Light on the past
Although the people of Israel had left the toughest adversary Egypt behind them after the passage through the Reed Sea, new enemies had appeared. One day there were five of them. But God did not let the sun set for a whole day, so that they could be defeated. Even in personal life, the path to freedom remains a lifelong task. But God gives such sunny days in which we are challenged to attack and defeat the enemies from the past.
God created the whole Creatio out of nothing. The Hebrew word for this is bara used. Apart from the creation story, this verb appears only once more in the Bible. David uses it: «God, create in me a pure heart and give me a new, sincere spirit»(Psalm 51:12 NLB). With the same creativity and power, God can create a new heart or restore a broken heart. So there is hope for all people who go through life with the handbrake on.
On the way to the Promised Land
The story of Israel in the Old Testament can be interpreted allegorically to illustrate a person’s journey with God. The different stations have deep spiritual meaning:
- Captivity in Egypt (Exodus 1)In Hebrew it says Mizraim. This means confinement or oppression. The dual ending ayim indicates a twofold oppression, an inner and an outer one. Every human being is separated from God from birth and are in hostile captivity (Romans 3:23). This is the starting position in life.
- Passover and Exodus (Exodus 12+13): At Passover, the Israelites had to kill a spotless sheep and paint the blood on the doorposts of their houses. This is an image of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Golgotha. Those who entrust their lives to Jesus Christ thereby claim this substitutionary death for themselves. For the Hebrews, the blood is the seat of life. With the personal exodus from Egypt, the turning to Jesus Christ, one receives a new life as a gift.
- Pillar of fire and cloud (Ex 13:17ff)Immediately after the Exodus, God takes the lead. A human being, on the way with God, is led by the Holy Spirit.
- Passage through the Reed Sea (Exodus 14)After the Exodus, the Israelites soon felt the breath of their powerful enemies behind them. Since the Sea of Reeds lay before them, they had no chance. But God let the Israelites pass through the sea with dry feet. When the highly militarised Egypt followed them, the waters came and buried the whole army. Paul compares this to baptism in 1 Corinthians 10:2. In baptism, a line is drawn behind the person being baptised over which the enemies cannot pass.
- Manna and water (Exodus 16)God provides – not in advance – but daily with the necessities. It is the answer to the request «Give us today our daily bread» in the «Our Father». It is the basis for a carefree life.
- Victory against another enemy (Ex 17:8ff)Even after the passage through the Sea of Reeds, enemies appeared again. Through fervent prayer, however, the Amalekites were defeated.
- Entry into the Promised Land (Book of Joshua)After many challenging years in the desert, the Israelites are finally allowed to enter Canaan. For a follower of Jesus, this is the moment when he comes into the immediate presence of God after his earthly life.
The enemies do not go out
At the beginning of the taking of the land, after Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai and Gibeon had allied with him, this brought 5 kings on the scene. Together they wanted to attack Gibeon and defeat the Israelites: «So the five Amorite kings – the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon united their armies, brought their troops into position and attacked Gibeon»(Joshua 10:5 NLB).
In the Christian landscape, the opinion is sometimes held that with a clear turning (conversion, rebirth) to Jesus Christ combined with baptism, all enemies are defeated forever. Perhaps this is the case in some cases. In practice, we also encounter other examples. For the people of Israel, too, new enemies appear on the horizon after the Reed Sea. Here there are five of them.
Five possible enemies who want to «spit in our soup» should be mentioned here:
Enemy «unlovedThere are people who experienced very little love in childhood or had to earn it through performance. Instead of an unconditional «yes», they only ever heard a «yes, but…». As a result, such people are unreceptive to love or they suck it up. This in turn puts a strain on current relationships.
Enemy «AbuseAbuses are far too widespread – emotional, physical and even ritual. In order to survive, you had to split off a part of yourself. You may not even be aware today that you have been abused. But every now and then you experience how a situation triggers you and makes you act very irrationally and destructively.
Enemy «devaluationThe heavenly Father, your Creator, pronounces a «very good» on your life. Many people have plundered this account on your way to adulthood. Again and again you have heard that you are not enough and that you cannot get it together. Today you believe it and live far below your calling because you don’t find the courage to tackle something.
Enemy «NeglectSome children are neglected by their parents, so that the bond with the mother or father was not built stably. Perhaps emotional security was also missing because other things were often more important than you. Today you have great difficulty in getting involved in deep and long-lasting relationships.
Enemy «ShamingShame wants to make us wise that we have not only made mistakes, but that we ourselves are a mistake. Maybe you were often laughed at in school. The whole class turned around and made fun of your red head. Even today, you try not to make a fuss and don’t bring up things that bother you. You give a wide berth to any situation that could be embarrassing for you.
This summer we were out on the mountain bikes. Someone in the group had his shoes rubbing on the brake disc. The result was an annoying whistling sound and more resistance, which led to a greater effort. The five enemies have similar effects. We spread an annoying tone and go through life with the brakes on. It is hard to imagine how much joie de vivre, courage and vitality fall by the wayside – a life below one’s actual potential. The path to freedom remains a lifelong task.
God gives victory in the struggle
What comes next is just great! First the Lord encourages Joshua: « «Do not be afraid of them,» the Lord said to Joshua, «for I will give you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand against you».»(Joshua 10:8 NLB). This promise also applies to you in dealing with your enemies. Our enemies from the past like to act intimidating. Not infrequently, we allow ourselves to be paralysed by them. We can be brave and attack the enemies. Not a single one of them will be able to stand against you.
Joshua attacks the enemies at night with a surprise attack. This attack pushed the start button for the Lord. It panicked the enemy armies so that they became easy prey for the Israelites. Some Christians believe that their path to freedom is automatic. Someday, somehow, someone will set them free. No, we must take the enemies by the horns to experience God giving victory.
And then it happens! God intervenes in the laws of nature to enable Israel to completely defeat the enemies. «On that day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites. Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all Israel and he said: «May the sun stand still over Gibeon and the moon over the valley of Ajalon». So the sun and moon stood still until the Israelites had avenged themselves on their enemies. Is not this event described in the Book of the Sincere? The sun remained high in the sky. It did not set for about a whole day» (Joshua 10:12,13 NLB).
God, the Creator, He who put the laws of nature into creation, also has the power to override them. The sun does not set for the Israelites for a whole day. God lets his light shine into the battle. The people of Israel are given the time they need to finish off the enemies. Light is important in this struggle. The enemies have the most power in our lives when they can work unnoticed in the dark. Our enemies, our brokenness and our hurts need to be brought to light. There we can recognise them and destroy them with God’s help.
At seetal chile, we also don’t let the sun set every other year. And that is when we offer the course «Living in Freedom». This can become such a moment of light for you, where old and unprocessed things from your past are allowed to come to light. With God’s help, the enemies are to be lured out of hiding, named and defeated. And yes – men also have wounded hearts that pester them. Success at work does not mean that someone is free. Many men are very successful professionally but are on their last legs in relationships. If you want to do something good for the people around you, it is worth taking advantage of such light days.
God sheds light on our enemies of the past. Jesus says: «I have come as a light to shine in this dark world so that all who believe in me will not remain in darkness»(John 12:46 NLB). If you live with Jesus, your past does not have to remain in the dark. The enemies lose their power in the light and you experience victory. In trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ lies the potential for full freedom. HE can create a new heart – and does it gladly.
Possible questions for the small groups
Read the Bible text: Joshua 10:5–14
- When you think of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the taking of the land of Canaan, at which station are you?
- What enemies from the past are you dealing with? How do they influence your life?
- Do you know examples of other people where enemies let them live below their destiny?
- Have you also had such days when the sun did not set and you were able to defeat enemies?
- Check whether it might be your turn to join the course «Living in Freedom».
