Joshua 4:15-18 Overflowed

 15Then the LORD said to Joshua, 16“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”

18When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.

Overflowed 

“The manner and timing with which the Jordan returned to its natural flow show that this event was supernaturally arranged by God.” (Guzik)

Ever feel like your day has overflowed with everything that’s going on in your life? Making ends meet with inflation, price of food, gas, energy, housing, taxes and the list goes on. Our government may not care for us but Jesus does!

Turn to your church family

Galatians 6:2 Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].

Turn to Christ 

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].

Turn your anxiety over to Jesus 

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Turn off the world 🌎 

God will supernaturally carry your burdens, give you peace, rest and remove your anxiety. All you have to do is get closer to Jesus in prayer, tell Him your troubles, ask Him about your needs and stop letting the world overflow into your home! Turn off the television, internet and draw closer to Him.

Prayers 🙏 and blessings to you!

 

Joshua 4:14 Make you great!

 14On that day the Lord exalted[b] Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.

b. Joshua 4:14 made Joshua great

“God fulfilled His promise to Joshua (Joshua 3:7), raising him up as a great leader for Israel, even as He had done for Moses.” (Guzik)

Joshua 3: 7And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt[d] you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 

d. Joshua 3:7 make you great

Make you great!

Matthew 11:11 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater [in privilege] than he.

“As we may say, as a rule, that the darkest day is lighter than the brightest night; so John, though first of his own order, is behind the last of the new or Gospel order. The least in the Gospel stands on higher ground than the greatest under the law.” (Spurgeon)

Let that sink in, You were born again under the new covenant, so Jesus says the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he under the Old Testament law.

“The child who knows the story of the cross possesses a key to religious knowledge which patriarchs and prophets never enjoyed.” (Ryle)

Can you say, thank you Jesus?

Blessings 

Joshua 4:12-13 Armed for Battle

 12The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them. 13About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.

“The people content to settle on the east side of the Jordan stayed on their side of the Jordan but sent their armies over to fight on behalf of the rest of the nation, just as they had promised (Joshua 1:12-16). (Guzik)

Armed for Battle 

David said:

Psalm 35: 1O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.

2Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.

3Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say,

“I will give you victory!”

Are you spiritually armed for battle?

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

When you go out the door you can go alone or take the Lord with you, it’s your choice.

Blessings 

Joshua 4:10-11 All the People!

 10For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in accordance with everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and crossed [the dry riverbed]; 11and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people.

“The priests stood with the ark of the covenant for the entire time it took the nation to cross over. The visible token of the presence of God had to remain in the river through the entire crossing.” (Guzik)

All the People 

When we study the verses we don’t realize the brevity of this feat. The priests were holding the ark of the covenant when all the people crossed. 

Estimates numbered the Israelites as high as 2.5 million people including men of war, the women and children. Talk about a long formation of people!

And the water continued to be stopped and rose up!

Joshua 3: 16the waters which were flowing down from above stopped and rose up (backed up) in one mass a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan. Those [waters] flowing downward toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off.

It would seem like a long time to us waiting for all the Israelites to cross the Jordan! 

But what is time to the Lord?

2 Peter 3:8 Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.

But what is time to us?

James 4:14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air].

Are you prepared to meet your Maker the day your your vapor, puff of smoke, wisp of steam vanishes?

Blessings 

Joshua 4:8-9 I Will Carry You!

 8So the [twelve men chosen from the] sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had spoken to Joshua; and they carried them over with them to the place where they were spending the night and put them down there. 9Then Joshua set up [a second monument of] twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day.

I Will Carry You!

Those twelve men carried those stones (boulders) on their shoulders and set them up as a memorial where they spent the night! Then another memorial of twelve stones (boulders) was set up in the midst of the Jordan so it could be seen in the dry season when the waters receded!

When the Lord works wonders in our lives, how many times do we thank Him and then move on?

I had a big repair recently, something broke and I needed to rebuild part of it or replace an assembly. Replacing required a retrofit and being it was thirty years old I decided on the later. After researching, ordering and waiting for the shipment the day finally came for the installation and retrofit. Then came the big moment of flipping on the breaker, a brief moment of a motor turning and then a hum. The new assembly had a defect and required a warranty exchange but that would take weeks so I opted to purchased another assembly and warranty the defective assembly. The warranty return authorization was granted and they only wanted the labels from the unit. After sleeping on it the Lord gave me the confidence that I could repair the defective new unit. I removed the assembly, disassembled and found the defect! I devised a modification for the repair and reinstalled the unit. The “fix” of the new unit took 4.5 hours from start to finish.

God is great and I continually am thanking Him today!

The Lord may not require us to set up a stone memorial when He works wonders in our lives but we should be continually thankful to Him for our abilities, His guidance, carrying us and our salvation!

Isaiah 46: 4Even to your old age I am He, And even to your advanced old age I will carry you! I have made you, and I will carry you; Be assured I will carry you and I will save you.

Blessings 

Joshua 4:4-7 Stones Shall Become A Memorial!

 4Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5and Joshua said to them, “Cross over again to the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever.”

“stones shall become a memorial”

When we built our barn we had to clear trees, stumps and level the side of the hill and in doing so I pulled many “stones” and we moved them with the tractor front end loader and made a stone “row” at the edge of the driveway. The smaller ones we threw in a pile and use them for various projects.

When I see these “stones” they are a memorial of all the work the Lord helped us accomplish. The stones remind me of a saying my wife would say when I got discouraged during this project, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Remember your days past, recall all the times the Lord has helped you. 

Memorialize them and continually praise Him for helping you!

Blessings 

Joshua 4:1-3 Chosen

 1So it was when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2“Take for yourselves the twelve men [chosen] from among the people, one man from each tribe, 3and command them, ‘Pick up for yourselves twelve stones [one each] from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm; carry them over with you and lay them down at the place where you will spend the night tonight.’”

Chosen

Twelve men were chosen from the tribes and likewise you were chosen by God!

1 Peter 2: 9But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A CONSECRATED NATION, A [special] PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

The twelve men were chosen to carry stones to set up a monument for the Lord so the future generations of Israelites wouldn’t forget what the Lord has done for them.

If you are truly Christ’s you were chosen also for a purpose! It begins in your home with your spouse, children and grandchildren! Have you taught them about Jesus and what He has done for you?

Remember He called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

It now falls on you to shine that marvelous light 💡 on others so that they know you are His!

Blessings 

Joshua 3:16-17 Miracles

 16the waters which were flowing down from above stopped and rose up in one mass a great distance away at [c]Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan. Those [waters] flowing downward toward the sea of the Arabah, the [d]Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed [the river] opposite Jericho. 17And while all [the people of] Israel crossed over on dry ground, the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan [riverbed], until all the nation had finished crossing over the Jordan.

“This miracle obviously connects with the miracle the nation experienced some 40 years earlier: the passing through the Red Sea. God brought them out of Egypt’s bondage with a miracle, and He brought them in to the Promised Land with a miracle.” (Guzik)

People examine the miracles of God and try to explain them away with a natural occurrence like an earthquake. I accept it as a miracle, plain and simple!

The same God that disarmed the Red Sea and the Jordan River has disarmed the principalities and powers that held spiritual death over your soul! Rejoice! 👏 

Col 2:15 NKJV - 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Do you accept His gift of grace by faith or try to explain it away?

Blessings 

Joshua 3:14-15 Moment of Faith

 14So when the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan with the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who were carrying the ark came up to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were submerged at the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all of its banks throughout the time of harvest),

“a. The feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water: The priests begin the procession, with the ark of the covenant some 1,000 yards in front of the people, and the priests came and walked right into a river that looked like it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

i. Who knows how long the priests stood there in the river? It might have been a moment; but it may have been a long time – in a situation like that, a moment seems like a long time!

b. Dipped in the edge of the water: We usually want the river to be dry before we even make a step, but God was truly calling Israel to step out in faith.

c. For the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest: Joshua reminds us that this was not a time when the Jordan was reduced to a trickle. Because of the spring rains, at this time of early harvest, the river was swollen and overflowing its banks. (Guzik)

Moment of Faith

For the priests the moment seems like a long time and they had to step out in faith!

It’s no different with us! While shopping at Sam’s a week ago I didn’t go through a cashier line because the lines were great so instead I used self checkout but then it locked up! That fiasco cost us an hour! A moment in the cashier’s line would have saved time! If only I had faith the size of a mustard seed!

But what about our faith? Do we step out like the priests into the Jordan and wait a moment on the Lord? Or do we think its a long time because we are running ninety miles an hour next to the worldly population and want our answer from the Lord NOW?

When our river in life is swollen and overflowing we need to have the faith to step out, submerge our feet into the river and have the patience to wait on the Lord!

Blessings 

Joshua 3:9-13 Pray and Listen

 9So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” 10He continued, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will surely drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.

12Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.”

The Lord that parted the Red Sea also parted the Jordan for the Israelites to cross!

Listen

Do you listen to the words of the Lord? He talks to us just as He did to Joshua and the Israelites in these verses! But to hear Him you have to read His book! You have to pray to Him and be listening when He responds!

Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.

Are you praying at all times? 

Blessings 

Joshua 3:6-8 Faith

 6And he said to the priests, “Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. 8Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters, stand in the Jordan.’ ”

Faith

“Even with God’s specific guidance, and with specific guidance from His word, this is still an impressive step of faith for Joshua. Living and walking in the Promised Land comes from this kind of faith, not a slavish reliance on a “law” relationship with God.

i. Faith leads us into greater victories than the law ever could.” (Guzik)

Joshua takes a leap of faith by taking over for Moses and prepares to lead the Israelites into the promised land across the Jordan.

We need the faith of Joshua concerning Jesus!

Look what Jesus says about faith!

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me].”

Do you have that faith and believe?

Blessings 

Joshua 3:3-5 Sanctify

 3and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, [b]bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, 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.”

5And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify[c] yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

“God required that they keep some 1,000 yards behind the ark. This was for two reasons. First, to respect the holy nature of the ark of the covenant. But also, it was to make sure that everyone had a clear view of the ark. That you may know the way by which you must go shows that the ark of the covenant led the way. Israel would accomplish this impossible task as they set their eyes upon God’s presence and followed only after His presence.” (Guzik)

Sanctify

Hebrews 2:11 Both Jesus who sanctifies and those who are sanctified [that is, spiritually transformed, made holy, and set apart for God’s purpose] are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,

If you have been born again you have been spiritually transformed, sanctified.

You’ve become a child of God and have been welcomed into the family of Christ and Jesus calls us brothers and sisters.

Have you set your eyes 👀 upon Jesus and followed after Him today?

Blessings 

Joshua 3:1-2 Three Days!

 1Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from [a]Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp;

Jos 1:11 NKJV - 11 "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.' "

Three days!

Boy this number of days sounds familiar! 🤔

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

My great aunt had a saying: company is like fish, after three days they both begin to stink!

If we wait on the Lord for three days or for company to leave what is that in the realm of things? 

If your child is missing, three days can be a long time!

Luke 2:26 Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

Three days are repetitive throughout the Bible and God only knows why HE chose three days to bring forth resolutions!

If God can wait three days, why is it so hard for us to wait on the Lord?

Blessings 

Joshua 2:22-24 Impossible!

 22They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. 23So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. 24And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.”

“The reconnaissance mission didn’t help with military strategy, but it did help in encouraging the faith of these spies and the whole nation. This was far more important than a good battle plan.

i. There was another purpose at work in sending the spies: to save Rahab. In this, we see the extent God goes to in bringing one woman and her father’s house to salvation – – someone seemingly “impossible” to save.” (Guzik)

Impossible 

I’m sure you’ve heard someone say Jesus wouldn’t save them because they’ve sinned to greatly or maybe you’ve said this about yourself?

But read the stories in the Bible about sinners, about Rahab!

Nothing is impossible for the Lord!

Remember this song? Pray for the fish 🐠 

https://youtu.be/HekUNIMTe64

Baptism is the burying of the old man and raising up the new man in Christ!

Nothing is impossible with God! The fish were jumping out of the water because of the sin that was washed off the man when he was baptized! 

Baptism doesn’t forgive sin, but Jesus does! 

I wish I could fish like that, get baptized and watch the fish jump out of the water because of my sin! 

If you believe God doesn’t want you because of your sin, think again! 

The Bible says there’s only one sin that’s unforgivable, grieving the Holy Spirit!

Lay your sin at the foot of the cross today before it’s too late!

Blessings