For our meditation we will meditate on Joshua 3:13,“When the priests who carry the Covenant Box of the LORD of all the earth put their feet in the water, the Jordan will stop flowing, and the water coming downstream will pile up in one place." (GNB)
The place of this incident is at the banks of the River Jordan, which was overflowing as it always did during the time of the harvest. Joshua and the people of Israel were on one side of the river, and had to cross over to the other side. Only if they crossed that river could they possess the Promised Land that God had guaranteed to them, but the River Jordan was a huge hurdle in front of them.
Often in life, in order to obtain the blessings that God has assured us, there are many hindrances that we may encounter. There are many who have overcome many problems earlier in life, but are at present challenged with difficulties that seems too great to handle. I have heard people say that they are just faced with just one problem that seems insurmountable, and that if they can get over it they would make sure progress. This could be one single habit, a single need, a single weakness or a problem that seems to weigh them down heavily. Every so often they are unable to get past these, and are sadly at a standstill in their lives.
As we study the events that occurred around the Jordan, we will be able to identify some important lessons for our lives. The Lord performed miracles that were contrary to nature. If we too can look to God in faith, it is a certainty that we can conquer all those Jordan like situations in our lives. We have a God who is a miracle-working God, who does not change.
This does not mean that we should get to actually see the River Jordan. For many people it is their ambition that they should get to visit the land of Israel at least once in their life-time. There are some who believe that one has to go on a pilgrimage to the land of Israel, and walk the streets that Jesus walked, and get to see many of the places that are mentioned in the bible. It is a good experience to visit the land of Israel, but if you have the notion that you will be blessed only if you visit the land of Israel, you are sadly mistaken as the word of God does not attest to any such thing. If there are Jordan like situations in your life, ask the Lord to help you overcome the same.
The people of Israel who reached the banks of the River Jordan received their miracle. There was nothing spectacular about the River Jordan, but their faith in God helped them to receive miracles that were totally contrary to nature.
As children of God believe that God can do miracles in your life that are beyond the natural realm. Many have come to a place of complacency in their faith walk, and have convinced themselves that everything that happens in their lives are unavoidable, as it happens to everyone else. They are just content to believe that they are saved, and hence are assured of a place in heaven after their death. Heaven is the glorious place that awaits us after death, but let us not forget that as long as we live on this earth, the Lord is ready to do miracles in our lives, and we must desire to receive them from the Lord. The miracles that the Lord performed that are recorded in the bible are available for us today, and all we have to do is to have faith to believe that God can do the impossible for us.
The miracle at Jordan
We read in Joshua 3:13,“When the priests who carry the Covenant Box of the LORD of all the earth put their feet in the water, the Jordan will stop flowing, and the water coming downstream will pile up in one place." (GNB)
It was only when the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant placed their feet in the water that the miracle happened. The significant part of this miracle was the Covenant Box that the priests carried with them. We will study to understand what made this Covenant Box so crucial for this miracle to take place.
When the priests who bore the Covenant Box placed their feet in the water, the water that was flowing downstream piled up in one place. Most of us may have seen a pile of sand or a pile of stones, but none of us would have seen a pile of water. It is the nature of water to flow freely from a higher point to a lower point, but at the word of the Lord the waters in the river did something that was contradictory to their nature, and piled up at one place.
The Lord who performed that miracle is most willing to do mighty miracles for all of us today.
The significance of the Covenant Box
Let us study the word to find out what made the Ark of the Covenant so special.
We read in Hebrews 9:4, “In it were the gold altar for the burning of incense and the Covenant Box all covered with gold and containing the gold jar with the manna in it, Aaron's stick that had sprouted leaves, and the two stone tablets with the commandments written on them.” (GNB)
Inside the Covenant Box were three important items. The first one was manna, the second was Aaron’s rod that budded, and thirdly the two stone tablets that had the Ten Commandments inscribed on them.
• The Manna
As the people of Israel wandered through the desert they rebelled, and were disobedient to God in many ways. Nevertheless, the Lord graciously fed them faithfully all through their journey for those forty long years.
We read about this in Exodus 16:14-15,“When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as delicate as frost. When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know what it was and asked each other, "What is it?" Moses said to them, "This is the food that the LORD has given you to eat.” (GNB)
The reason why the Lord asked them to keep the manna in the Covenant Box was to remind them that He was the Lord who led them for forty years through the wilderness, and that He was able to continue to lead them on.
Whenever we are encountered with any sort of difficulty, the first thing that we must recall is the wonders and miracles that God performed in the past. Oftentimes, we as humans remember all the things that are lacking, but easily forget the manifold blessings that we have received from God. We will remember all the problems that we faced, but tend to forget the solutions that God gave us. Be assured that God is able to lead us on through any and every situation that comes across our way.
If you are murmuring or wondering about the hardship that you are encountering, and pondering as to how this would get sorted out, just look back on our lives these past few years. All of a sudden we were challenged with lockdowns, everything was shut down, but in spite of it all the Lord took care of all of us. For many you were able to earn though you could not go to your work, and the Lord provided for all of your needs. Many who were more able-bodied and healthier than us passed away because of this pandemic, but the Lord has graciously kept us alive up until today. If we are able to read this message it is only the grace of God and believe that the Lord who brought us out of all these calamities, is well able to help us overcome any and every problem that looms large before us. Let us ask God to forgive us for our short memory in not remembering the blessings of God in our lives. No wonder the Psalmist reminds us that we should bless the Lord, and not forget all His benefits bestowed upon us. Every time we repeat this verse saying, ‘Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits’ may we truly recall all of God’s goodness in our lives. Nothing is too hard for God to handle, and He will help us cross over every hurdle that comes across our path.
The Psalmist also says in Psalm 143:5, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.” (ESV)
There are three things that the Psalmist does, he remembers, he meditates, and he ponders on all that God has done in his life.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, ‘What fills our mind?’ This present problem that you are facing which could be a financial problem, a problem with your child, a sickness or whatever it may be, just take your eyes off them, and remind yourself of all that God has done in the past. Though we have overcome many hardships earlier, sometimes the problem at hand seems so huge and our heart faints within us, and we feel we cannot tide over the issue at hand. At such times we must strengthen our hearts to not give up and take time to remember, meditate and ponder on all that God has done in the past. By doing so we can defeat all those thoughts that pop up to make us feel that we are not capable to handle the difficulty. Let’s ask God to help us remember all that He has done, and one good way to do it is to write down in a book the many situations when God intervened to change things that seemed hopeless to us. Only then we will be able to realize how God has graciously delivered us from trials, honored us when we thought we were defeated, and freed us from all those troubles that entangled us. There is no need for us to fret when faced with any kind of trial or hardship in our lives.
God who delivered us will deliver us again
The Apostle Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 1:10, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. (ESV) 2Co 1:10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” (ESV)
Paul uses three tenses to explain that the God who delivered in the past, will do so in the present and that He will continue to deliver us in the future as well.
Take note of this verse and know for sure that God will do the same for you. He is the God who controls our past, present and future. If you are afraid of a Jordan like situation, the Lord guarantees you that you will cross over to safety, but in order to do so, recall all the good things that God has done in your lives. That was the reason for the manna in the Covenant Box. Remember that the presence of the Lord is gloriously displayed in a life that recounts with gratitude all the blessings of God from the past. Let us be thankful to the Lord, and recall with gratitude all the times when God protected us, preserved us, and upheld us in the midst of all the confusions that surrounded us.
• Aaron’s rod that budded
The second item that was kept in the Covenant Box was Aaron’s rod that budded.
We read in Numbers 17:8, “On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.” (ESV)
In one night the rod of Aaron had sprouted, budded, produced blossoms and had born ripe almonds. This just goes to prove that God is beyond seasons. We all know that it takes many years for a plant to grow into a tree that can produce fruit, but God made all that happen overnight.
There are many who have been waiting for answers for many long years, and are discouraged wondering as to why there is no answer in sight. The rod of Aaron reminds us that God can give life to anything that is lifeless or even to what seems dead.
For those who are praying for family members hoping they will change and give up some addictions. You may be frustrated that there is no sign of any change, and if you are discouraged, the Lord reminds you to pray, and not give up. Be sure that in a moment God can bring about total transformation. Saul was persecuting the church, and threatening those who followed the Lord Jesus. As the church prayed and pleaded with the Lord on behalf of Saul, in a most astonishing way the Lord Jesus met Saul as he journeyed to Damascus. This encounter changed Saul to Paul, and the very person who destroyed the church of God became one who built the church. God will do the same for your family members whom you are concerned about, and be sure that nothing is impossible with God.
David was an ordinary shepherd, and God elevated him to be the King of Israel. God took Joseph who was thrown in prison, and made him a ruler in Egypt. Let us repent of all our unbelief and discouragements, and ask the Lord to strengthen our faith in Him.
There is one more lesson we need to learn from Aaron’s staff that budded.
We read in Numbers 17:6,“Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs.” (ESV)
There was a problem and God asked that each of the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel bring a rod, and keep it in the presence of God in the tent of testimony. All of these were dead rods, but the rod of Aaron had budded, blossomed and borne fruit. Remember that the conditions were the same for all the twelve rods, but there was a marked difference in the rod of Aaron.
The lesson that we learn is that though it appears that all of us are in the same impossible situations, God can make a difference in the lives of those who are His children. For example I have heard people say there is an economic decline, and none of us are exempt from it. However, the faith that we should have is that in the midst of such crisis, we will prosper, and we will be distinguished. Those whom God has chosen, the ones whom He has set apart to fulfill His task, the Lord will separate, and make them stand out. Please don’t resign yourself to believe that you have to go through the same grind that everyone else is going through, and that things will not be different for you. Be certain that God will distinguish you, and make you stand apart from all the others if you believe. If we believe we can receive the extraordinary from the hands of God who specializes in doing what is contrary to all nature and predictions.
• The two stone tablets
The third item in the Ark of the Covenant was the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed on them. If we want to understand who the God of the bible is, the Ten Commandments will give us a wonderful insight about God. The Lord God prepared these commandments, and gave them to the Israelites who had lived in bondage for almost four hundred years. These commandments were given by God to the people of Israel to discipline them, and to establish them into a godly nation. One cannot imagine the condition of these Israelites who had been in slavery for many long years. Their minds must have been confused with no sense of what was right and what was wrong. God who delivered them not only revealed to them who He was, but also handed over the commandments to them to guide them in the way they should live.
These commandments of God are able to bring extraordinary changes in the lives of those who obey them.
We read in Isaiah 55:11, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (ESV)
Let me encourage those who don’t have a bible to get one, and begin reading it. You will experience tremendous changes in your life. The word of God in that Covenant Box made it so special. Remember that where the word of God is, the presence of God is also there. When the word of God fills your heart the presence of God will also fill the same.
The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 119:98, “Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me” (ESV)
We looked at three things that are essential for us to cross the Jordan like situations in our lives. Firstly, we have to recall the past, and give thanks to God for all the wonders He wrought and all the blessings He bestowed on us. Secondly, we must believe that God is able to change all of our circumstances in just a moment. Don’t lose heart. You may be waiting for many long years, but keep praying and you will receive an answer from the Lord. Finally if God’s word fills our heart and will remain within us, we will experience transformation in our lives. If you believe you will be a great testimony, and all who observe your life will be filled with awe and wonder to see the mighty deliverance that God will bring forth in your life.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
