约书亚五章说到四件有内在意义的事。要预备据有美地，我们需要进入这四项：对付肉体，享受主的桌子，享受包罗万有的基督作美地的出产，并看见异象，就是基督这位神的具体化身作我们的元帅。
第一项是割礼。借着过约但河，以色列的旧人被埋葬，然后他们出来，成为新人。这是神所作客观的工作，以色列仍需要将其应用于他们的肉体。所以，他们预备了火石刀，割去他们的阳皮。这个割除就是他们应用神在过约但河的事上所作的。在新约里，割礼的意思乃是不断的将主的死应用于我们的肉体。罗马六章三至四节说，我们已浸入基督的死，和祂一同埋葬；但罗马八章十三节和加拉太五章二十四节告诉我们，我们该凭着灵，将十字架的割礼应用于我们的肉体。在事实上，我们的肉体已经被钉十字架，但在实行上，我们需要天天将肉体钉十字架。
第二项是逾越节。守逾越节是记念以色列蒙救赎，使他们的长子脱离死的审判，并记念他们蒙拯救，脱离埃及和法老的暴政。这预表主的桌子。在主的桌子前，我们记念祂是救赎主和拯救主。今天我们的分不是死，乃是在基督的桌子前有分于祂并享受祂。
第三项是吃美地的出产。四十年之久，以色列人一直吃吗哪，在他们这面没有任何劳苦。但吗哪止住时，他们的食物就只能借着与神合作而产生。迦南地的出产来自耕作。这就是说，那是人劳苦并与神合作的结果。吗哪和美地的出产都是预表基督。约翰六章说到基督是从天降下喂养我们的吗哪。在书信里，基督不再只是吗哪；祂是美地的出产，是借着我们与神劳苦合作而预备的。这为我们自己和别人带进更多的基督，并有富余献给神作我们的供物。
第四项是关于耶和华军队的元帅。以色列人受了割礼，享受了逾越节，也享受了美地的出产。然而，他们仍需要元帅。于是约书亚看见异象，基督被揭示为耶和华军队的元帅。约书亚是看得见的元帅，但基督是看不见的元帅。在以色列人攻击迦南人以前，他们完全预备好并够资格，有基督这位神的具体化身作他们的元帅。他们攻击耶利哥时，是在约柜所预表之元帅的吩咐下作这事。约柜预表作他们元帅的基督，领先攻击仇敌。
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The Preparation of Possessing the Good Land — Jos. 5:13-14
Joshua 5 covers four matters of intrinsic significance. To prepare to possess the good land, we need to enter into these four items. We need to deal with the flesh, enjoy the Lord’s table, enjoy the all-inclusive Christ as the produce of the good land and see a vision of Christ, the embodiment of God, as our Captain.
The first item is circumcision. By crossing the river Jordan, Israel’s old man was buried and they came out to become the new man. This was an objective work done by God. Israel still needed to apply it to their flesh. Therefore, they prepared knives of flint to cut off their foreskins. This cutting was their application of what God had done in the crossing of the river Jordan. In the New Testament circumcision means the constant application of the Lord’s death to our flesh. Romans 6:3-4 says that we have been baptized into the death of Christ and buried with Him, but Romans 8:13 and Galatians 5:24 tell us that we should apply the circumcision of the cross to our flesh by the Spirit. In fact, our flesh has already been crucified, but in practicality we need to crucify the flesh day by day.
The second item of intrinsic significance in Joshua 5 is the Passover. The feast of the Passover was held to remember Israel’s redemption from the death judgment on the firstborn sons and their salvation from Egypt and from the tyranny of Pharaoh. This is a type of the Lord’s table. At the Lord’s table we remember Him as the Redeemer and as the Savior. Our portion today is not death but the partaking and enjoying of Christ at His table.
The third item of intrinsic significance is the eating of the produce of the good land. For forty years the children of Israel had been eating manna without any labor on their part. But when the manna ceased, their food could be produced only by cooperating with God. The produce of the land of Canaan came out of farming. This means that it was the result of man’s labor and cooperation with God. Both the manna and the produce of the good land typify Christ. John 6 speaks of Christ as the manna who came down from heaven to feed us. In the Epistles Christ is no longer just manna; He is the produce of the good land, prepared through our laboring cooperation with God. This brings in more Christ for ourselves and others and provides a surplus to God as our offering.
The fourth item of intrinsic significance concerns the Captain of Jehovah’s army. They had been circumcised, they had enjoyed the Passover, and they had enjoyed the produce of the good land. However, they still needed a Captain. Then Joshua saw a vision in which Christ was unveiled as the Captain of Jehovah’s army. Joshua was the visible commander, but Christ was the invisible One. Before the children of Israel attacked the Canaanites, they were fully prepared and qualified with Christ, the embodiment of God, as their Captain. When they attacked Jericho, they did this under the commanding of the Captain typified by the ark. The ark, a type of Christ, who was their Commander-in-chief, took the lead to attack the enemies.