THE POWER OF UNITY
Joshua 1:12-16 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying,” Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ “Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your MIGHTY MEN of VALOR, and help them, “until the LORD has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.” So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. An essential element in possessing the land is for all Israel to fight together.
Joshua 4:12-13 And the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over ARMED before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them. About forty thousand prepared for war crossed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho.
These tribes had come into their inheritance, into their rest and their land. That means they could have enjoyed or stayed where they were but this isn’t covenant. Covenant is the realization that if one member suffers, all the members suffer with them; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. This is the power of unity, a power of agreement that God invokes through covenant principles, as God is ONE in purpose, God exists in THREE PERSONS, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, ALL working together to achieve the same purpose. That is the predetermined condition for the Body of Christ, different parts but ONE BODY.
1 Corinthians 12:26
1. It is a body ministry. Gaining our inheritance takes the help of others.
2. Ministry comes from personal victories. Look at the text in Joshua and look at these highlighted words:
a. Mighty men = to be strong; by implication to prevail, act insolently: - exceed, confirm, be great, be mighty, prevail, put to more [strength], strengthen, be stronger, be valiant.
b. Valor = wealth, virtue, valor, strength.
c. Armed =armed (men).
d. Submitted to Joshua and each other.
Note this that these are those who through victory over their own circumstances were armed and submitted.
Armed: Romans 13:11-14 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Submitted: James 4:7 therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Submission: What is it?
Submission is never being dominated by another.
Submission never diminishes true person hood.
Submission isn’t subjugation (being conquered, forced under control).
Submission is a choice.
Submission is a position (a surrender of will).
Submission is recognition of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
UNITY COMES FROM BEARING ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS
THE ARMOUR BEARER
In Scripture there is an illustration of what it means to bear one another’s burdens. It is the role of an Armor Bearer in the Old Testament. The armor bearer is mentioned in Judges 9:54; 1 Samuel 16:21; I Samuel 31:16 and 2 Samuel 18:15 but we will look at his mention in 1 Samuel 14:6-7 - Jonathan’s armor bearer.
According to history the armor bearer:
Was a trustworthy and brave SERVANT.
SHARED in carrying additional weapons.
Would STRIKE the enemy dead that had been wounded by the commander’s arrow or javelin.
3. Ministry is helping others obtain their inheritance. V14 “pass or cross before” to go ahead of, in this case the first to confront the enemy.
Galatians 6:2-5 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.
The word for ’burden’ is ’baros’. This does not mean a niggling irritation or annoyance that we exaggerate to become burdensome (like arthritis in one finger) but it does mean ’to be overtaken in a trespass’ and is an old fashioned word meaning ’to misstep, trip down stairs’.
Three types of people:
(i) Those who see problems in others and pass by saying ’wow!’
(ii) Those who inquire and go no further.
(iii) Those who genuinely have compassion, stop and help.
In the same way, when we fall or trip up in our Christian lives there will be those who want to run past and not get involved and those who will report all kinds of gossip concerning our fall. In Scripture we are urged to be the third type, the one who bears the other’s burden!
RESTORING THOSE WHO ARE BURDENED
In this passage it says we are to ’restore’ the one who has tripped. This word in the Greek (katartizein) can mean: to set a broken bone, to remove a tumor or to repair and piece together what is broken. All three of these describe well the process of restoring one who has been overtaken by a trespass and fallen.
As we help to restore them we fulfill the law of Christ as love fulfills the law.
Then the person will be able to ’bear his own load’ - the word for ’load’ is not the same as the previous word for ’burden’. It is ’phortion’ which is not about bearing an oppressive load but carrying something that is a joy to bear - the work of God for our lives!
The burden bearer is a servant and helps the other get free from negative burdens by sharing in that burden whether through prayer or in a more tangible way. He will share also in coming against the attacks of the enemy against the vulnerable one who is burdened.
It was crucial that all Israel enter the land together. Unity and Community is a central theme in Joshua. Throughout this book, the community of Israel fights together and worships together. We will see that all Israel crosses the Jordan, all Israel is circumcised, all Israel celebrates the Passover, all Israel walks around Jericho, all Israel suffers when Aachan sins, all Israel reads Deuteronomy at Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. This points out the truth that all Israel is designed to experience life together in the land.
Unity and Community is essential for possessing this life in Christ, and it is essential for going to war against the enemies in the land. But this important element to our warfare is often missing in our day and age. We were never intended to fight this war alone. It is to be waged by the people of God against the enemies of God. There is tremendous fear in being alone, but great encouragement in being together. This is why there is great value in being part of a community where there are real relationships and honest sharing, one in which there is healthy confrontation, supportive encouragement and a commitment to pray for each other. When part of the community is missing or is involved in sin, then the whole suffers. What happens to you affects me; my sin and my struggles affect you. All too often the problem we have in warfare is trying to go it alone. This is what Paul implies in Ephesians when he says that the whole body is growing into a mature man, "being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part" (Eph 4:16).
The purpose for the war is to possess our life in Christ; the result of possessing the land is to enter into rest; and an honest and healthy community of which we can be a part is essential to our life in Christ.
Joshua 22:1-4,7-8 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. “You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. “And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan……….
When Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”
The truth is that we can't possess our promises without walking in unity and community with one another, helping each other out, bearing each others burdens. In these principles we fulfill our covenant with God and each other!
