Joshua 3:2-17.
CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN
The second time the Israelites had to cross a water obstacle since leaving Egypt on the way to Canaan. The FIRST obstacle a deep sea and the SECOND a flooded flowing river. What are the lessons drawn from this passage?
1. The Faithfulness of the priests bearing the Ark.
2. The obedience of the Israelites to the leadership of Joshua.
The Israelite Nation, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, are poised to enter the Promised Land encamped on the plains of Moab. They are faced with a formidable obstacle - the flooded River Jordan. To enter the Promised Land they have to cross the River.
This is the time of harvest and the river overflows its banks making the crossing full of danger. There is no bridge, no boats, or any other means by which to make the crossing possible but God commands that they cross the river. It is God's way of doing it and the Ark has to lead the way for the people. For this to happen the Priests are involved. God's command to the Priests, 'Take up the Ark....cross over the people' . The Ark led the way, clearly visible to all the people making sure that it was safe for the people to follow.
Is is God who leads us and shows the way to follow on our earthly way-Is.48:17. He leads us and guides us and we must not presume that we know the way. He has the means to do so.
Throughout their journeyings to the Promised Land the Ark went before them and they followed, not the other way round. But for this to happen there was a vital element -The Priests who carried the Ark. They were the ministers of God's Grace to the people. Without them the Ark would be stationary, unable to lead the way forward. We are now the Kings and Priests to God, ministering to His people and leading the way.
The Priests had an awesome responsibility before the people and God. They had to carry the Ark and walk ahead. They stood in the water and trusted God to do what He had promised. They believed what God had said and moved in Faith. They were between God and the people. A picture of Intercession.
What was the result of this situation? The river parted and the waters stood still to open the way for the people to cross over. In spite of the obvious risks that the Priests faced they pressed on. They stood firm without murmuring and objections. Not like us. It is a good thing to desire a ministry and serve God but we must realize that this carries a responsibility before God and the people. It calls for Faithfulness and Obedience.
After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness we see a clear change in the attitude and behaviour of the new Israelite Nation. The generation that cane out of Egypt perished in the wilderness. We see a new obedient generation ready to move on and obey God. The great leader Moses bore the brunt of a rebellious and adverse behaviour of that generation but he pressed on as 'seeing the invisible' . In the end he was excluded form entering the Promised Land only to be succeeded by another great leader, Joshua the son of Nun, the faithful servant of Moses.
God endorsed the leadership of Joshua clearly. We hear of no objections or murmurings against Joshua..People recognized that he was God's choice to lead them to the promised Land. A Godly
leader in the Church is a comfort to the people.
There were mistakes from Joshua and the Israelite leaders, like there are in any Church, but these were remedied when they turned to the Lord for answers and guidance. A congregation should be spiritually alert to recognize such problems and rally to the aid of the leadership in the Church in difficult situations. Did God reprove Joshua and the leaders severely? No, He encouraged them to put matters right and press on.
What is our attitude to mistakes in the Church? How spiritual are we when problems arise? How do we face them? Do we move forward with Grace or back in shame?
The Israelites found that under the leadership of Joshua they could overcome problems and move on to conquer the Promised Land. Joshua remained a man of God and a leader of the people till the end. Let us hear his words at the end of his days, ' As for me and my house we shall serve the Lord' .
Contrast the people when a new generation arose, 'In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in their eyes' .
CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN
The second time the Israelites had to cross a water obstacle since leaving Egypt on the way to Canaan. The FIRST obstacle a deep sea and the SECOND a flooded flowing river. What are the lessons drawn from this passage?
1. The Faithfulness of the priests bearing the Ark.
2. The obedience of the Israelites to the leadership of Joshua.
The Israelite Nation, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, are poised to enter the Promised Land encamped on the plains of Moab. They are faced with a formidable obstacle - the flooded River Jordan. To enter the Promised Land they have to cross the River.
This is the time of harvest and the river overflows its banks making the crossing full of danger. There is no bridge, no boats, or any other means by which to make the crossing possible but God commands that they cross the river. It is God's way of doing it and the Ark has to lead the way for the people. For this to happen the Priests are involved. God's command to the Priests, 'Take up the Ark....cross over the people' . The Ark led the way, clearly visible to all the people making sure that it was safe for the people to follow.
Is is God who leads us and shows the way to follow on our earthly way-Is.48:17. He leads us and guides us and we must not presume that we know the way. He has the means to do so.
Throughout their journeyings to the Promised Land the Ark went before them and they followed, not the other way round. But for this to happen there was a vital element -The Priests who carried the Ark. They were the ministers of God's Grace to the people. Without them the Ark would be stationary, unable to lead the way forward. We are now the Kings and Priests to God, ministering to His people and leading the way.
The Priests had an awesome responsibility before the people and God. They had to carry the Ark and walk ahead. They stood in the water and trusted God to do what He had promised. They believed what God had said and moved in Faith. They were between God and the people. A picture of Intercession.
What was the result of this situation? The river parted and the waters stood still to open the way for the people to cross over. In spite of the obvious risks that the Priests faced they pressed on. They stood firm without murmuring and objections. Not like us. It is a good thing to desire a ministry and serve God but we must realize that this carries a responsibility before God and the people. It calls for Faithfulness and Obedience.
After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness we see a clear change in the attitude and behaviour of the new Israelite Nation. The generation that cane out of Egypt perished in the wilderness. We see a new obedient generation ready to move on and obey God. The great leader Moses bore the brunt of a rebellious and adverse behaviour of that generation but he pressed on as 'seeing the invisible' . In the end he was excluded form entering the Promised Land only to be succeeded by another great leader, Joshua the son of Nun, the faithful servant of Moses.
God endorsed the leadership of Joshua clearly. We hear of no objections or murmurings against Joshua..People recognized that he was God's choice to lead them to the promised Land. A Godly
leader in the Church is a comfort to the people.
There were mistakes from Joshua and the Israelite leaders, like there are in any Church, but these were remedied when they turned to the Lord for answers and guidance. A congregation should be spiritually alert to recognize such problems and rally to the aid of the leadership in the Church in difficult situations. Did God reprove Joshua and the leaders severely? No, He encouraged them to put matters right and press on.
What is our attitude to mistakes in the Church? How spiritual are we when problems arise? How do we face them? Do we move forward with Grace or back in shame?
The Israelites found that under the leadership of Joshua they could overcome problems and move on to conquer the Promised Land. Joshua remained a man of God and a leader of the people till the end. Let us hear his words at the end of his days, ' As for me and my house we shall serve the Lord' .
Contrast the people when a new generation arose, 'In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in their eyes' .
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