April 21, 2017
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Time to Go?

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Holy God, may the pulse of my heart throb to the cadences of Your rule. Thank You for being my God.

Read Joshua 3:1–17

[1] Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. [2] After three days the officers went throughout the camp, [3] giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. [4] Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.” [5] Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” [6] Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them. [7] 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. [8] 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.'” [9] Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. [10] 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. [11] See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. [12] Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. [13] And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD-the Lord of all the earth-set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” [14] So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. [15] Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, [16] the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. [17] The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“When you go through an open door, go through it with all your heart, with the powerlessness and poverty of a child, singing, dancing in the love of God” (Brennan Manning, 1934–2013).

 

At last, it’s time to go—almost! Imagine the excitement and tension.
Finally the Israelites are on the banks of the Jordan, Canaan is in sight—there’s nothing to stop
them. But for another three days, they are kept there receiving final instructions. First, the
officers give orders to the people (3), then Joshua tells the people how to prepare spiritually (5),
instructing the priests to go ahead of them with the Ark of the Covenant (6). Finally, God
encourages Joshua (7) and gives him the final instruction for the priests (8).
Sometimes we wait a long time for God to do something and then, suddenly, he acts. It’s as
though he has pressed “Enter” on the keyboard. But there still may be a pause—we’re not quite
there yet. As here and also with the disciples waiting for Pentecost (Acts 1:4), the final period of
waiting is often crucial to his plan.
What a time for God to choose for them to cross! For most of the year the Jordan is shallow and
crossing on foot is easy. But this is spring, the same time of year that Moses took the people
across the Red Sea—another of the parallels we saw yesterday—and the river was in full flood.
Crossing it needed a miracle (16), and that was just the point.
Many leaders are good at telling people what to do. But God shows them an example of good
leadership (and not for the last time; Phil. 2:5–8). The Ark of the Covenant was not just a symbol
of his presence—he really was there. So God literally went ahead of the people into the river
(14), and then on into Canaan. And they didn’t get their feet wet!

At last, it’s time to go—almost! Imagine the excitement and tension. Finally the Israelites are on the banks of the Jordan, Canaan is in sight—there’s nothing to stop them. But for another three days, they are kept there receiving final instructions. First, the officers give orders to the people (3), then Joshua tells the people how to prepare spiritually (5), instructing the priests to go ahead of them with the Ark of the Covenant (6). Finally, God encourages Joshua (7) and gives him the final instruction for the priests (8). Sometimes we wait a long time for God to do something and then, suddenly, he acts. It’s as
though he has pressed “Enter” on the keyboard. But there still may be a pause—we’re not quite there yet. As here and also with the disciples waiting for Pentecost (Acts 1:4), the final period of waiting is often crucial to his plan. What a time for God to choose for them to cross! For most of the year the Jordan is shallow and crossing on foot is easy. But this is spring, the same time of year that Moses took the people across the Red Sea—another of the parallels we saw yesterday—and the river was in full flood. Crossing it needed a miracle (16), and that was just the point. Many leaders are good at telling people what to do. But God shows them an example of good leadership (and not for the last time; Phil. 2:5–8). The Ark of the Covenant was not just a symbol of his presence—he really was there. So God literally went ahead of the people into the river
(14), and then on into Canaan. And they didn’t get their feet wet! 

 

Apply

How do you handle the situation of waiting for God to act? How can you improve your response?

Closing prayer

Lord, sometimes it is hard to wait and difficult to discern what is going on. Fill me with Your wisdom and give me the grace of patience.

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