Verse of the day: Joshua 4:10 So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and crossed over.
What did Moses command Joshua to do? In Deuteronomy 31:7-8 we have his charge to Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Moses’ instructions to Joshua were simple…be strong, go into the land as God commanded, and do not be afraid because He is with you. We see from Joshua’s leadership that he was very careful to do only that which the Lord commanded. When they were preparing to take the Promise Land, Joshua commanded the people not to move until the Ark of the Lord led them (Joshua 3:3). Joshua did exactly as the Lord commanded in having the priest first put their feet into the water, before He would part the waters (Joshua 3:13). Now, we see that He is not only going across the Jordan by God’s direction, but the Ark was not removed from the midst of the Jordan until God directed it (v. 15). What a beautiful picture we have here confirming the truth spoken to us in the Scriptures that God will never leave nor forsake His people (Hebrews 13:5). Note that the Ark of the Lord went before them, but did not abandon them while they were in the floodwaters of the Jordan. Isaiah 43:2 tells us, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” This was true at this very moment. God was with them when they passed through the waters, not once but twice. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, experienced this up close and person in Daniel 3:24-25, “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ 25 ‘Look!’ he answered, ‘I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’” This still holds true today. The same God who remained in the midst of the Jordan, and also walked with these three men in the fiery furnace, is the same God who walks with us through the trials He allows into our lives. In the case of the Israelites, their faith was tested as they crossed the Jordan to inherit the blessing God promised, and with these three young men, they experienced God’s presence in the midst of persecution, for standing up for their faith in the Lord. The Apostle Paul wrote this about times of testing in his service to, and walk with, the Lord in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” Today we must find comfort, peace, and joy, in knowing that no matter what God allows in our service to Him and no matter what we experience for standing firm in our faith, God is with us. The waters of the Jordan did not go back to their original state until after each of the Israelites was on the other side, and the Ark of the Lord was removed from its midst by the priests. One important note is that Joshua, the priests and the people all found themselves in the midst of the floodwaters of the Jordan by God’s direction. We must keep in mind that we cannot just haphazardly put ourselves in harm’s way, or go to where God has not sent us, and expect that God will deliver us from our foolishness. When Satan was trying to tempt Jesus to sin, one of His answers to the devil was in Matthew 4:7, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” If we are doing what we know God has called us to do, and things suddenly are turned upside down, know that God already knew this was coming, know that He is always with us, and know that He will walk through it with us.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
No comments:
Post a Comment