Safeguarding The Good Life-2 Series

SAFEGUARDING The GOOD LIFE-II—Joshua 3:1-6

Good Life/Well/Abundant

Attention:

Hurricane Joaquin brought upwards of 20 inches of rain to Columbia, SC in Saturday & Sunday Oct. 4-5, 2015. It was the worst flooding in Columbia’s history. The Congaree River, which runs thru Columbia, reached its highest level since 1936.

Congaree National Park(since 2003), SE of Columbia encompasses “the largest expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the SE.” Some people saw the need to protect the area by creating the national park from what have been various stages of federal protection since 1969.

It contains some of the largest trees in the eastern US. Two being “the largest Loblolly Pine” & another being “the tallest Loblolly Pine” in the entire U.S. Scientists speculate that the reason the trees are so enormous is due to periodic flooding events such as that which occurred on Oct. 4-5. As flooding inundates the area it leaves behind nutrients, soils, & other ‘debris’ which enhance the forest’s growth.

Some things are worth protecting.

The Good Life we have in Christ is particularly worth safeguarding/ protecting.

Need:

We all want ‘the good life.’

Joshua prepared the children of Israel for entrance into the promised land.

Christians must be prepared to enter the abundant life.

How can God’s people be prepared for entering the abundant life?

4 safeguards/assurances for entering the promised land/ living the Abundant Life/Good Life

We found earlier that The Good Life is Safeguarded at/by/thru...

1. The BRINK(:1)

2—The Good Life is Safeguarded at/by/thru...

The LORD(:2-4)

Explanation:(:2-4) Don’t Force situation/Follow

:2—“So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp;”

:3—“& they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, & the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place & go after it. ””

Previously Joshua had told Israel that they would cross the Jordan within three days(1:11). The spies had already stayed at the mountain for three days waiting for Jericho’s pursuers to return to the city(2:22-23). It is possible that the three day period was contingent upon the return of the spies or that the spies return effectively reset the three day ‘clock,’ or that the 3-day period included the spy’s time west of the Jordan.

After 3 days the officers went thruout the camp of the Israelites. They went with the purpose of commanding the people. They were told that they would see “the ark of the covenant.” They would see the Levitical priests carrying it. Upon their seeing the ark pass by, the people were to set out & follow it.

?What was the ark?

“Ark”—Nwra aw-rowne'—Strong—from hra aw-raw’[a primitive root; to pluck](in the sense of gathering); A box.

—An ornate gold overlaid box of specific size(3 3/4ft. X 2 1/4ft. X 2 1/4ft.) Containing the Testimony(Ten Commandments)

Ex. 25:10-16—“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two & a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit & a half its width, & a cubit & a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside & out you shall overlay it, & shall make on it a molding of gold all around. You shall cast four rings of gold for it, & put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, & two rings on the other side. And you shall make poles of acacia wood, & overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.”

—The ark had a solid gold top/lid(the mercy seat) upon which were 2 angels(cherubim) of solid gold.

—God would speak to Moses from between the cherubim. Thus it was referred to as ‘the mercy seat.’

Ex. 25:17-22—“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two & a half cubits shall be its length & a cubit & a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, & the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, & they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, & in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, & I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”