A Bible Study by
Charles W. Holt
email: cholt@gt.rr.com
CHALLENGED BY CHARIOTS OF IRON(Part 3 of 3)
Scripture reading: Jeremiah 12:4
Scripture Text: Joshua 17:14-18
Joshua has gathered the tribal elders of Ephraim and Manasseh and made an impassioned plea to inspire their faith and hope. In light of the fact that Joshua is a picture of Jesus (see part 2 of this study), his speech takes on even more significance to us. Joshua’s hope, of course, is that they will rise to the challenge and go out full of hope and faith to possess their God-given possession. I hope, as we hear the clear tones of Joshua’s voice, we will discern the voice of Him who speaks such "gracious words" (Lk. 4:22) so as to cause us to "marvel" as it did those on the day Jesus visited the Synagogue in Nazareth. It is still the Law of he Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus that, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
Returning to our text, we read:
"You are a great people and have great power; . . . the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong" (Joshua 17:17,18).
Joshua not only speaks in measured tones but also with measured phrases. See how he lays out the challenge that is strongly reinforced by words of faith. Everything he says is designed to inspire faith. We put ourselves into Joshua’s audience and with the eyes and ears of faith open, we will hear Jesus say to us:
1. You are a great people.
2. You have great power.
3. The mountain country shall be yours.
(a) Even though it is wooded, i.e., even though there are difficulties.
(b) You will "cut it down." Is he saying, "You will mow down the opposition?" I like to think so.
(c) Its farthest extent shall be yours. Don’t stop short of a full victory.
4. The valley shall be yours
(a) Even though the Canaanites are there, i.e., even though there are difficulties.
(b) Even though these difficulties are iron chariots.
No. 1 – You Are a Great People
We must understand this in two ways. First, as Joshua intends Ephraim and Manasseh to understand it. He says, "you are a great people," meaning, you are many; you are a large population, your families number into the thousands. To borrow a phrase: there is strength in numbers. He wants them to see that by shear numbers they outmatch their enemies.
While it is true that we, the redeemed, number into the millions worldwide, it is difficult for must of us to relate to this abstract number. It is nothing more than a blur of unrecognizable faces in far, far away places. It is a fact that this innumerable host of the redeemed, by their sheer numbers, has a powerful effect upon the moral, spiritual, and ethical underpinnings of a worldwide society. It id difficult for us, however, to do little more than mutter something about the Church (the redeemed worldwide) being the "light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden, and the salt of the earth" (see Mt. 5:13,14). These lofty concepts are abstract terms in themselves unless and until we somehow change them into manageable pieces. We can do this, as we have often done, by saying, "My church (i.e., the one down the street or across town where I am a member, give my money, etc.) is the light, city, and salt to the world." Using "my church" reduces the equation from millions down to dozens. We can handle that concept. It will be even better, however, when we personalize these metaphors and say, "I (by my testimony for Christ) am the light of the world . . . salt . . . city that cannot be hid." There is no strain on the imagination to grasp that image.
Individually, then collectively, we are members of a great family. Though separated by geography, cultural diversities, and any number of other contrasts we are nevertheless all of one body. We are a great people!
"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Rm. 12:5 NKJV).
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made o drink into one Spirit . . . But now indeed there are many members, yet one body" (1 Cor. 12:13,20 NKJV).
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. 4:5,6 NKJV).
That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (Jn. 17:21 NKJV).
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19 NKJV).
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Eph. 3:14,15 NKJV).
Finally, listen to this magnificent description:
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands" (Rev. 7:9).
That, my friends, is a family snapshot. As the old country preacher used to say, "Brother, it don’t git no bettern’n that!" There is, however, something that makes it "better’n that" (as good as that is!) and it’s found in the other meaning and application of the phrase, "you are a great people."
Yes, you are great because you are a member of the greatest force for righteousness on the face of the planet. Now, however, I want you to see that you are great as a captain or chief. The focus is no longer on "a great multitude, which no man could number." The focus is—once again—upon the individual.
This person is a captain.
This person is a chief
You are this person
I am this person.
As blood-washed, Spirit-filled believers, it has been granted to us by virtue of our relationship with Him Who is the Captain of our salvation (see Heb. 2:10) to share in His blood-purchased victory won at Calvary. We share His triumph over death, hell, and the grave, as witnessed by the fact of His resurrection. This has resulted in the utter devastation of Satan the prince of the power of the air, the source of al sin and evil in this world. Jesus said, "First, bind the strong man, then spoil his house" (see Mt. 12:29; Mk. 3:27). Because Jesus did it (it is an accomplished fact), I can do it. This liberating truth begins here:
". . . the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which he worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:18-23 NKJV).
"But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore he says: ’When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men’" (Col. 4:7,8 NKJV).
The authority to lead as a Captain and rule as a Chief is an integral part of the great commission as stated in the passage above. The real clout comes, however, in Jesus saying, "In My name [i.e., by my authority; by virtue of Who I am and what I have accomplished in shedding My blood, see Rev. 5:9-14] they will cast out demons . . . speak with new tongues . . . take up serpents . . . and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them . . . lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mk. 176:17,18).
"You . . . have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priest to our God; and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:9,10 NKJV).
Question: What was God’s intention for man from the beginning of creation?
Answer:
"Then God said, ’Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ’Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’" (Gen. 1:26,28 NKJV).
David spoke by the Spirit on this same subject. He said,
"What is man that You are mindful of him . . . for you have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet" (Ps. 8:4,6 see Heb. 2:6-8 NKJV).
Because "all enemies" are under the feet of Jesus [i.e., under his authority, dominion, control, and rule; "For He has put all things under His feet." Heb. 15:27), therefore, Paul could say with great authority to the church at Rome,
"And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Rm. 16:20 NKJV).
Some of my Seminary professors would howl in disbelief at what I am about to do with the following passage of Scripture. They would howl because they believe this, and other passages, must be interpreted within "their historical context." To "spiritualize" a text is to make a "pretext of the context" and miss the writer’s point entirely. Well, I did it when I sat in their classes, and it is my delight to do it again. Here’s the text:
"Then the people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors" (Isa. 14:2 NKJV).
The historical context is obvious. The entire passage from verse one through eleven refers to Israel’s restoration after years of bondage in Babylon. Is there a literal application of these words to Israel? Absolutely yes. But it is the spiritual application that is especially thrilling (and my professor shudders). I hear the Holy Spirit saying to every redeemed, blood-washed, Spirit-filled, delivered-from-the-slavery-of-sin-and-Satan believer:
You were once ’dead in trespasses and sins . . . walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air . . . fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath . . . without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (see Eph. 2:1-1`3).’ You were once slaves in some ’Babylon.’ But now, my-once-in-bondage-child, this is ’the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve’ (Isa. 14:3). The enemies which held you captive are now your captives. You shall rule over your oppressors—and this includes oppressors with chariots of iron!"
In Jesus name, RULE! Rule because it is your birthright, your legacy; and rule because:
No. 2 – You Have Great Power
One day on a hillside near Jerusalem, Jesus stood with a handful of men in what was to be His last personal visit with them. He had spent the past forty-days in intense conversations about matters pertaining to the kingdom of God. After all, this motley group was the nucleus of what was to become the greatest spiritual force ever launched and destined to influence the greatest kings and mightiest kingdoms of the world. Once started, the world would never be the same.
Let’s try to set-aside for a moment what we know and have heard about that pre-Pentecost, eleven-member church. Try, if you can, to somehow forget everything you know of what 2,000 years of history has written about them. Pretend that you are looking for the first time at that small group of ordinary, nondescript, unexceptional men then let my question form the next part of your picture. How much hope do you hold out that they can get their old grumpy, know-it-all, dyed-in-the-wool legalist Uncle Eli converted, much less stir the whole village?! And, did we hear Jesus say, "go to the end of the earth?" How much are you willing to bet on this bunch?
The most honest answer probably is: not much! A writer named Mark; a physician named Luke; a hell-fire and brimstone Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus—none of these were at that meeting. Not that it would have made any difference at the time. They would have blended right in with the others—two or three fishermen, a tax collector—just ordinary folk. Not one of them possessed a Bible. No one had the latest spiritual edition of How to Win Friends and Influence Pharisees for Jesus. Little did they know that the countdown was at t-minus one minute and counting for Jesus to be transported from them.
One thing is certain: The eleven men talking with Jesus that day was confused about the future. "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ was one of their main concerns. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus did not give them a direct answer. He could have said, "No, I am not! What I am going to do is . . . " Instead, he said, "It’s not for you to know or for me to tell." That’s a kind of "no" I suppose, and the apostles could have just looked at each other and wondered at His meaning except He didn’t stop there. Jesus had another agenda. Kingdom business would be carried out through these not-so-perfect specimens of humanity and the key to success was for them to urgently hear His last (for now) assignment.
"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8 NKJV).
It wasn’t necessary for them to understand what he said. It was critical that they obey His command to "tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Lk. 24:49 NKJV). Yes, Jesus knew in advance that these fledgling church leaders, and ultimately His entire Church, would face iron chariots they could never in their wildest dreams have anticipated. These iron chariots would take the form of intense persecutions including arrests, pitched into prison, beatings—death. He knew they needed power and He told them how to get it.
The task is the same today: "You shall be witness to Me." A fundamental unspoken component in that assignment—an integral part, as one soon learns—is the certainty of facing iron chariots. Jesus said, "In the world you shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). The apostle Peter exhorts: "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery [chariots of iron, my comment] trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened o you" (1 et. 4:12). Let’s hear again Joshua’s admonition to Ephraim and Manasseh: "Don’t spend all your time studying the problem . . . study the promise." The promise is the same: "You shall receive power."
Every Christian has power. This power is not only promised, it is given. Only once did Jesus say, "wait for the promise’ [see Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:4]. According to Acts 2:4, the initial ten day waiting period by the Apostles ended on the Day of Pentecost. Thereafter, no one was ever told to "tarry for the Holy Ghost." If one is "tarrying" to speak in tongues, they may wait ten days or ten years. However, one will never have to "tarry" or "wait" for the Holy Spirit. Scripture is clear, "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Rm. 8:9 and see also 1 Cor. 12:13). Every Christian has the Holy Spirit. Every Christian may, or may not, speak with tongues, but every Christian has the Spirit. Having the Spirit means power of authority to deal with chariots of iron. Why and how is it possible? Let’s talk about it.
We begin by focusing on Him who makes it all possible. Christ is seen alive, and in the closing moments of his visit to this planet, talks to his apostles, and by extension to all believers throughout the ages. He says,
"All authority [power KJV] has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mt. 28:17-20 NKJV).
Our ability to "go make" rests squarely upon His "all authority (is) given to Me." The "go make" mandate of Jesus embraces an unspoken tenet. Chariots of iron struggles are built into the "go" command. The very nature of the work makes chariots of iron challenges inevitable. This is no reason for despair. Jesus concludes, "I am with you always." He is with us always in POWER through the person of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let’s revisit the foundation stones of our spiritual heritage.
(a) Acts 1:8 – "But you shall receive power—ability, efficiency and might—when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witness in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends—the very bounds—of the earth" (Amplified Bible).
(b) It wasn’t long until the fledgling church encountered their first chariots of iron. A cripple is healed, the Apostle Peter and John are thrown into jail. A hearing by the religious leaders concludes with a serious threat to cease immediately to teach and preach in the name of Jesus. They return to the company of believers and after prayer, "the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness, i.e., freedom and courage (amplified)" (Acts 4:31). Further, "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all" (vs. 33).
Great power. Great grace. Isn’t this the same message Joshua was trying to convey to Ephraim and Manasseh? Isn’t this the message we should hear as we contend with our chariots of iron?
No. 3 – Claim the Mountains and the Valleys
Our God is God of the mountains and He is God of the valleys. We use these terms as metaphors for places of trial or places of peace and victory. Sometime we face the difficulty of a seemingly impenetrable "wooded" mountain. The promise is: you will "cut it down." "The mountain country shall be yours," is God’s promise. And it shall be yours to "the farthermost extent." Don’t stop short of a full victory through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, the valley shall be yours. Yes, the Canaanites are there. They are there with their iron chariots. They appear to be more than a match. They are not. "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 Jn. 4:4). We may enjoy the experience of Elisha’s servant. "And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17 KJV). The real answer for chariots of iron are God’s chariots of fire!
