Today’s meditation is based 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)
These are the words that Joshua received from God which he passed on to the people. The Israelites had come really close to the Promised Land, but in order to do so they had to cross over the River Jordan which was full, and overflowing its banks. It was at this juncture that God gave them this instruction.
God’s word reminds us that He is God over all of mankind, and there is nothing that is impossible with Him. The Lord could have asked them to stand still on the banks of the river, and made a way for them to pass through. However, God desired that there should be a certain initiative from the people, before He performed the miracle.
The instruction that was given to Joshua was that the priests who bore the Covenant Box, which actually represented the presence of God, should put their feet in the waters of the River Jordan. The moment they did that they were assured that the waters of the River Jordan that flowed downward would all pile up to stand in one place. By piling up, a way was made for them so that the Israelites could cross over to the other side.
There was no way they could pass over the Jordan if not for God’s divine intervention.
So also, we must remember that there is often a part that we have to play in order to receive the miracles that God has in store for us. This Jordan like situations are found in the lives of many, and may be varied. You may have heard people say that there is just one problem, or habit, or debt or circumstance that needs to be changed so that they can progress in their lives. These are what I call Jordan like circumstances and God is the same God who is able to change all of them. This miracle will happen, when like the priest who carried the Covenant Box, we too are ready to step out in obedience to do all that God requires of us to do. There are many complications in our lives that cannot be sorted out unless the Lord intervenes in a miraculous way, and if we want that to happen we must be willing to obey the Lord.
There are other incidents that happened in the Jordan River, all of which were beyond the realm of nature. We will just look at two of them in this message.
The letter that agitated the king of Israel
We read in 2 Kings 5:7, And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” (ESV)
The King of Israel received a letter from the King of Syria, the contents of which greatly disturbed him. In that letter the King of Syria mentioned that he had sent one of the commanders of his army by name Naaman to him, so that he could be cured of his leprosy. To the King of Israel it seemed like the King of Syria was making such a request knowing that he could not fulfill it, and thereby making a reason for war between them. The King of Israel was so perplexed and agitated that he even tore his clothes.
By tearing his clothes the king was declared that he was just a mere human who had no power to cure a person of his leprosy. No wonder he exclaimed and said, ‘Am I God?’ and thereby attested that God alone had the power to perform miracles.
This incident reminds us that though one might be a king on a throne with power and authority, but even he has a limit to what he can accomplish. Our God is the King of all kings, and He alone can do anything, for nothing is beyond His control.
The prophet’s response
When the news about the king’s predicament, and the fact that he had torn his clothes in despair spread through the land, it also came to the notice of the Prophet Elisha.
We read in 2 Kings 5:8, But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” (ESV)
The message that perplexed the king who sat on the throne, in no way perturbed Elisha who was a prophet of God. Instead of thinking that this was a problem that the king should handle, the Prophet Elisha asked that Naaman be sent to him.
There was a marked difference in the way both the king, and the prophet handled the same issue that was brought before them. One was trying to sort out the problem with his own strength, and the other believed that with God all things are possible.
We too must examine ourselves to see how we handle the difficulties that come our way. We could either try to sort things out with our own strength, or look to God for wisdom to deal with the difficulties that come our way.
Naaman comes to Elisha
In 2 Kings 5:9 we read, “So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house.” (ESV)
Now Naaman went to the house of Elisha the prophet. Generally, when a person of prominence comes to visit a prophet there would be a whirlwind of activities. However, in this case the prophet of God did not even come outside, but just sent a message through his servant.
The message to Naaman
We read in 2 Kings 5:10, And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” (ESV)
I thought about the reason as to why the Prophet Elisha may not have come out. Elisha knew for sure that God would heal Naaman of his leprosy, and therefore he knew that Naaman might make a big deal of him instead of acknowledging God who would do the miracle. Elisha did not want to take any glory for himself that was due to God alone.
We truly need prophets of God like Elisha these days. These are days when those who have the gift of God bestowed on them, use it to make a name for themselves. God will not share His glory with anyone on earth, and we must be cautious about this. That is why Jesus also taught us to pray saying to God the Father, ‘Hallowed be Thy name.’ Everything that we ask of God should be done with the single motive to bring glory to God alone. Every problem that we overcome should testify to the world that we have a living God who cares for us, and can do the miraculous for us. Never should we try to take any of the glory that is due to God alone. Only when we do so, will we receive the wonderful miracles of God most easily.
Naaman wanted it his way
We read in 2 Kings 5:11, But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. (ESV)
Naaman wanted his healing from leprosy, but it seems that he also had an idea as to how this miracle should be performed. Naaman assumed that Elisha would come out of his house, wave his hand over the infected area and cure him. However, what happened there was contrary to what he expected, which greatly angered him.
Often when we pray, we also try to tell God the way to solve our problems. God only want us to give our problems over to him, He knows how to handle the same for His ways are countless. Let us not try to counsel God, but be willing to submit to Him with humility. There are many who are discouraged because they have certain agendas when they pray to God, and they want God to work in the way that they think best. Keep in mind that God knows how to work things out for us, so all we have to do is place our problems in His hands, and He will give us the appropriate solution.
The counsel of the servants
We read in 2 Kings 5:13, His servants went up to him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?" (GNB)
Naaman must have tried numerous ways to be rid of his leprosy before he came to the Prophet Elisha. The Prophet Elisha gave Naaman a simple instruction which he was not willing to obey. The servants of Naaman probably knew all that he must have gone through to try to get rid of his leprosy. They therefore, encourage him to try, and obey the simple instruction that Elisha had given to him.
As children of God let us bear in mind that the precepts of God are easy to follow, and none of them are difficult. God will never burden us with more than we can handle because He is aware of our strengths and weaknesses. For instance, just imagine that if Jesus had instructed us that all who are His children should visit the land of Israel where Jesus was born, lived, ministered and performed miracles in order to have their sins forgive. I am sure that many would do their best to fulfill this. However, the Lord knows that this would be impossible for those who have not enough finances for such a trip or for those who are feeble and weak in their bodies. Notice how the Lord always gives us easy ways which when obeyed will enable us to receive the impossible things from God.
When Naaman heard the counsel of his servants, he had a change of heart. This is what the bible calls as repentance.
Naaman’s response
We read in 2 Kings 5:14,So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child. (GNB)
The verse mentions that Naaman went down to the River Jordan. I think of this going down in two ways. One was that he went down physically, but I also believe that he humbled himself, and went down into that river. When Naaman got into the water, he had to dip himself seven times. If while dipping himself, he stopped midway, he would not have received his miracle. Only when he completed dipping himself seven times was he completely cured of his leprosy and his flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child. This was a miracle that was beyond logic and realm of nature.
There are many who are holding on firmly to their ways stubbornly, and not willing to let go. Only when you let go of that stubbornness, can God intervene to do the miraculous.
The first thing Naaman had to do was to believe that if he went to the prophet that he could receive his healing. Secondly, Naaman had to let go of his anger, and have a change of heart. Thirdly, Naaman had to obey completely so that the miracle he could enjoy the miracle.
This incident happened in the River Jordan which symbolized the baptism that God had ordained for everyone who would believe in Jesus. Let me explain this. When anyone contracts leprosy, their bodies lose all its sensitivity. So also, when this disease called sin came into human beings, they too in a way lose out on their sensitivity to God. Just as leprosy of Naaman could not be cured by none other than God, so also the curse of sin cannot be rid except through what Jesus has done for us on the cross. We can burden our bodies, we can fast for forty days, and do whatever we can, there is no way we can be rid of our sins, just as Naaman was not able to get rid of his disease. However, when Naaman believed, repented, obeyed and went into the waters, his body that was without sensation became sensitive and whole like that of a child. This is the simple way that God has shown to us, and we should not hesitate to follow it.
The significance of baptism
We read in Acts 2:38, Peter said to them, "Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit. (GNB)
Let me explain this verse to you. If you repent or turn away from your sins, and turn towards God, take baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, not only are our sins forgiven, we are also assured of the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. When God created Adam, his heart was one with God and they were in perfect union. It was sin that made Adam lose out on God’s presence, and the wonderful fellowship that he shared with God. Once our sins are forgiven, we are reconciled back to God and the Holy Spirit of God dwells within us.
Let us look at one more event that took place in the River Jordan.
Jesus at the River Jordan
We read in Matthew 3:13, “At that time Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.” (GNB)
At thirty years of age, Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized in the River Jordan. By submitting Himself for baptism Jesus expressed His humility. After His baptism it took just three and a half years for Jesus to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for all mankind. The reason was that Jesus humbled Himself, though He was the God of the universe, He took on the form of a man, and took baptism at the hands of one whom He had created. Such was the humility of Jesus.
Many are still in the bondage of sin, and have not been set free only because of their pride. They are stuck to their traditions, and are not willing to obey the word of God as revealed to us.
John the Baptist was hesitant to baptize Jesus as Jesus approached him. He was reluctant because he knew that Jesus should be the one to baptize him and not vice versa.
Do as God requires
This was Jesus’ reply as found in Matthew 3:15, Jesus replied, “It is only right to do all that God requires.” Then John baptized Jesus. (TPT)
Jesus had to remind John the Baptist that it was necessary for Him to do all that God required of Him, and that therefore being baptized by John the Baptist was mandatory. If it was so with Christ, how much more it is for us.
We need to examine our lives in the light of God’s word. If we want to cross over the Jordan like situations, and get to the other side, we must overcome all the hindrances that come our way. Firstly, we must believe that Jesus alone can forgive all of our sins. Secondly, we must repent or have a change of heart. It simply means that we turn away from all those things that draw us away from God and turn our hearts toward God. Thirdly, we must obey God, and submit to the waters of baptism.
All those things that are hindrances in our lives can be removed if we too believe, repent and obey just like Naaman did. Baptism is that covenant we make with God once we have this conviction that we are sinners who need the salvation that Jesus offers. It is a realization that we are all sinners, that Jesus paid the price for us on the cross for all our sins, and with this belief when we go into the waters of baptism. This baptism symbolizes the fact that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. Our going into the water is symbolic to the fact that we too died with Jesus, have buried our sins and have risen to a new life in Christ. If anyone has a doubt as to what this baptism, the act of going into water, and coming out could do to us, let us remind ourselves of the incident of Naaman.
After all his arduous efforts that were to no avail, all that Naaman had to do was believe the words of the prophet, and when he did so, he was completely healed. This is God’s way and if we are willing to obey God as He bids us to, we will receive our deliverance and our miracle. Remember that there is no Jordan in our lives that is too hard for God to part.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
