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"The tribe of Judah was taken . . . . . and Zabdi was taken . . . . . and Achan . . . . . was
taken" (Josh. 7: 16-18).
"The tribe of Benjamin was taken . . . . . the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the
son of Kish was taken" (I Sam. 10: 20, 21).
It seems impossible to resist this evidence. Eph. 1: 11 teaches us NOT that we have
obtained an inheritance, but that we have been taken by God as His inheritance! Of this
rendering Alford says: "This seems to me the only rendering by which philology and the
context are alike satisfied".
We have already gained information by referring to the history of Israel. Let us turn
again and see what that typical people tell us concerning this conception.
"And the Lord spake unto Aaron, thou shalt have no inheritance in the land, neither
shall thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the
children of Israel" (Numb. 18: 20).
This is blessing contrary to nature indeed! The man that God would honour the most,
is to have, apparently, least, but only apparently. The tribes of Israel may possess a
portion of the land, but Aaron finds his part and inheritance in the Lord Himself. This is
not on all fours with Eph. 1: 11, but it is an approach. The Ephesian believer is taken
one stage further; the Lord finds His portion in the members of the Church of the One
Body. This too finds its counterpart in Israel:
"The Lord's portion is His people: Jacob is the lot of His inheritance" (Deut. 32: 9).
We must not, however, make the mistake of insisting so much upon this aspect as to
deny that Israel did have an inheritance. Truth out of proportion oft becomes a lie. In
Deut. 4: 20, Moses reminds Israel that they were taken to be a people of inheritance unto
the Lord, but in verse 21 he refers to the good land which the Lord had given them for an
inheritance. Both statements are necessary for a full presentation of the truth. Both Israel
and the Church are reminded that unless they are the Lord's portion, all other portions
will be a mockery. Unless they find their inheritance in the Lord, mere possessions will
become vanity.
"All things are yours", said the Apostle, "whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the
world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours: and ye are
Christ's; and Christ is God's" (I Cor. 3: 22, 23).
The Apostle uses the word prothesis "purpose" once more in the Prison Epistles,
namely in II Tim. 1: 9, when speaking of the purpose of God, and once in II Tim. 3: 10
of his own purpose and manner of life.
So far we have been concerned mainly with the question of purpose. We now turn to
promise and will discover that the promises of God march with His purposes, and first of
all, find their beginning and ending in Christ.