Keys to Entering the New

Yesterday after I finished writing down the picture God gave me, He took me to the part of the book of Joshua where the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land. It followed straight on from yesterday’s musings and is kind of a part two on the whole theme of ending the transition period and being ready to enter the New.

The 40-year journey through the wilderness had been a kind of transition in itself, where Israel was physically removed from Egypt in one day (Ex 12:41-42) , and then spent the next forty years having Egypt (and its influence) removed from inside them. Then at the end of that lengthy period there came an intense mini-transition, when God clearly demarcated the end of the old (starting with crossing the Jordan) and the start of the new (the destruction of Jericho) with the short period immediately after they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. We find it in chapter five. There were several points that He highlighted from that passage, that I believe can be applied to our own period of stepping, or transitioning, into the New:

In v 2-7, God told Joshua to circumcise the men of Israel. All the men of military age had died in the wilderness and all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not been circumcised. So the first thing they had to do, having set foot in the Promised Land, was re-establish covenant with God. For us in the New Covenant, that is our highest priority too, as we step into a new season. But for us it’s not circumcision as they knew it, but circumcision of the heart: a hidden sign known only to God and ourselves, that declares we are set apart for a life of devotion only to Him. Covenant is not just about receiving His promises and blessings, but dedicating ourselves to serve and bless Him too.

In v9, immediately after Israel recommitted themselves to covenant as a nation holy to God, “the Lord said to Joshua, ‘This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you’. Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day”
Having crossed over the Jordan – a kind of baptism into the new by passing through its waters – and then renewed their covenant with God, they received a new identity. They were no longer a nation of homeless refugees from slavery; no longer to be associated with the shame of their old lives. Now God declared the start of the new season.
Likewise, for all those who have heard God’s call to “forget the former things”, we have entered a new season. It’s time to step into that new identity as ones who are free from the old and living in the New: time to turn our backs on what was and just receive our fresh commission.

In v 12 we read “then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year”.
This was no gentle easing of one into the other with a gradual weaning off the old. This was the clearest of signs. A kind of ‘cold turkey’ in a way: the old was gone; the new was here to stay. Having made sure that there was ample provision for the new season, God immediately stopped the miraculous provision of the old. Israel had no choice but to let go of the glory of the old season in order to partake of the blessing of the new
Whatever glorious things we associate with Church as it used to be, those are over now. Whatever provision we used to enjoy has gone. There is provision ahead, it’s just different. There just is no going back. It’s just time to move on.

In vv 13-14 God highlighted several points:
“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

• Joshua was standing in the place of God’s promise, facing the challenge before them – the physical impossibility of accomplishing what God had declared (ie possessing Jericho which was currently locked and fortified against them). And he lifted his eyes to look – or for ‘lifted’ we can also read ‘bore’. When we have stepped into the place of promise, it can take real effort to lift, or bear up our eyes and look up for God’s perspective. But it’s essential to keep doing so.
• Then, having lifted his eyes to see, He moved position and approached the Man (Who we know was Jesus, but Joshua did not at that point). He didn’t know if the person was for or against him; whether it would cost or bless him to go, but still he went. May we always be ready to press in to what God shows us, whatever the outcome.
• Joshua asked the ‘wrong’ question, and it’s a question that most of us have often asked too. His focus was to ask whether the stranger was on his side – “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” – an either/ or question. But he received the correction in the answer, “No”. The Lord wasn’t on either side – the enemy’s or Joshua’s – but rather Joshua was on the Lord’s. It’s not just a pedantic point, but highlights a flaw in focus that the Western Church has slipped into. Because ultimately it’s not a question of whether God is for us, but rather are we for Him? Do we rally to His cause or do we expect Him to serve and bless us? Does our life revolve around serving Him or ourselves? It’s a subtle difference but one that changes everything, and we have to establish that we are servants of the King and His Kingdom as we press in to the new season. Yes He does fight for us, but above all else, we serve Him. That is the proper priority and that is what connects God’s chosen people.
  Jesus is the Commander of the army of the Lord. His is the ultimate authority. He fights those who stand in the way of us advancing the Kingdom & fulfilling His purposes. It is our job to align with Him, not the other way around.

Then in the second half of v 14, and 15: “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so“
When God appears to us as the Lord of Hosts, the only proper response is one of humility and worship; asking what He wants to say to us, and listening to His Word, ready to obey His command.
Only then are we fully positioned and able to hear His leading.
Joshua removal of his sandals was a type of removing all worldly pollutants/ barriers to God’s presence and holiness. Joshua obeyed immediately – so must we. Only for us it’s not what’s on our feet, but what’s in our heart. Even when our hearts have been ‘circumcised’ and dedicated to serving God, we still need to daily check that nothing unholy has crept in to contaminate and separate us from God.

Chapter 5 ends there, but there are a couple more keys in the start of Joshua 6, before the destruction of Jericho demonstrated that Israel truly had stepped into the New…
In Josh 6:2-5 the Lord – still speaking in their encounter from the end of Chapter 5 – gave Joshua clear instructions on what to do next.
As we press in to the new season with hearts circumcised and dedicated to serve our King, positioned in humility and ready to obey, let’s remain in that position of worship, submission and holiness so that we are able to receive God’s instructions.
In the case of Israel v Jericho, as with so many of our own, the solution would be to surround the stronghold with praise and the presence of God (represented by the ark), so that He could move to accomplish his will.

Finally, let’s be as prompt and as careful as Joshua to obey God’s instructions – and only God’s instructions – that we may also see God’s wonders as a result…
Joshua obeyed God immediately – verse 6 doesn’t say if he even waited until the next day or just acted right away. There is no hint of delay, just ready obedience. We can see though that he rose early in the morning (vv 12 & 15) on successive days to carry out God’s instructions for the day – before anything else. Obeying God was his number one priority, as it must be ours.
God had given very clear instructions on how Israel would take Jericho, and in verses 6-21 we see Israel carrying out those instructions. But although God’s command to Joshua for all the people (not just the priests or the warriors) in v5 was, “when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat”. by the time it gets to v10, Joshua is passing on the extra command, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” 
God may not have explicitly commanded all Israel to be silent as they marched around the first twelve times, but Joshua had seen first hand what happened when the people didn’t control their tongues. Complaining, plotting, idol-worship and more, all led to the downfall of the previous generation in the wilderness & stopped them from entering the Promised Land. I personally believe it was one of the most wise decisions that Joshua made as leader, to silence their voices from anything that would tear down, and only to utter God’s praise and a shout of victory.
As we press in to the New, may we be equally as dedicated to controlling our tongues, and attending ONLY to God’s instructions, not adding anything worldly into the mix – so that we too can fully enter into the promises that He has made us!

So if we have paid attention to the lessons learned from the Israelites’ example, we can see several keys to entering the New:
* Circumcise your hearts: we are in covenant with God, and serve Him and Him alone
* Receive a new identity
* Forget/ turn our back on the glory of the old, and look ahead to the New
* Keep lifting our eyes for God’s perspective
* Press in to what God shows us, whatever the outcome
* Don’t ask if God is on our side; choose to be on His side
* Be positioned in humility and worship
* Surround any strongholds we encounter with praise and the presence of God
* Be prompt and careful to obey Gods instructions (and only His instructions)
* Don’t complain or argue, but control your tongue

As we press in to God’s promises for this new season, may we remember those keys, and not look back. We are in a new season, Church! There may be challenges ahead, but it’s about to get glorious! To God be ALL the glory.