Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites.

They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.

2 After three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it.

4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark.

Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.”

Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites.

They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.

2 After three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it.

4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark.

Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”

3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it.

4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark.

Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.”

6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.”

So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.”

So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.

8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.”

9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”

7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.

8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.”

9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 He said: “You will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth goes ahead of you into the Jordan.

12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.

13 When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off.

The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”

10 He said: “You will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth goes ahead of you into the Jordan.

12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.

13 When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off.

The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”

14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people.

15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.

But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge

16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan.

The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah—the Dead Sea—was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.

17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

Introduction:

Song: God Will Make a WayIt has been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence.

We act in faith because we believe God - not because we have all the facts.

Faith is active, not passive in the bible.

It is not an emotion, but an action.

, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

I. Solemn Preparation

The Consecration of the People

“dedicate to service and loyalty to God, and so involving proper conduct (as prescribed) of any person or object so dedicated.”

(Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages)

This word is directly connected to practical life.

“As we grow in holiness, we grow in hatred of sin; and God, being infinitely holy, has an infinite hatred of sin.”

― Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

“The Christian living in disobedience also lives devoid of joy and hope.

But when he begins to understand that Christ has delivered him from the reign of sin, when he begins to see that he is united to Him who has all power and authority and that it is possible to walk in obedience, he begins to have hope, and as he hopes in Christ, he begins to have joy.

In the strength of this joy, he begins to overcome the sins that have so easily entangle him.

He then finds that the joy of a holy walk is infinitely more satisfying than the fleeting pleasures of sin.

But to experience this joy, we must make some choices.

We must choose to forsake sin, not only because it is defeating to us but because it grieves the heart of God.” - Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

Joshua had a message for the people.

He assembles the officers and leaders and instructs them to tell the people to follow the ark of the Lord as it is being carried by the priests.

The reason was because they had not traveled this way before (v.4) Faith will call us into territory we have never been before.

The ark is representative of the Lord going before them.

They are to follow the Lord as he leads them.

From where the people were camped to where the Jordan was would have taken approximately a day to walk.

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From where the people were camped to where the Jordan was would have taken approximately a day to walk.

Joshua’s message in verse 5 is given to prepare the hearts of the people.

To consecrate themselves, prepare themselves to obey the Lord and to receive his blessings.

“God’s promises are unconditional, and all we have to do is believe them; while other promises require that we meet certain conditions.

In meeting these conditions, we’re not earning God’s blessing; we’re making sure our hearts are ready for God’s blessing.”

(Warren Wiersbe, Be Strong)

The Charge to the Spiritual Leaders - The Priests

The priests were to bear the ark.

They were to carry it before the people as they marched.

The priests would be the first ones into the waters of the Jordan.

Spiritual leaders must have great faith and courage in order to fulfill their responsibilities.

They were to go the edge of the water and then stand in the water.

If we are to experience the blessings of God upon our lives, we must remove from our lives those things that distract us.

Two Things here:

The people were to look at the ark - stay focused on God and his covenant promises

The people were to consecrate themselves - dedicated with a renewed dependence

II.

Specific Οbedience

Encouragement from the Lord (v.9-11)

Joshua had a message from the Lord for the people.

He turns their focus and attention upon the Lord.

This is an essential thing for spiritual leaders to do.

Far too often the eyes of Christian people are fixated on human leaders when their eyes must be fixed firmly in faith on God.

Leaders in the church must constantly be reminding people of the faithfulness and greatness of God.

Joshua here is reminding the people what God has promised.

Demonstration of Faith

“The Lord gave them all the information they needed to accomplish what He wanted them to do.

You find conditions that the people had to fulfill, orders they had to obey, and promises they had to believe.

God always gives His “Word of faith” to His people whenever He asks them to follow Him into new areas of conflict and conquest.

God’s commandments are still His enablements, and God’s promises do not fail.

The counsel of King Jehoshaphat centuries later is still applicable today: “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (, NKJV).

“There has not failed one word of all His good promise” (, NKJV).”

(Wiersbe, Be Strong)

III.

Courageous Obedience

We should not miss that to do what these priests did required courage.

They could have easily lost their footing and been drawn away by the raging waters.