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Joshua: The Law of the First Step
August 14th, 2005
Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking into the lives of some of the Old Testament’s central figures. We started two weeks focusing on Elijah... while this past Sunday we looked into the life of his successor, Elisha.
- My plan was to continue moving chronologically through OT history... next looking at Amos, then Hezekiah, then Isaiah and Josiah.
- But I’ve decided to backtrack just a little this week and focus on one of their predecessors... a man name Joshua.
- Most people remember Joshua as being one of the twelve men whom Moses sent out to “spy out the land” in the Book of Numbers (chapter 13)... But there’s a lot more to Joshua’s story than that.
We first hear about Joshua in Exodus 17:9 where Moses appoints him to lead their makeshift army against the Amalekites at Rephidim [see map]. If you remember, Moses was on the top of a large hill overlooking the battle, praying that Joshua would prevail.
- What Moses soon realized was that as long as his hands were outstretched in prayer, Joshua and his army would gain the upper hand in battle... but whenever he lowered his arms, the Amalekites would gain the upper hand.
- So Aaron and another man, Hur, supported Moses’ arms throughout the day... until the battle was won. What an amazing way for God to tangibly demonstrate the importance of prayer!
Joshua obviously made an impression on Moses, because out of all the people of Israel, Moses chose Joshua to accompany him part of the way up to Mt. Sinai where Moses would meet God in the burning bush (Exodus 24:13).
- Joshua waited a number of days by himself... probably about half way up Mt. Sinai... until Moses came down to confront Israel about having forged, and then worshipped, the golden calf.
- So, at the very least, we can get a sense of Joshua’s courage and faithfulness.
But I think it’s in Exodus 33:11 that we really begin to understand Joshua’s heart. After the Moses rebukes Israel for turning their backs on God... he sets up a tabernacle (or the Tent of Meeting) outside the camp.
- The Tent of Meeting was for anyone who wanted to worship and seek after God. Starting in Exodus 33:7 we read, “It was Moses' custom to set up the tent known as the Tent of Meeting far outside the camp. Everyone who wanted to consult with the LORD would go there. 8Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in their tent entrances. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. 9As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at the entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses. 10Then all the people would stand and bow low at their tent entrances.”
- You see, for the people of Israel, even though the Tabernacle was established for everyone’s worship, they were all content to just sit outside their own tents... letting Moses relate to God on their behalf.
Then... picking up in verse 11... “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, stayed behind in the Tent of Meeting.”
- You see, it wasn’t enough for Joshua to relate to God through Moses... He would be the one person who would not only enter in the Tent of Meetings, but remain there... even after Moses had long gone back to the camp.
- So, going into the book of Joshua, what do we already know? We know that this young man loved God... he understood his need for God in his life... he loved God’s presence.
You know, having been in ministry for a long while, I’ve met so many people who feel as though they have nothing to give... they feel inadequate... not sure if they can really make a difference.
- But as Joshua’s story unfolds, we’re going to be reminded of what it really takes to minister to others, to lead, to serve. So, go ahead turn to Josh. 1.
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelites.
“’I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates--all the Hittite country--to the Great Sea”--which is the Mediterranean--“on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
“’Be strong and courageous, because I will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
“’Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’”
And I want you to see a wonderful way God emphasizes this. Look at verses 10 11: “So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: ‘Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”
- Now it might not have seemed like much, but there’s a lot packed into that little phrase, “three days from now.”
- Very often in the Old Testament, people are told they’re going to have to wait a little while for deliverance or for rescue, for God’s power to be finally shown in their lives.
- And this waiting period is often expressed as a period of three days. It’s a time of anticipation.
- Remember in Genesis 40, Joseph says to the cupbearer when he’s still in prison: “In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your job.”
- In Exodus 3:18, Moses asked Pharaoh, “Let us go three days into the wilderness.” And you may wonder, “Why three days?” Well, that gets cleared up in Exodus 19:11, when God says, “Consecrate the people and make them ready by the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down.”
- Moses says in verse 15, “Prepare yourselves for the third day.” In verse 16 it says, “And on the morning on the third day it came to pass.”
Esther says that she will fast... guess for how many days? Three days. Only then will she go to the king to seek deliverance for the people.
- Jonah is swallowed up by a large fish. He is in the belly of the fish for how many days? Three days before he is released. And what was Jonah praying during those three days? “God, just let me go out the same way I came in.”
- The third day is used so frequently this way in the Old Testament—that the third day God is going to show up.
- You see this beautifully in the Book of Hosea. Look at the screen at Hosea 6:2, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence.”
So, what’s the point? I think all of this is just an amazing way the Father sets up that ultimate act of deliverance.
- Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “For that which was of first importance I passed on to you: that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
- You see, the third day is God’s day. The third day is the day when prisoners get set free and mountains shake and rivers get parted. It’s the day harem girls faced down kings, and prophets get dropped off at seaside ports by giant fish. It’s the day stones get rolled away and a crucified carpenter-Savior comes back to life.
Well, God has something extraordinary in mind for Joshua and for Israel on the third day. In chapter two, after receiving these promises from God, Joshua sends two spies from their camp in Shittim (east of the Jordon) [see map] into Jericho (west of the Jordon).
- Once in Jericho, the two spies hid in the house of a prostitute named Rahab b/c their presence there was discovered.
- Rahab clearly risked her life to protect them. If anybody in the town found out what she was up to, she would have been finished. But she had heard about the God of Israel... and she bet everything she had on Him.
- And so, in spite of the fact that she was a pagan and a prostitute, she becomes celebrated in Israel, and she’s mentioned in the New Testament books of Matthew, Hebrews, and James (not to mention Joshua).
- She becomes a hero of faith, because she did what God asks people to do: Trust Him.
By the way, according to Joshua 2:22, how many days do they have to hide before they can go free? Three days.
- Now turn to chapter three. The “third day” comes in chapter three, and God’s going to do something remarkable on this day, but... there’s something God’s people have to do first.
- Take a look at Joshua 3:13. God gives fairly lengthy instructions to Joshua, tells him that the people are going to cross over the Jordan and priests are to carry the Ark of the Covenant to go before the people-- a way of symbolizing the fact that they are being guided by God.
- Verse 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.”
Now, to understand the significance of what’s going on, we have to talk a bit about the River Jordan. It’s a very important river in Israel’s life.
- In fact, it has always been a crucial part of life in this part of the world. For Israel, the Jordon was typically viewed as a barrier. It’s what stood between the people of God (now on the Eastern side), and the life & land God calls them to (on the Western Side).
- In Deuteronomy 3:25, Moses asks God, “Could I cross the River Jordan to see the good land on the other side?” And God says, “No.” It’s kind of a barrier.
- To the people who lived in Canaan, it was their protection from the people of Israel
o Map of Jordon River: from Mt. Hermon to Dead Sea (1290’ below sea level)
o Picture of Mt. Hermon (9200’)
o Picture of Jordon flowing into Sea of Galilee
For the most part, the Jordan is not a big river, though Israel and Jordon still get a lot of their water from it. In fact, if you were to go to Israel today and look at it, you might be surprised how narrow and shallow it is in places.
- But we read Joshua 3:15, that “The Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.” So when the people are at the Jordan River right now, it’s at flood stage, which means getting across will not be easy.
- But beyond that, part of the area b/t the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee [map] is called the Zor Gorge. This is the area where Israel would have to cross over the Jordon.
- What makes crossing this area so difficult was that the banks along this gorge are very steep.
- Have you ever been to Key West? You can walk out for what seems like forever, and you’re still just knee-up in the water.
- Not here. With the Jordan River at flood stage, if you take one step into the river, you go all the way into the river.
They’ve come all this way, here’s the promised land, and there’s no way to get across the Jordan.
- And they wonder, “What in the world has Joshua done?”
- So God says, “I’m going to make a way. I will allow you to cross the Jordan River. I want you to go down and you put a foot in the Jordan River, and when you do that I’ll make a way.”
- Now imagine that you are the first priest carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and Joshua says, “I want you to take that first step into the Jordan River.”
- If it doesn’t part, let me just tell you... there just aren’t any options left for you but wave goodbye.
- I think if I was the lead guy with the ark, I’d probably be coercing one of the priests behind me, “You know, I think I was in front yesterday. I think it’s your turn today. Why don’t you go?”
Israel was clearly facing an obstacle... what must have seemed like an impenetrable barrier. Clearly God’s power is sufficient. God will deliver them. God will make a way.
- But God is going to ask them to take the first step. They would not see God’s power; they would not see this mighty display of God’s faithfulness and sufficiency... until they took the first step.
- God says, “I want you to take one step in the Jordan, and then you’ll see me at work.”
- See, God is teaching his people... He’s wanting to teach us... “My power really is sufficient... and I want to manifest it in your life. But if you want to see my power, you’ll have to take the risk. You’ll have to take the spiritual risk of trusting me first. To enter into the kind of life I’m calling you to is going to involve spiritual risk taking. It’s going to involve the risk of obedience.”
You remember the story of Elijah and the widow? He told her to take the last bit of flour and oil she had for herself and her son, and make a loaf of bread for him with it... but if she did that, God would keep that jar of flour and oil full throughout the whole drought.