This post is also available as a podcast: https://anchor.fm/teague-mckamey/episodes/No-Mercy–No-Treaty-e1khe24

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In Deuteronomy, the Lord talks with Israel about driving out the inhabitants of the land He has promised them. He describes the inhabitants as “seven nations stronger and more numerous” but tells Israel to remember what He did to Egypt (Deut. 7:1, 17-18).  Based on Passover, they are to move into the land, utterly destroying the peoples they encounter.  The Lord says Israel must not show them mercy or make a treaty with them.  

The first Passover and the exodus were consummate pictures of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Israel’s taking of the land shows us two spiritual realities at once: 1) believers possessing Christ, the land of promise; 2) Jesus (the same name as Joshua) taking the soul of the believer.

We possess Christ as we rely on Passover—the work of the cross.  As we rely on the work of the cross, Jesus simultaneously marches with us into our souls to destroy what is not of Him.  We have inhabitants in us—godlessness, fleshly viewpoints, sinful urges, hatred, you name it.  Jesus is moving into us to utterly destroy these things.  He will show them no mercy and will make no treaty with them.

Deuteronomy encourages us to have the same mindset and to be in step with Jesus as He takes the land of our souls.  We believe in Passover; we believe we died and raised with Christ.  This belief destroys inhabitants as we encounter them.  We do not fight our own battle.  Jesus in us fights for us based on His destruction of the sinful nature at the cross.

Moses tells the people they won’t be able to drive out all the inhabitants at once (Deut. 7:22).  It is the same in our souls.  Jesus has infinite wisdom when it comes to our growth and sanctification.  He knows when to battle which inhabitants, which we can march against now, which we must not engage until other growth has occurred.  He is the captain of the Lord’s army.  We need to follow His lead in all things.  His victory in us is sure.  The length of the campaign is immaterial.  Jesus’s strategy cannot fail in us.