Waiting and Walking
Reflective Reading: Joshua 3
My friends, today we are going to make the initial preparations to cross a very deep river that is located on some very steep banks. But don’t worry, we will cross this river with the help of an Ark…no, not Noah’s Ark, but the Ark of the Covenant. This story begins in Joshua chapter 3.
“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. 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.” Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 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. 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. 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.’” And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” 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. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan” (3:3-11).
Did you hear that? They were to keep a distance of 2000 cubits! That’s more than half a mile or 10 football fields! We can’t be 100% certain as to why they had to keep such a distance, but on a purely physical level, this makes sense, especially based on what God said to them:
“Do not come near it (Ark), in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
On a geographical level, if the children of Israel would have crowded around the ark, there would have been mass confusion. Picture two million people trying to have any sense of direction. God’s ways are always orderly. God is placing a distance of 1000 yards or half a mile between the children of Israel and the Ark so that they can clearly see the way in which they are to go. This also secures the Ark and protects the people from coming too close, lest someone touch it and die.
Another reason is in the personal application—that when we face uncertain territory (have not passed this way before), we need to wait and see if God is removing obstacles. This doesn’t mean that we sit still and do nothing. The priests were carrying the Ark and were about to step into the water. God often doesn’t open doors until we are willing to get wet. So we don’t want to be hasty, but neither should we sit and do nothing.
Keep in mind that the Ark has inside it the tablets of the ten commandments, the manna, and Aaron’s rod that miraculously budded almond flowers and almonds. Before we traverse new territory, we need to make sure that the Word of God goes before us (10 commandments), that we have spent time in communion with God (manna—Jesus is the bread from heaven), as well as remember and experience the miraculous power of God (Aaron’s rod). Those are the three prerequisites for making decisions—the Word of God, communion with God, and the power of God.
Let’s review and expand this a little. God requires a space of 1000 yards so that the people can see the way that they are to go as their leaders walk by faith into the water. As priest and people take on the responsibilities of walking by faith and waiting, they are learning that miracles require both faith and obedience.
Forty plus years ago, God did a similar miracle of parting the waters of the Red Sea. That generation saw the miracle right up close. Now forty years later, a new generation will witness the miracle from a distance of approximately a half mile away. The close up miracle of the Red Sea did not establish the kind of faith that was needed for God’s people. Miracles rarely change someone’s devotion to the Lord if it is not accompanied by obedience and faith. People seem to forget easily. I don’t know about you, but I experience miracles almost every day. Each answer to prayer is a miracle. Each divine appointment is a miracle. Every new insight in the Word of God is a miracle. Every new idea and vision for the future is a miracle. But how often and easily I forget about these past miracles. It happens…we forget easily. I’m guilty. David in Psalm 103 writes:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…”
In the book Out of the Depths, I was impressed by the authors understanding of Psalm 103. He said that when praise ceases, people forget. When people forget, praise ceases. When the children of Israel crossed through the Red Sea with Moses, they easily forgot the miracle. This time, God was not going to let them forget that easily. As God has the people stand at a distance about a half mile, they are spectators of this great miracle. They are watching the Word of God, the presence of God (manna), and the power of God part the waters. God wanted them to see that crossing this impossible roadblock (a river approximately ten feet deep, with swift rapids, and not fordable with livestock and children) was only made possible when God goes before them.
As the children of Israel watch this miracle of the parting of the waters from a distance, they are having their faith reinforced for the next stage of their journey, to face their enemies—but not by their own strength and ingenuity—by the presence of their all-powerful God. God has done his part. Now it’s time for his children to do their part and obey.
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
Joseph’s Shield (Ages 6+)
The Captive book/dramatic audio (Ages 9+)
The Wanderer book/dramatic audio (Ages 9+)
The Robbers’ Cave book/dramatic audio (Ages 9+)
