GETTING STARTED
What comes to mind when you hear the word formula? For me, it is Mrs. Poplin’s eighth grade Algebra I class, and let’s just say the memories are not comforting. I was an English class kind of girl, so in my mind, the letters a and b could not combine in any way to eventually form a number. The concept of a formula had negative connotations. For my best friend Beth, however, formulas brought a sense of comfort. They meant order and predictability. So, it makes sense that today she’s a physician and I’m a writer. In today’s passage, Joshua finds confidence not in numbers or letters, but in a faithful God.
- What brings you confidence on a day-to-day basis?
READ THE WORD: JOSHUA 3:7-13 (ESV)
7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
DIGGING DEEPER
- Verse 7 is a personal message from God to Joshua. Why does the passage say that God was going to exalt Joshua?
- What specific instruction did God give Joshua? What was Joshua’s reaction to the instruction in verse 9?
- How would you describe Joshua’s tone and general attitude as he instructed the people of Israel in verses 10-13? Why do you think this is?
- As Joshua was giving the instructions about how the water of the Jordan River was going to “stand all in one heap” so they could cross to the Promised Land, many people were likely remembering the stories they had been told by their ancestors of the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14). How might this have given them confidence?
- When you need to hear instruction from the Lord on an important issue, where do you turn? Where do you find confidence to cross over to the other side? How do you know “that the living God is among you”?
RESPOND TO GOD
There is no formula—no series of actions—that will ensure our desired outcome in any one situation. But there is a faithful pattern of following God that we see in this passage. Joshua’s heart was obviously positioned to humbly hear from God and to immediately obey his words. Joshua fully expected God to move in his situation, to part the waters so they could cross over. And God did. Again. Joshua listened for God’s voice, gained confidence and peace by remembering God’s faithfulness in the past, believed God’s word, and obeyed. Is there something in your life right now that needs to be moved by God? Take a lesson from Joshua.
- Ask God to position your heart to hear from him: consider reading the Bible, repenting of known sin, and asking for revelation of unknown sin. Try listening to praise music or talking to God while you drive down the road.
- Pray that God would remind you of all of the times that he has been faithful to you in the past.