Verses 4-5 "Yet there shall be a space between you and it (the ark), about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before." And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."
The ark is a picture of the Lord Jesus. This passage encourages us to always put Jesus before us. How do we follow Him? How do we know He's in front of us, leading us? Look in the Word of God.
Do you feel God is about to lead you into a new area in your life? Are you getting ready to come out of some wilderness into a land He has promised you? Then sanctify yourself. Get prepared. Some online definitions of sanctify:
1. To set apart for sacred use; consecrate.
2. To make holy; purify.
Am I willing to set aside the sin which so easily besets me? (See Hebrews 12:1) Am I willing to be set apart for God's sacred purposes? Am I willing to allow Him to make me holy and purify me? Do I want to be clean or am I okay with the dirt of this world?
I'd like to see the Lord do wonders here where I live. I'd like it to be evident that it is His work--as evident as the waters of the Jordan river standing in a heap and the people walking through on completely dry ground. I want to see God's miracles in my midst. Joshua 3:13 & 17, "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap . . .Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan."
My blog ends here today, but if you'd like to read on, I am going to share from the Adrian Rogers Legacy Bible on this passage in Joshua 3. (It's awesome!)
"As we walk into the future, we're headed into opportunity. We're walking into mystery. And no doubt we will encounter difficulty.
So are you ready to come out of the wilderness and into your promised land? Are you ready to cross over a river of difficulty? Well, you're going to have to move with the ark.
Some Christians live in victory and others do not. I will tell you why. All Christians have the Lord Jesus Christ, and all Christians have the Holy Spirit, but not all Christians totally follow the Lord Jesus Christ. They have Him in their midst, but He's not out in front leading. When Jesus is Lord and leader, when He's out in front and you follow Him, that makes all the difference.
So are you allowing Jesus to lead you? Is He out in front of you? Is He guiding you into this land of opportunity, this land of mystery, through rivers of difficulty?
Friend, you don't have to know what God has planned for your future. You don't have to know where you're going to end up. But rest assured that God has an individual plan that is directly, distinctly for you. And you don't need a map. Why? Because God's will for you is not a roadmap, but a relationship.
The important thing for you isn't to know what your future holds. You don't have to know when or where or why, just know Jesus. Make sure the Lord Jesus Christ is a reality in your life. He will guide you with His presence. Just keep your eyes on Him--and when the Ark moves, you move!"
