091006

Joshua on Leadership
The Thrill of Victory


Joshua 3:12-17 (Monday)
“Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel , one from each tribe. 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." So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan , the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 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, 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 (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho . The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan , while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.” (NIV)
1) These words should jar our memories just a bit because a couple of things are very familiar to us. One, twelve men—the exact number of Jesus’ closest disciples and apostles. Second, God again parts the waters—a little differently this time. Go back and read Exodus 14:5-23 . What are the most notable comparisons?
a) I hope you noticed that both times the Lord went ahead of the Israelites. In Exodus 14 , the Angel of the Lord (most probably the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ) was out in front (and later behind) and here, in this passage, the Lord’s presence went before them in the ark of the Lord (ark of the covenant). And, yes, the waters must somehow again be displaced so the Israelites could cross over on dry ground!
b) Notable differences are:
i) In Exodus 14 , the Israelites were being hotly pursued! Remember, they were fleeing slavery from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Here, they are preparing to enter the land promised to them by Almighty God.
ii) In Exodus 14 , the Israelites were told to be still—the Lord would fight for them. Here, they are going to have to conquer in order to occupy the promised land
iii) In Exodus 14 , all of the Israelites went through at the same time. Here, the priests went ahead of the people carrying the holy ark before them
iv) In Exodus 14 , the people crossed over on dry land. Here, the priest’s feet actually had to touch the water’s edge first (they had to get a little wt) before the waters completely dried up, stand in the middle of the waterbed and wait until the other Israelites passed over.
v) In Exodus 14 , the waters divided to the right and to the left. Here, the waters heaped up some distance away.
2) We have previously discussed how Egypt represents spiritual bondage to sin—a place of toil, sweat, tears and death. Okay, stay with me here. Exodus 14 can be compared to our first step of faith—salvation! God, through His precious Son, Jesus Christ victoriously forged ahead of us, fought and won the battle against sin and the devil while we were STILL sinners! Like the Israelites, all we must do is to follow Christ out of sin, crossing over from death unto everlasting life! Beloved, at this point in our spiritual walk, we are all on level, dry, holy ground. Believe and cross over, dear one!
3) What does stepping into the water’s while they were at flood stage say about the faith it may have taken for that very first step into the water’s edge?
4) Let’s make sure we are viewing the promise land— Canaan , in its proper perspective. Canaan represents our God’s purpose, plan and mission for us in this life—not heaven! Heaven is ours the moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Heaven is right now, and, also a future promise won for us at the cross of Calvary !
5) Oh, I wish I could tell you differently, dear one, but you have to know that things change once we have crossed over those waters leading us from death unto life—changes that Joshua and the Israelites were sure to take notice of!
a) Stillness was/is no longer an option! Why?
b) This time, the priests of God went out first and they had to get their feet wet! Why?
c) Why wasn’t God’s presence visible, instead of being incased in a gold laden box? And, why must His presence be carried on the shoulders of the priests?
d) Why didn’t God part the waters in the exact same way He did with Moses?
6) Yes, salvation is free—walking this life with Jesus requires being ready to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 1:18-19a and 2 Timothy 4:7)! If we want all that God has for us—we’re going to have to snatch it away from the giants in the land! How can we accomplish such a fearsome task?
Joshua 4:1-7 (Tuesday)
“When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan . Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, `What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan , the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” (NIV)
1) These waters were standing up in a heap for quite a while! Estimates are that over 2 million Israelites crossed over into Jordan! Now, God tells Joshua to send twelve men from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to go back into the still dry waterbed and retrieve 12 memorial stones! Do you think at any point these men may have trembled, believing the heap would fail? Why or why not?
2) Why would God command that every tribe be represented and responsible for retrieving the stones?
3) These 12 stones, carried on the men’s shoulders, had to be of some significant size so they would be seen by later generations! I thought we left sweat and toil behind us! We’re talking a few people doing a whole lot of work—sound familiar to anyone!
4) What was God trying to provoke or promote in future generations?
5) God did not say, “If your children ask…”! No, He said, “When your children ask you…”! Most of you know I am helping my son and daughter in caring for my precious grandson, Elijah. As I am with him, I try and look for opportunities to reveal God to him. Rain, grass, trees! God’s wonders are all around us! Children will ask—be ready to tell them how God made all that we see for them. Elijah is 14 months old and understands as a child. What are some ways we can provoke our sons and daughters—even our spiritual sons and daughters to ask questions about our God? Oh, we need to be ready to tell them that God is alive in our lives and that He wants desperately to be alive in theirs, too! Be willing to share what He has done personally for you and how He has worked and moved mountains (or bodies of waters) in your life! Go back and read Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
6) Why is it important for us to look back and remember what God has done for us in the past? How can our past impact our present and our future walk with Christ? Oh, child, God’s marvelous workings in our life promotes faith!” Sadly, as someone once said, “The greatest enemy to faith is forgetfulness.” Remember!
Joshua 4:8-13 (Wednesday)
“So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan , according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day. Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the LORD had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the LORD and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, armed, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for war.” (NIV)
1) Do you think it was coincidence those 12 stones just happened to be in the exact spot where the ark had stood in the middle of the waterbed? If your answer is no, then who do you think placed them in this spot and why? What kind of remembrance would this be for the person who had initially placed the stones?
2) Why not just pile the twelve stones into a heap? Why was each stone “set up”?
a) What does Deuteronomy 16:21-22 tell us about setting up sacred stones?
3) There is a huge difference in erecting a stone honor God and one honoring our idols.
a) What is Jesus called in 1 Peter 2:4?
i) What did Jesus say in John 12:32?
4) It is believed that even now plans are underway to rebuild God’s temple in Israel. A very important part of the temple worship will be absence—the ark of the covenant. While we study the ark, I want you to keep in mind that God gave Moses a pattern to follow, based on what was actually in the heavenlies! If you don’t keep that thought close to your heart, you are going to miss a rich and awesome blessing!
a) God gave Moses detailed instructions for the ark (Exodus 25). The ark was a wooden box overlaid with finest gold. How can we apply the significance of the ark’s construction to Christ Jesus?
b) What was the original name of the ark? (Testimony is also translated, witness).
c) According to Exodus 25:22 what was God’s purpose in the Israelites building the ark?
i) What was to be placed inside the ark?
(1) Commandments (Testimony) written in stone (Exodus 25:16)
(i) Who fulfilled the commandments (Law) of God?
(2) Jar of Manna that had fallen from heaven (Exodus 16:33-34)
(a) How does Jesus refer to Himself in John 6:35-58 ?
(3) Aaron’s rod which had miraculously and instantly displayed all three stages of vegetation (budding, blossoming and bearing fruit) (Exodus 25:16; Numbers 17:10 and Hebrews 9:4) Why do you think this was placed in the ark?
ii) According to Exodus 26:33-34 , where was the ark supposed to be placed in the Tabernacle?
(1) What type of covering was to be place over the ark?
(a) How does Paul refer to Jesus Christ in Romans 3:19-26 ?
iii) What significance do the two cherubim hold?
(1) Oh, read Genesis 3:24, 1 Samuel 4:4; 1 Kings 8:1-7; 1 Chronicles 28:10-21; Psalms 99:1; Isaiah 37:16; Ezekiel 9, 10 and Hebrews 9:5.
iv) Read Exodus 28 . What offices did God institute to make intercession for first for themselves and then for all of Israel ?
(1) Who was the high priest?
v) According to Exodus 40:3 , how was the ark shielded?
(1) Oh, read Hebrews 10:19-21 ! What was that curtain?
vi) According to Leviticus 16:2 could Aaron, the high priest enter the Holy of Holies anytime he wished?
(1) In Hebrews 4:1 we are told to come “boldly” unto God’s throne of grace!
d) How did king David refer to the ark of the covenant and by what Name was it called?
e) The ark is believed to have been stolen, plundered or destroyed either by Egypt (1 Kings 14:25-28 or by Babylon (Jeremiah 3:16-17). The ark was not rebuilt for the second Temple, rather the temple itself became the symbol of the Lord’s holiness (This should sound familiar to all of us! What does 1 Corinthians 3:16 say about God’s temple?) Keep in mind this was all predicted by Jeremiah in chapter 3:16-17! Glory!
i) So, what actually happened to the ark of the covenant?
(1) Oh, remember the ark was patterned after what was actually in the heavenlies. Well, read Revelation 11:19! Glory!
Joshua 4:14-18 (Thursday)
“That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel ;and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan ." So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan ." And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.” (NIV)
1) We noted earlier that Joshua had some mighty big shoes to fill in stepping into the leadership role of Moses. How did God use this miracle to bring respect to Joshua’s authority of the people of Israel?
2) The waters returned to flood stage levels—no turning back! Does that comfort you, or make you feel hedged in? Why?
a) Finally, God’s people had accomplished what He willed for them 40 years earlier! Having left Egypt behind through the miraculous parting of the Red Sea (leaving sin and death behind), the Israelites are now entering God’s purpose for their lives. Beloved, it is the same for us today. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior—He delivers us from sin and brings us into His eternal purposes and eternal life. The, glory to God, we are sealed in by His precious Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)! No turning back for us either!
Joshua 4:19-24 (Friday)
“On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho . And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan . He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, `What do these stones mean?' tell them, ` Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”
1) Again, the reason behind God’s wonders—to instill faith! Always, faith!
2) Oh, we have to know that our God is powerful! Why is that so important?

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