God Delivers
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Intro Story: Abraham Lincoln at the age of 7 had to go to work to help support his family, at the age of 9 his mother died. At the age of 22 he lost his job as a store clerk, at the age of 23 he went into debt and became a partner in a small store, at the age of 26 his business partner died leaving him with a huge debt. By the age of 35 he had been defeated twice when running for a seat in congress. At the age of 37 he won the election. At the age of 39 he lost his re-election bid. At 41 his 4 year old son died. At 42 he was rejected for a land officer role. At 45 he ran for the senate and lost. He was defeated for the nomination of Vice President, at age 49 he ran for senate again and lost again. At the age of 51 he was elected President of the United States. During his second term of office he was assassinated. But his name lives on among the greats in U.S. history .
Although Lincoln faced many challenges, difficulties and loss he chose to continue to press on . What is our response when we are faced with the unknown, the disappointments, the loss, the confusion? Let’s face it, life for each and everyone of us at one time or another has seemed a little overwhelming! We know the challenges of life can be overflowing, as the old expression goes when it rains it pours. The bible even tells us that it rains on the just and unjust alike.
This morning we are going to focus on a generation of God’s people who have faced challenge after challenge. Disappointment after disappointment as have the generations before them . But now to see God’s promise fulfilled
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.
Joshua Ch 3 is an amazing story, a story of fulfillment. Yet it’s also challenging and frustrating as well.
Joshua 3:1-17
To catch us up briefly in scripture. Isreal now has a new leader in Joshua, some of you may be a little more familiar with the previous leader(Moses). Moses known for receiving the 10 commandments. Moses is a well known figure in the history of the Jewish community. Moses is now dead and it’s time for Joshua to step up. And the nation of Isreal has been through a lot up to this point. It goes back some 700 years to Abraham’s promise an old man with no kids, God giving him the promise “I’m going to make you a father of many nations, I’m going to take you to a land that’s beautiful.” And Abraham’s descendents have still yet to step foot in the promised land. And some 400 of the 700 have been spent in slavery. And the last 40 years up till this passage we just read have been spent wandering in the desert.( just circling).
As we look at this scripture I wonder what the tension level was like in the camp. Their whole lives they’ve been waiting on this promise. Their long time leader is dead and now it’s up to the new guy, and Joshua says now is the time and so they start moving. anywhere from 1 to 2 million Jewish people walking( don’t you think they’re tired of walking?) To put into perspective for those who were my age in their 30’s they would have been walking their whole lives. But finally they are getting close, can you imagine the anticipation, excitement and suspense that flowed through the camp. And as they arrived at the Jordan it’s completely flooded!
Now they could have been thinking that God was going to do one of those red sea miracles again, maybe it was Joshua’s turn to put a stick in the water and it would part. But when they are facing the waters, with their long awaited promise on the other side. But there is no word yet on what is going to take place. So there is a pause of 3 days. I can’t help but think some were saying “God you could have brought us here when the waters were narrow and shallow, we wouldn’t even need a miracle, we could just cross it.” For the Jordan is generally an unimpressive body of water. Some places only 20-40 feet wide and just a few feet deep. But God you bring us when it’s overflowing and at it’s most challenging size?
Does this not at times resemble our own lives when something used to only be a few feet wide and a few feet deep, It used to be small and not that big of a deal. But now they have escalated and it’s become a huge difficulty. You’re problem goes from not too bad to overwhelming. And you begin to question what do I do God? You’ve got all these promises and I can see your faithfulness. But what do I do? What do you do when it becomes too much? If you’re like me, you come up to a body of water like this , and you turn around and say let’s go back, its not a good time right now we’ll come back later.
But there are times when God is calling you to wait in the midst of it. For 3 days they are to camp right in front of this in front of their problem in front of their obstacle. Why? they have been waiting all these years for this promise. Why not just dry up the river and let them cross? Is it to allow the impossibility of what is about to happen, from a purely human point of view, to really sink in! It seems delays often have a greater purpose of refining and deepening our faith. In the text, we must not underestimate the challenge the river presents to them, and we have to remember that this is a whole nation- wives and children, animals and baggage- on the move with no obvious way to cross this fast flowing, swirling flood. But they are on the move because God says to move forward, they don’t know how it will happen or what’s going to happen, but they take the next step forward in obedience to what God has already said and leave the outcome with him. What a lesson to live this Christian life in trust and obedience.
Alexander MacLaren a minister of the gospel once said “God often opens his hand one finger at a time” and this is what is happening here. It is enough to see the next step and to trust God for what we cannot see yet. And that is the essence of true faith to trust where we cannot see “ for we live by faith, not by sight”. It is faith in the Lord that gathers up all of a our cares and anxieties in knowing that He has taken responsibility for our future and every step ahead of us, and faith leaves it all with God
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
Psalm 55:22
We must never give up what we do know because of what we don’t. Even though we don’t know how God’s faithfulness and power will be revealed or how he will guide our circumstances, what we do know is that he is our God, the one true God commited to us by His faithfulness and promises and “his love is as great as his power and knows neither measure or end”
Now let’s watch how God leads his people. At last the instructions are given
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.
Follow GOD
Follow GOD
God’s people have this arc (chest) a gift and you can find in . It is a physical, visible manifestation of presence and commitment to always be with the nation of Isreal. Inside this arc was a pot of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and the 10 Commandments.( the single most important object in the Hebrew life, it was a picture of God’s presence)
The key word in this passage of scripture is follow, 1st God commanded that they first be submissive to His Instructions. Which meant looking to the Arc and not the river. To look to God and not the problem before you. We remember what happened to Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water and Peter wanted to do the same thing, and Jesus said come on with it. Peter began to do the impossible by walking on water until he took his eyes off Jesus. Then the problems around him consumed him, and 2nd they had to keep their distance of 2000 cubits, about a half mile.What is the reasons for this distance? I think one for reasons of visibility so everyone in the camp may see the way in which God is leading them. And 2nd I think God wants to remind us of the sacredness of who he is and His Holiness. They were not to have a casual or a careless intimacy with God. But to have a walk with respect and reverence
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not.
To consecrate themselves involved the washing of garments as well as an inner concentration and renewed dependence on God ,they were to set themselves apart . They are about to have a totally new experience so they have to be dedicated to God in submission and to wait on the Lord. If there is one thing lacking the most in our relationship with God in our Western culture ,that is waiting. How often do we find ourselves running ahead of God, there are times we don’t want to set our lives apart to the Lord for His exclusive use, and because of this I wonder how much we’re missing out on. Often we don’t want to allow any sort of distance because we imagine we already know the way and don’t need step by step guidance. May these verses challenge us to reassess our daily discipleship, especially in this instant generation where we want everything sorted out and guaranteed before we start. May we be reminded that we are not writing the agenda, that the Lord is in control.
And he requires of us the same as he required the children of Isreal. Submissive obedience that desires His Glory and not our own.
Joshua 3:9-
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.
When life is overwhelming, do you believe there is a God who goes before you? It’s not always convenient and comfortable. We read the story and think oh, that’s pretty neat the priest steps in and the waters part like the red sea.
We can not take lightly the faith and the courage of the priest as they advance toward the river carrying the arc. The banks have been submerged by the overflowing river. They could so easily lose their footing, stumble in a hole, or be swept away by the current. God didn’t need all of this process to take place to allow the children of Isreal to cross. But God wanted them to act out in faith. For greater the obstacles faith encounters, the greater is the victory and assurance that come from continuing to act and trust in obedience.
The priest press on in obedience and reach the rivers edge. Nothing has changed. The river was still full flood. But as soon as they take that next of obedience and put their feet in the river, the promised miracle started to occur. The waters began to heap up in a town far away not right next to them but way up the road. It said the water began to heap up in a town called Adam, it is said that is about 20 miles upstream from where they were. How long did it take till they saw a difference, 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours?
The priest and the picture of his presence are standing in the river, the people are watching, waiting is anything changing? I don’t see any difference!
How lo
Then slowly changes start to take place, water levels begin to recede. Isn’t that just like God? How often do we ask God can you just do it right away? Give me one of those Red sea miracle.
But then slowly the pressure fades, and comfort comes and the assurance that the God who holds it all in his hands is in control.
As the priest stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all of Israel passed by.
How long did it take for this nation to pass by the arc? there had to be that moment as the were passing by the arc where they would forget about the promised land and the couldn’t take their eyes off of the box.
And that was the point it wasn’t about the land, the river or the miracle. It was about a savior.
The arc is the perfect picture of our Messiah, our savior.
For it held the Manna-Jesus is the bread of life, The rod that budded- Jesus is the good shepherd that leads, The 10 commandments -Jesus is our rock and he bled and died so those commandments could be filled.
It is Jesus who goes before us, It’s Jesus who’s in the midst of it with us . The bible says they all crossed over and guess who was the last to leave? It was the arc. And that’s what God does .
I wish He would save us from stuff, and He does. But how often does He save us through stuff. God will use those things to get our attention on Him. That’s why He stopped them at the season of flooding. What do you do when your faced with the challenges of life? For I’m no match for addiction, for sickness and disease. But God says I will go before you, and in the midst of it. He will never leave you or forsake you.
The God who chose to dwell among the children of Israel and the arc dwells among you today.