It was time for crossing the Jordan!
After three days of hiding in the desert, the two spies from Israel returned to the camp. They crossed back to the other side of the Jordan River and gave their report to Joshua. Joshua knew it was time to move ahead.
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Our little group has been slowly walking through the bible together.
Today we are continuing with our seventh lesson from The Book of Joshua.
GET READY FOR THE FUTURE
Joshua advised the people to consecrate themselves because God was going to do amazing things among them tomorrow.
They were crossing over into a completely new territory.
Ahead lay miles of unfamiliar ground.
Everything had changed.
They had no sense of direction yet. There needed to be a way for them to know how to move forward. Someone had to indicate which way to go.
God gave instructions for finding that way to Joshua, who gave it to the people. No more pillar of smoke at night and pillar of cloud in the day time. Now that they had arrived in Canaan; God would be leading them from The Ark of the Covenant! Things don’t get much better than that.
BEING LED BY GOD
The officers of Israel advised every tribe to be on the look out for the Ark of the Covenant passing by. This would be their cue to begin to move. Officials of Joshua carefully explained that the Levitical priests would be carrying The Ark. The people knew when they saw the Ark, that they were to begin to move into formation and follow it.
The goal was to follow the Ark; but they were warned not to get too close; only to follow behind it. The Ark would lead them and show them the way.
OLD WAYS FOR NEW WAYS
In the Old Testament days, the Ark was the place where The Presence of God dwelled among the people. These were the days before Jesus, when the veil had not yet been torn, and people could not come into The Holy Place of God and live.
The new ways of Jesus changed all of this. Today we can safely enter into The Presence of God because of the covering atonement Jesus has provided. This perfect atonement had not yet happened in the days of Joshua. God was still preparing the people. They had to be very careful.
These people needed to know and understand that the Presence of God was holy and never to be taken for granted. These ancient ways were how God taught them to know of His existence among them.
HOLINESS OF THE ARK
No one touched the Ark!
How were they so sure that the Ark represented God’s Presence among them?
There were several reasons. One was that they knew the Ark contained the stone tablets which had the words of God’s Covenant with mankind inscribed upon them (The Ten Commandments.) Following the Ark represented following The Commandments of God.
By following the Ark and The Ten Commandments; the people could never go wrong.
LIFE AND DEATH
Not only would they be shown the right direction and way to move by watching the movement of the Ark; they would be shown the way to live by moving in the wisdom of the Ten Commandments that were contained inside the Ark.
The priests taught the commandments to God’s people. Those commandments were a part of God’s Covenant with Israel. Keeping the Covenant with God was part of keeping the Covenant that Moses had established with God for His People.
Breaking a Covenant meant death to the party who broke it.
Therefore; anyone desiring to live in the ways of the commandments would also be carrying out the agreement of the Covenant with God.
Obeying the Covenant meant life and abundance of blessings.
THE PLACE OF ATONEMENT
The covering of the Ark was made of pure gold. The gold had been carefully formed from precious gold that the people had given as offerings to God. These were offerings that had NOT been coerced or demanded; but offerings given from the goodness of the hearts of the people who wanted to follow and worship God. They had not been asked to give at all. These were freewill offerings of the heart.
This Mercy Seat; or golden place of Atonement on top of the Ark was said to be the place where God sat when He was among them. The place of Atonement was where God met with mankind. I have a theory that God liked this place the best, not because it was made of pure gold; but because it was formed from the materials that proved His people’s love for Him.
GOD CONFIRMS JOSHUA’S LEADERSHIP
God was going to show the people that He was with Joshua just as He had been with Moses. He told Joshua when the priests carrying the Ark reached the edge of the Jordan River, to tell them to go and stand in the water.
It was the time of flooding during the harvest season. Standing in the water with the Ark carefully balanced would not have been an easy task. The priests would have had to stand against the forces of the heavy currents of the times.
God gave this command to Joshua ahead of time, and Joshua told the priests and the people ahead of time, that when this happened the water from the river flowing from downstream would be cut off and stand in a heap, as soon as the priests put their feet into the water.
This happened just as God had spoken.
I can’t help but think of how things change when God’s commandments are kept and respected by His people. Things that seemed impossible suddenly become possible. Facts that were not revealed before suddenly become evident. Truth comes forth and where there is truth freedom is born.
The respect for God’s Presence among them and the fact that He guided them from the commandments contained inside the Ark stopped the flow of the river and allowed God’s people to cross over. No other culture could have accomplished this feat; only true believers following a True God.
The people followed behind the Ark. When they reached the Jordan River the priest who were carrying the ark stepped into the water. The water stopped flowing downstream and piled up in a heap on one side of the Ark.
PROVISION FROM GOD FOR CROSSING
The priests stood on dry ground as they carried the ark to the middle of the river.
All of the people crossed over on dry ground. This happened even though they were crossing the river during the harvesting season when the river was typically at flood stage.
It was the time of the harvest; but the water was held back and the people crossed over.
This was like the time when God had helped Moses lead the people through the Sea on dry ground. It may also be a vision of days to come when Jesus Christ leads His army against the powers of Satan and restores the earth for The Kingdom of God.
Such a sign as this gave great confirmation to the people that God was leading Joshua and that he was now their true and rightful leader. This should also be symbolic proof to Christians today that Jesus is now the true and rightful heir to The Kingdom of Heaven. We should be following Him into the new Promised Land.
But first there will be a “crossing over.” The way to “cross over” is to recognize our leader as true and to follow The Commandments of God. The ancients did this and we too will get our own opportunities. Their miracle will fade in comparison with the miracle that God is going to do later.
LOOKING AT THE SYMBOLISM
Like almost every chapter in the book of Joshua; there is so much more here than meets the eye at first glance.
First we must consider the act of “crossing over.” This is a term that will also be used when we think of crossing from one world to the next. The Israelites were moving from one Kingdom (that of Pharaoh where they had been slaves), into a new Kingdom. The new place which God had granted to them was a place in which they would be free.
One day we all will “cross over” and move from one kingdom to the next. We will leave this world and all who have followed God will move into The Kingdom of Heaven. This world is full of slavery, bondage to sins and evil ways; but God’s Kingdom (which will come down to earth with our Messiah when He returns) will be full of peace and joy and love.
ONE MUST BELIEVE TO CROSS THE RIVER
Every time we repeat The Lord’s Prayer out loud we proclaim the hope of this. When we say the words “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” we are expressing our desire to know the “crossing” that will take place for all who believe in Messiah.
So many old gospel hymns have lyrics that speak of a “river.” The Jordan here represents the River of Life which leads to God. Water always represents God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit shows us the way to find God through Jesus.
We can find God’s Holy Spirit by obediently following God’s ways (the Ten Commandments) as we make our way through life and head for that beautiful crossing.
I think of how the priests of Israel were standing in that river holding up the Ark that contained the Commandments of God. As I ponder them, I remember a Psalm found in Psalm 46, verses 4 – 5. The CSB translation says it this way:
“There is a river – its streams delight the City of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns.”
THOSE WHO WILL REIGN ON THE OTHER SIDE
There is another scripture in Revelation that speaks of The River of Life. The passage speaks of what will be on the other side when we all cross over The River of Life in the future:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)
Those ancients living in Joshua’s day were on an amazing journey to an amazing place. However; their journey and their destination pales in comparison to the place in eternity where God will lead His people when the time is right.
Lord; hasten that day!