In the Book of Numbers it occurs 35 times, in the Book Of Deuteronomy 18 times, but in the Book of Joshua 44 times; that is striking! Numbers is the book of the ordering of the hosts with the inheritance in view. Deuteronomy is the book of the establishing of the basis for possessing the inheritance, therefore you would expect to find the word frequently. In Leviticus the word "inheritance" occurs but once. Now Leviticus does not deal with inheritance, but with God's rights; it is the book of relationship to God by the altar; the book of approach and access to God, where God's rights are recognised, and God secures His rights by the Cross. God must have His rights before we can get our inheritance, as Leviticus teaches. Then when you come to the Book of Joshua you find the whole subject of the inheritance dealt with, and the entering into possession.

Coming over into the New Testament you find the letter to the Romans does not present "inheritance" in any concrete form, it is a book that deals with the spiritual foundations, and this is its link with the Book of Leviticus.

Joshua, the man (in type of the Spirit) brings to the inheritance. It is important and both interesting and significant to notice when Joshua comes into view.

In Exodus 17 we find Joshua coming into view at Rephidim, the place of the smitten rock, where the waters came forth giving life to the people; type of the life of the Spirit as the inward life of the people of God (see John 4:10-14). Then it is that Amalek immediately comes on the scene as type of the flesh rising up and crossing the path in order to prevent possession of the land, to hinder going into the inheritance. Amalek comes out to withstand Israel, and God immediately brought Joshua in to order the camp.

Immediately you receive the Holy Spirit or experience a fresh filling of the Spirit, flesh rises up, Amalek comes out, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, for these are contrary the one to the other" (Gal. 5:17). These two are in age-long conflict, in antagonism. It is ever so; when you have a fresh experience of the Holy Spirit, the next thing you find is that you are in a new conflict against the old flesh-life in yourself; this rising up of the flesh within is provoked by the devil because he sees the inheritance in view, for when the Spirit comes the inheritance comes into view, HE has come to bring to the inheritance. So do not be surprised if after an experience of the Spirit the next thing you have to face is this conflict with the assertion of the flesh across the path to hinder your going into possession.

It is only when you have received the Holy Spirit that you know the conflict of the flesh and what is the withstanding of the flesh, those who have not the Spirit have no such conflict of flesh and Spirit; they are not in that realm, but wholly in the flesh realm.

The Holy Spirit has come in relation to the end, and the end is the inheritance in Christ, and flesh moved by Satan rises up to frustrate that end, and to rob you of the inheritance. The peril is that having begun in the Spirit, you might turn aside to make some compromise with Amalek, because of the hardness of the way, the greatness of the cost, by reason of the conflict and forgetting God's word - "utterly destroy Amalek" (1 Samuel 15:3). "Walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:4).

This is where Abraham broke down. Isaac, son of the Spirit - he was impossible as son of the flesh (Heb. 11:11,12) - Abraham's faith tested, wilderness conditions prevailed, there was delay of the fulfilment of God's promise, and apparently nothing developing as to Isaac; he had the assurances of God, but seemingly nothing coming to pass: the flesh could not wait, it never can wait for God, so Ishmael is the outcome, with what terrible consequences. And there came a time when Abraham had to cast out from his home and life that which his flesh had built up; this is a terribly painful thing to do, to pull down what he had built up; and this holds many from coming into the inheritance. Abraham had brought something into being by mixing flesh with Spirit, and God will not have it, but says - "CAST IT OUT." This costs shame and sorrow, it is not easy to cast this out, it is shameful, but it must be done, it must be utterly cast out!