Crystallization-Study of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth
Message One
God’s Charge, Promise, and Encouragement to Joshua
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Josh. 1:6, 8-9 Be strong and take courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them…This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall muse upon it day and night so that you may be certain to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and take courage; do not be afraid or dismayed. For Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.
Word of Appetizer
What’s the Hidden, Intrinsic Significance of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth? God brought such an elect of His through trials, sufferings, in both Egypt and the wilderness that they might be trained, disciplined, and qualified to coordinate with Him in taking His promised land for Christ on this earth and in providing the proper persons to bring forth Christ into the human race. To take possession of God’s promised land for Christ and to provide the proper persons to bring forth Christ into the human race are the two major points of the section of the history in the Old Testament in the three books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. These two main points, to take the land for Christ and to provide the bona fide ancestors for Christ, are the spirit of the history from Joshua to Ruth. They are the hidden, intrinsic significance of this section of the Old Testament history.
Spiritual Burden
The key to Joshua’s carrying out all that is written in God’s Word and the key to his prosperity, success, strength, and courage in taking the God- promised land were for him to not let God’s word depart from his mouth by musing upon it day and night; because our Lord and our God has commanded us to enter into and enjoy Him as the reality of the all-inclusive good land, we should say Amen to His word to be strong, to take courage, and to not be afraid or dismayed, for Jehovah our God is with us wherever we go, as we disciple all the nations to make them the kingdom people until the end of this age.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Joshua is a type of Christ in the following aspects: .Joshua typifies Christ as grace; he typifies the Lord Jesus as our Leader bringing us into the enjoyment of Himself as our rest; Joshua typifies the present and practical Christ as the indwelling, fighting Spirit, the One who fights against the flesh and puts it to death; Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, overcomers—Joshua and Caleb, received the prize of the good land.
As I was with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you nor forsake you; be strong and take courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them.
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall muse upon it day and night so that you may be certain to do according to all that is written in it.
The Experience of Life
When we live by our feelings and do not exercise our spirit of faith and turn our heart to the Lord in order to believe in the divine facts in God’s Word, we are rebelling against the Word of God, insulting God, and making Him a liar.
Our spirit is the “bank account” of the resurrected, pneumatic Christ as the reality of all the bequests of the new covenant; by the law of the Spirit of life, all these bequests are dispensed into us and made real to us; Christ as the Spirit of reality, the life-giving Spirit, is Emmanuel, the presence of the Divine Trinity in our spirit.
Practice and Application
We need to be those who fan into flame our God-given spirit; we should always believe and declare that we are strong, that we are full of love, and that we are very clear; then we can “be strong and take courage”.
We should not let God’s word depart from our mouth by musing upon it day and night; when we muse upon the word of God, we receive it with much consideration and reconsideration; just as a cow chews its cud, we may do this while we are pray-reading the word early in the morning so that we may receive nourishment by reconsidering what we receive from God’s word; when we truly take time to muse upon God’s word, we are being infused with God to glow with God and to shine forth God.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1: To take the land for Christ and to provide the bona fide ancestors for Christ (Josh. 1:3; 2:1; Ruth 1:14).
(What are the two main points in the three books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth?)
T2: To take and possess the land for Christ (Josh 14:1-2; Isa. 8:8).
(What does ” If we gain the land for Christ, we will do Christ a favor” mean?)
Day 2
T1: Joshua was a type of Christ, who brought the people of God into rest (Heb. 2:10; 4:8, 11).
(Please explain that Christ is our real Joshua as the Captain of our salvation to lead us into the rest of the God-promised land.)
T2: Amalek typifies the flesh; Joshua typifies the present and practical Christ as the indwelling, fighting Spirit (Gal. 5:17).
(Please explain that the fighting between Amalek and Israel depicts the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit within the believers.)
Day 3
T1: Joshua and Caleb are ones who had hearts full of faith (Num. 13:30; Heb. 12:2).
(Please explain that Joshua and Caleb are ones who had hearts full of faith by taking the word of God as their faith.)
T2: God is faithful to what He says; His Word is the covenant (1 Cor. 10:13).
(Please explain according to your own experiences that we have a verse of promise to meet every situation.)
Day 4
T1: God’s promise and encouragement to Joshua (Josh. 1:5-7).
(What are the contents of God’s promise and encouragement to Joshua according to the verses?)
T2: God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness (2 Tim. 1:7).
(Please explain according to your own experiences that if you want to fan your spirit into flame, you need to open up your mouth, open up your heart, and open up your spirit.)
Day 5
T1: To muse on the word is to taste and enjoy it through careful considering (Josh. 1:8; 2 Tim. 3:16).
(Please explain according to your own experiences that to muse on the word of God is to enjoy His word and thus to breathe God in, and to receive spiritual nourishment.)
T2: To muse upon the Word is to “chew the cud,” like a cow eating grass (Lev. 11:3).
(Please explain according to your own experiences that Chewing the cud signifies receiving the word of God with much consideration and reconsideration to receive nourishment.)
Day 6
T1: Musing upon the Word involves more than just meditating on it (Psa. 119:48, 147-148).
(Please explain that we muse upon the Word by talking to God, worshipping Him, enjoying Him, receiving grace from Him.)
T2: To touch the Lord’s Word with our spirit and remain in continual fellowship with Him (Psa. 119:48, 147-148).
(Please explain according to your own experiences that when we touch the Lord’s Word with our spirit and remain in continual fellowship with Him, our spirit should have a feeling of being bathed, as if our whole being were taking a bath in the Bible; this is refreshing, comfortable, and joyful.)
