GETTING STARTED
Forty years of waiting and wandering were over. The two million-plus descendants of the patriarch Abraham were about to enter the land that God had promised would someday be theirs. He had promised it to Abraham, and a promise from the creator of the universe was more than a mere human promise. It was a commitment or covenant that was sure, much like the effect of gravity after a fall. It just will be! It’s a guarantee. So, here our story begins, with the Israelites waiting on the bank of the Jordan with anticipation.
- Do you see God’s promises to you as sureties or possibilities?
READ THE WORD: JOSHUA 3:1-6 (ESV)
3:1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
DIGGING DEEPER
- What were the people directed to follow (vs. 3)?
- What were the people commanded to do before they set out from camp (vs. 5)?
- “Consecrate” means to declare as holy, or to set something apart for a sacred purpose. Why would it have been important for the Israelites to consecrate themselves (vs. 5)? What does it tell you about what the Israelites were about to do? What does it tell you about God?
- Who did Joshua want the people to know was responsible for what was about to happen (vs. 5)? Why do you think Joshua ordered the priests to lead the procession out of the desert and across the Jordan?
- How is fear keeping you from recognizing and realizing God’s presence today? How does your trust and obedience reflect your faith in God?
RESPOND TO GOD
The ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. The ark was a token of God himself. This ark symbolized a covenant with God, that he was with them and that he was their God! There was no need to fear because their God was present, and he had made a covenant with them to lead them to this promised land. This is the same God who leads you today. There is no need to fear because your God is present, alive, real, and will direct you. The God who took the Israelites into the Promised Land is the exact same God who is with you.
- Pray that God will strengthen your faith in his sure and absolute presence in your life.