Because Moses became angry and struck the rock, he was deprived of the privilege of leading the people of God into the Promised Land. Sin has deprived some of God’s choice servants of their greatest blessings.
Sometimes the things God does in righteousness, wisdom and justice, seem blatantly unfair to us humans. Such is the case with God's refusal to allow Moses to enter into the Promised Land.
But as we look into what Moses had done, we see the seriousness of his actions.
God told Him to SPEAK TO THE ROCK, not to SMITE THE ROCK.
• Forty years earlier it had been smitten, but now, forty years later, God did not instruct Moses to smite the rock.
• There is a very important reason for this: The True Rock, Jesus Christ, having once been smitten, is never to be smitten again!
• By smiting the rock the second time, Moses was symbolically crucifying Christ a second time.
When Moses discovered he would not be allowed to lead Israel into the Promised Land, this must have disappointed him greatly after all he went through getting them to the brink of the Promised Land.
Joshua was one of the spies that was sent to the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb returned with a good report.
It is because of his great faith in God, that God chose him to take the place of Moses and lead the people into the Promised Land.
He began to prepare the people of Israel for this blessing in verse 1, we read, “And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.” This was an exciting time for the people of God.
We all can remember exciting times when we looked forward to a certain day, such as:
(1) CHRISTMAS DAY
Everyone enjoys Christmas. One of the reasons we adults enjoy Christmas is because during this time of the year we begin to remember the excitement that Christmas brought to us as children.
Christmas is such an exciting time, that months before it gets here, merchants begin to advertise. We hear the countdown; Christmas will come in 30, 29, 28, 27…days!
But another exciting time in our life is -
(2) BIRTHDAYS
Most of us can remember that exciting time when we would be sweet sixteen. This was a birthday we looked forward to because of so many reasons.
When we were fifteen, it seemed like it took twenty years for us to reach sixteen. But once we were out of our teens, it seems like we have a birthday every six months.
But birthdays are an exciting time in our life. Another special day in our life is our-
(3) WEDDING DAY
Again, this day is so special that it also is a countdown day. Months before this day arrives, the couple begins to count the days until they will walk the aisle. And the closer that day comes, the more excited they become.
There are many special days in our lives, but the day that Israel was going to march into the Promised Land was one of the greatest days of their lives.
For years, the children of Israel had been looking forward to this day. THIS WAS AN EXCITING TIME!
Even Joshua was excited!!! We can see that excitement in verse 1, we read, “And JOSHUA ROSE EARLY IN THE MORNING; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.”
They could stand at Jordan and look into the land that God had promised them.
Because of unbelief, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and now the day had finally come when God was going to allow them to enter. This was an exciting time, I wish we could have been there!
The day before this was going to happen, notice what Joshua told the people of God to do. Look at verse 5, we read, “And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
Look at the word “Sanctify”, this is the word “Qadash” (Pronounced as Kaw-dash) which means to consecrate, dedicate, purify, sanctify.
Notice, he says this is something they are to do, not God. He said, “Sanctify yourselves”. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves HOLY, AS HE IS HOLY.
I am sure that when Joshua said they needed to sanctify themselves, after spending forty years in the wilderness due to sin they knew what they had to do.
He said, that the Lord was preparing to do WONDERS AMONG THEM, but before that happened, they had to sanctify themselves.
If we are going to see God at work in our lives, then we need to remove the barriers that keep God from doing WONDERS IN OUR LIFE. God wants to do wonders in our lives if we are willing to sanctify ourselves.
Let’s look at three things in this chapter we need to consider.
I. THE MAN OF GOD
Look at verse 7, we read, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.”
WHY IS THIS SIGNIFICANT? Remember, Joshua is taking the place of Moses, one of the greatest men who ever walked on this earth. But he was great because God made him great.
And now the Lord is saying to Joshua, “This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.”
We live in a day when greatness is not achieved by God but by the talents and skills of men. For example, look at the people who are considered to be great today:
• Many of the movie stars are the scum of the earth, but through agents promoting them, their names have become household words.
• Many of the athletes in this nation that have gained notoriety stay in trouble with the law.
What I am saying is this; mankind is promoting mankind.
But when it comes to Joshua, God said tomorrow, “I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel (and when I am finished all Israel will know), As I was with Moses so I will be with thee.” It is a wonderful thing when God will exalt a man.
We looked at THE MAN OF GOD, but also let’s look at -
II. THE MESSAGE OF GOD
Look at Joshua 3:8-9, we read, “And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”
Notice several things in these two verses of scripture.
(1) A COMMAND TO THE PRIEST
Look at Joshua 3:2-8, we read, “And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.”
WHAT IS GOD’S WORD SAYING IN THESE VERSES? God is saying to the people, “When you see the ARK OF COVENNANT MOVE, YOU MOVE.” But when you come to the edge (Brink) of Jordan, “Ye shall stand still.”
WHY DID GOD WANT THEM TO STAND STILL? Because in Joshua 3:5 He already told them, “And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do WONDERS AMONG YOU.”
God is preparing to do WONDERS AMONG THEM, and God wanted them to BE STILL and see what He was doing.
God still desires to do WONDERS for Christians today, but the devil has got some so busy, they can’t stand still and see what God is wanting to do.
In Psalm 1:2, the Psalmist said that we are to meditate day and night on the things of God. Our minds are often occupied with earthly things, but God wants us to STAND STILL and allow our minds to engage in SPIRITUAL THINGS.
The people were too busy to see the hand of God, but God was preparing to do SOMETHING outstanding, and He did not want them to miss it.
He gave A COMMAND TO THE PRIEST, but notice in these verses He also gave-
(2) A COMMAND TO THE PEOPLE.
Look at verses 9-17, we read, “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, AND HEAR THE WORDS OF THE LORD YOUR GOD. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.”
Look especially at verse 9, we read, “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, AND HEAR THE WORDS OF THE LORD YOUR GOD.”
You see, there is a distinction between our words and God’s Word. Joshua is inviting the people of God to come and hear the WORDS OF ALMIGHTY GOD!
We have seen THE MAN OF GOD, THE MESSAGE OF GOD, but notice also-
III. THE MIGHT OF GOD
Look again at verse 10, we read, “And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.”
That is exactly what the Lord did. God fought for them and drove out their enemies.
But the MIGHT OF GOD is seen also in Joshua 3:15-17, we read, “And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.”
God had made a promise to Joshua: “AS I WAS WITH MOSES SO WILL I BE WITH THEE.”
Now God, by His might, is going to keep that promise. For example:
• Remember when God opened the Red Sea and Moses walked across on dry ground?
Look at Exodus 14:15-16 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”
God made a promise: “AS I WAS WITH MOSES SO WILL I BE WITH THEE.” And now by HIS MIGHT they also walked across on dry ground.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY GOD WANTED THEM TO WALK ACROSS ON DRY GROUND?
God wanted them to walk on dry ground, because the infidels who are constantly scoffing at the Word of God would claim the way that Moses and Joshua led them across Red Sea, and the Jordan River, was by finding a shallow place to cross over. But when it is dry ground they can not make that claim.
When we think of the MIGHT OF GOD, we can not help but think of what Paul said in Eph. 3:20-21, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Conclusion:
I. THE MAN OF GOD
II. THE MESSAGE OF GOD
III. THE MIGHT OF GOD
