Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder what the greatest, most miraculous event is that you’ve ever been a part of? Maybe it was personal involving only you, maybe you were privileged to be in the crowd of hundreds or thousands when God did something miraculous impacting all of you. Can you think of such a life changing experience in your life journey?
Come with me again, back in time almost 3400 years, to a flooded Jordan river and walk with me among the tents, thousands of tents, housing more than one million Israelite people who are watching the torrent of water and with considerable anxiety wondering what will happen next? This incredible event is found in Joshua 3 in the Bible. These people had been wandering in the hot Sinai desert for 40 years! 4 decades of hopelessness!
Now they’ve been led by God and Joshua to the banks of the Jordan river, but the river is at flood stage! (Josh. 3:15) Still they have received these instructions from their leaders: “When you see the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God and the Levites carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go since you have never been this way before!” For the past two days these people had been contemplating those instructions, trying to figure out what was about to happen, and then Joshua sent this word throughout the tent city: “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you!” (Joshua 3:5)
Now my friends, put yourself in that place. One million people… little kids running all over the place. Moms and Dads wanting to be responsible and so incredibly excited about leaving the desert and perhaps finally being able to settle down and build a life for their family. But the flooded river rushing in front of them is an insurmountable barrier to their hopes and dreams of a new life on the other side. What would you have done?
What was Joshua asking them to do when he said, “Consecrate yourselves…?” I think Joshua was asking them to deal with their fear, their doubt, their worry that was welling up inside each of them and recommit their full trust in the God who had rescued their parents out of Egypt and kept them alive for 40 years in the uninhabitable desert!
It was for them and their generation so very much like what it had been for their parents! Moses had instructed their parents to pack their belongings; prepare to leave inescapable Egyptian bondage; put the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of their homes; and EXPECT a miracle. Johsua was now calling this young generation to consecrate themselves and PREPARE for a miracle!
Now my friends, when was the last time you sensed God challenging YOU to consecrate yourself anew to Him and prepare for a miracle?
Joshua doesn’t tell us what the people did to consecrate themselves or prepare for the miracle, but he does tell us the unbelievable thing that he did next: “Joshua said to the Levites, ‘take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass on ahead of the people.‘ So, they took it up and stepped out ahead of the people.” (Joshua 3:6) I presume the people had been dismantling their tents and packing their belongings and gathering up their children and animals in preparation for moving, but moving where? Certainly NOT TOWARD the flooded Jordan river? I also presume there were some reluctant procrastinators among the crowd, not doing anything but watching and waiting to see what was going to happen.
The Tabernacle, the portable “Tent of Meeting”, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, would have been back in the middle of the tent city and the cloud of God’s Presence would have been hovering over that Tabernacle, as it had for the past 40 years. But this time something very different happened.
The cloud did not move, yet this time the Levites, as instructed by Joshua, went into the Tabernacle, into the Most Holy Place, behind the great veil, and lifted the Ark up onto the shoulders of six or eight Levite Priests. The long poles covered with gold, through the gold rings on the four corners of the Ark enabled these men to carry it on their shoulders, without touching the Ark, as Moses had directed their fathers of the past generation. (Ex. 24:10-22)
As they stepped out of the Tabernacle, I hear a great shout rising up from the people as the sun gleams off this gold box, representing the Covenant of God with His people. What a great symbol of HOPE!
I think the men paused, waiting for instructions from Joshua. Which direction were they supposed to go, carrying this magnificent Ark? Joshua listened and God spoke to him: “And the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.” (Joshua 3:7,8) I imagine Joshua rubbed his eyes and forehead, perhaps ran his hand through his hair or stroked his beard as he looked at the priests standing there with the Ark on their shoulders waiting for instructions. Then Joshua looked out at the people, many of them with the carts loaded, their children at their side ready to go… but go where? What could Joshua possibly say that would not sound ridiculous? What would you have said? Look, Joshua is ready to speak, let’s listen and watch.
“Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD of all the earth will go INTO the Jordan river ahead of you…” (Joshua 3:9-11) Did you hear it my friends? Joshua just explained that the Ark was going INTO the flooded Jordan river! And why? Oh, the miracle God was about to do was not primarily about a flooded Jordan river!
Really? Yes my friends, the main reason God was going to help the people across the flooded Jordan was so they would KNOW that the LORD God was with them and that the LORD God would lead them forward and drive out the vicious inhabitants of the land so God could deliver this promised land into the hands of His people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons, the Israelites. Now pause and ponder that my friends.
When God does miracles, it is always for the purpose of helping us know God, understand His truths, His ways, His purposes and join with God in accomplishing His great purposes in our world. Did you get that? Is that your understanding of WHY God has done miracles through the centuries? So often we cry out for God’s miracles to solve a problem or do something we desperately need but can’t provide for ourselves, right? But God’s greater desire is that we grow in knowing God and developing our life changing relationship with Him, the relationship for which God designed and created the human race! If that is God’s great desire for you and me, we must ask ourselves, is that our greatest desire, or do we only want God’s help in dealing with our problems?
Now friends, I often choose a song to help us reflect on what God has given me to write for you…but today it’s far more than a song. It’s one of the most remarkable audio-visual displays of the majesty, the grandeur of our creator God that I’ve ever seen. You’ll likely want to watch and listen to this song several times, it will leave you awestruck!
Today’s Scripture is Joshua 3:5-11.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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