Joshua (2)

Joshua 2:15–3:15 KJV 1900

Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window. And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)

Intro leading up to this

God has told Joshua to lead the people over the Jordan River. He sent out two spies to view the land on the other side. Now he's starting to prepare the people to cross over.

In verse one we see Joshua and all of the children of Israel left Shittim and camped out by the side of the Jordan River. He was preparing the people to cross and he wanted to make sure that they were all there and ready. Verse two tells us that they waited three days and then the officers of the host command of the people saying when you see the Ark of the covenant of the Lord your God and the priest in the Levites bearing it then you should get up and follow it. He gives them a warning about how far back to be. The Bible says 2000 cubits which is a basically about 1000 yards.

What is the Ark of the Covenant?

Our knowledge that the ark mimics a throne, or, more specifically, a footstool, has been bolstered since archaeologists have discovered thrones from ancient Near Eastern kingdoms with a look similar to that of the ark of the covenant. Like the other articles in the temple, it was made from acacia wood (25:10), which was a highly durable wood that grew in the area. The ark was covered with pure gold, gold that had been treated so as to remove any impurities (v. 11). Obviously, anything less could not be a fitting piece of furniture for the King of kings. Basically, the ark was a box fitted with poles so that it could be lifted onto the shoulders and carried without being touched directly. These poles were never removed (vv. 12–16), probably so that the ark could be carried off at a moment’s notice. The ark went everywhere that Israel went, even into battle (Josh. 6), and the ark’s constant availability to be picked up and carried off symbolized God’s willingness to go with His people wherever they might go.

More confirmation that the ark symbolized the Lord’s throne/footstool is seen in the fact that the “testimony” of Yahweh would be placed within it (Ex. 25:21). This testimony was none other than the tablets on which God wrote His law (Deut. 10:2), and this is significant because ancient Near Eastern kings often kept a copy of the laws of their kingdoms at their feet. The Lord, as the king of all, likewise would keep a copy of His laws at His feet in His footstool, the ark.

Once the Law was placed inside the ark, a lid called the mercy seat closed the box (Ex. 25:17–22). God knew that Israel would break His law but that He would be merciful and cover their law-breaking to guard those who truly loved Him from His wrath. Ultimately, this was achieved through the death of a substitute and the sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat itself (Lev. 16). Commentators have said that “blood from the sacrifices stood between God and the broken law of God.”

Verse 4 Joshua tells them to follow after The Ark of the Covenant 2000 cubits (approximately 1,000 yards)

Verse 5 – Joshua tells them to sanctify themselves because tomorrow God was going to do great things.

What is sanctification?

Set apart to be holy. Free from sin, to purify. To be consecrated. Josh was telling the people to confess their sins to get right before God to be pure and to be holy, he's telling them this because this is the only way to see God work to move through their lives. The same thing is true in our lives we must sanctify how we live And live a pure life before God.

Often Times we talk about revival and how to have revival and how to have an abundant Christian life. We tend to forget about the sacrifice anything takes in order to be great, we think we can do whatever we want, whenever we want and that because we come to church we are a good Christian and God will bless us. Just like we looked at that last week that God hates sin God also loves all of us and wants to Restore our relationship with him.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Illustration with the two kids, one on the other side of the room and one about to die. God wants to use you and your life, and he is trying to use you, but God won’t use a dirty vessel.

God wants to use each and every one of us and he wants to show us mighty works but we must first be obedient to Him and sanctified.

V. 7 God affirms to Joshua that He will be used and the people will know that God is with Joshua just as He was with Moses.

V. 7-8 God is talking to Joshua and He is telling Joshua what to do and say.

V. 9 – 13 Joshua gives instructions.

V. 14 – The people start to follow Joshua’s instructions.