 |
| by T. Austin-Sparks |
Joshua 6 — on the seventh day they compassed the city seven times. "I have given... ye shall compass."
1 Kings 18:41-45. "I will send rain." 18:42 — "Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees — he said to his servant go up now and look... he went up and looked and said there is nothing, and he said go up again seven times."
1 Cor. 16:13 "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith."
1 Cor. 15:58 "Be ye steadfast, immovable."
Gal. 5:1 "For freedom did Christ set us free, stand therefore."
Phil. 1:27 "Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of God, stand fast in one spirit in nothing affrighted."
Col. 2:5 "I am with you in spirit joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ."
Eph. 6:11 "Able to stand." 13: "having done all, to stand, and withstand."
Heb. 3:5 "Moses faithful... for a testimony."
2 Peter 3:17. "Beware lest ye fall from your steadfastness."
The keynote running through all these passages is endurance. The endurance of faith was the method by which the land was to be possessed, and is God's method in all times and ages by which we are to possess the heavenly things.
The Lord said to Joshua two things — "See I have given; ye shall compass."
There are always two sides, the Divine side, where all is secured and abideth always; and man's side where what is settled by God has to be made actual by faith. In Joshua 6 we have here a spiritual principle by which all the land was to be possessed and the enemy overthrown.
Jericho was the first city in the land of seven kingdoms to be conquered. Note the frequency of the number seven in this chapter — all this is most significant. A sevenfold encompassment — seven priests — seven trumpets, and on the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times. The number seven in scripture means spiritual perfection, and you find this number closely related to the Holy Spirit and His work throughout the scriptures.
In Joshua 6 we see faith brought to completeness, finality, full maturity, Jericho the earnest of the whole land; there were seven kingdoms to be conquered and possessed before there could be full possession.
Faith had to be brought up to its sevenfold perfection; this chapter is a record of steadfast, persistent endurance of faith in the midst of seeming contradiction and the unyieldingness of the situation.
Even prayer in the Holy Ghost does not dispense with the necessity of perseverance. Elijah prayed in the Holy Spirit, but not until the seventh time did he see the coming rain; Elijah knew faith's exercise, see him after the Lord's word: 18:1, "I will send rain"; 18:42, "head bowed between his knees," go seven times... faith persevered through to the end — through to completeness, when the thing promised is an experienced reality. Compassing the city daily for seven days, and nothing happening, no sign from God. On the human side each day could naturally, by the very circumstances, bring about a weakening of faith, and perhaps an increase of questioning.
But this is the Lord's way, His order in the Life of the Spirit, and we trace this method of the Lord all the way down the ages.
It is God's way of bringing to an utter end all confidence or hope in anyone or anything, and casts us in utter helplessness and need upon the Lord Himself, and a strong faith in Him.
The seven days tell of the accumulated strength of the six days, all the strength of that period gathered up into the seventh day, so there is a sevenfold increase of faith — mighty, strong faith.
The Divine order right at the end gathering up all and so arrives at the completeness of faith's exercise. God has got to get us to nothingness and to know God only can meet the situation — but He can.
Prayer in the Holy Ghost does not dispense with persistent holding on in faith, and even possessing the promises of God does not set aside the need for persistent faith — God's end is our beginning.
