Faith Fostered By A Flood
Text: Joshua 4: 9
Intro: Most of us are fully aware of the events that preceded Israel’s arrival and encampment at the bank of the Jordan River prior to their entry into the Promised Land. They had just completed a forty-year trek through the wilderness, which was characterized by much spiritual instruction, as well as a number of on again/off again experiences in their dedication to God. But finally, for the second time during their forty-year sojourn, they find themselves at the brink of the Jordan River.
No doubt, as the Israelites looked at the swollen river that stood between them and their promised possession, it appeared to them to be an insurmountable obstacle. However, as we will see, seemingly insurmountable obstacles do not nullify the promises and power of God. If God has made a promise, there is nothing or no one that will prevent its fulfillment, except one thing—UNBELIEF. What God promises, He is able to perform (Rom.4: 21). “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (I Thess.5: 24), Paul told the Thessalonians. That must be the attitude of every saint who would see magnificent things from the hand of God.
Anytime a person or a church determines to walk with God and trust His promises, obstacles will without fail, arise, and will seem to declare everything that God has said to be a lie. But the presence of an obstacle is actually an opportunity for increased faith. The sad part is that we almost never seem to realize that fact at the time we face the problem. However, that mindset is developed over a period of time, by repetition.
There are three things that I find in Joshua 3: 9-4: 9 that God engineered to develop unswerving faith in His people. God used a flood to teach His people some principles of faith. Let’s examine this situation to see what we can learn from it as well.
Theme: In seeking to mature Israel’s faith:
I. THE LORD PRECEDED THE PEOPLE TO JORDAN
Joshua 3: 11 “…the ark…of the Lord…passeth over before you…”
A. The Lord’s Intent.
1. He wanted to demonstrate His presence.
Joshua 3: 9 “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.
10a And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you…”
2. He wanted to demonstrate His power to protect.
Joshua 3: 10b “…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.”
NOTE: [1] The point of everything God was about to do at the Jordan River was to demonstrate to Israel God’s ability and availability to His people, even in the midst of a flood tide of enemies.
[2] The Lord is still able to protect His people, as illustrated by this true story.
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present—but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18.
B. The Lord’s Illustration.
1. God was about to illustrate His preparatory presence, regardless of the obstacle.
Joshua 3: 11 “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.”
NOTE: [1] The ark was the visible representation of the very presence of God to the Israelites. The ark going before them into the floodwaters of Jordan represented the fact that God’s presence would go before them to prepare the way for their deliverance. The Lord does the same for His people today. Whatever problem you find yourself headed for, you’ll see Jesus coming back from. He goes before us to prepare the way for our deliverance.
[2] It isn’t uncommon to feel alone and forsaken when going through the trials of life. But God has promised, “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb.13: 5b). Whether is appears so or not, God is present in every problem.
2. God was about to illustrate His ability to cut-off all opposition.
Joshua 3: 13 “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.”
NOTE: [1] Verse 13 must be considered with verse 10. The point was that just as God was able to cut-off the flooding Jordan, He was able to cut-off the heathen enemies in the Promised Land.
[2] God has not promised we would never have to face obstacles or opposition in our lives. As a matter of fact, He has promised just the opposite (John 16: 33). But in spite of the fact that tribulation is a part of life, we have the promise of God’s overcoming presence and power for every situation.
Isa.43: 2 “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3a For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour…”
[3] There’s nothing that might come into your life that God isn’t big enough to handle if you’ll trust Him.
A young boy traveling by airplane to visit his grandparents sat beside a man who happened to be a seminary professor. The boy was reading a Sunday school take-home paper when the professor thought he would have some fun with the lad. "Young man," said the professor, "If you can tell me something God can do, I’ll give you a big, shiny apple." The boy thought for a moment and then replied, "Mister, if you can tell me something God can’t do, I’ll give you a whole barrel of apples!"
Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 43.
II. THE LORD PARTED THE JORDAN
A. This Was Manifested By The Step Of Faith.
Joshua 3: 14 “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;
15 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,)
16 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.”
NOTE: [1] Notice that the Jordan did not part until two things happened: (a) “The people removed from their tents” (Joshua 3: 14), and (b) “The feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water” (Joshua 3: 15).
1a. Faith-inspired obedience always determines our ability to overcome our obstacles and opposition.
1b. According to Rom.4: 16-22, faith is simply acting upon the facts of what God has said. The people had to believe God and His servant enough to take down their tents and move. The priests had to trust God and His servant, Joshua, enough to very literally, get their feet wet. You see, we must be willing to cooperate with God.
[2] If faced with similar circumstances, I suspect that most Christians of our day would say, “Okay Lord, You open up the river first, then we’ll trust You.” But according to James 2: 20b, a faith that must see before it acts, isn’t really faith at all, because, “…faith without works is dead.”
Faith and works should travel side-by-side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again—until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other.
William Booth in The Founder’s Messages to Soldiers, Christianity Today, October 5, 1992, p. 48.
[3] Many of God’s people possess only a “trumped-up faith”, not a true, “tested faith.” They can talk for hours about the great heroes of faith such as Abraham, George Mueller, and Hudson Taylor. But they won’t dwell too long on the fires of testing that God used to forge their great faith. Strong faith is produced in God’s spiritual furnace.
[4] A real hindrance to faith is the need to understand. Often we want to understand how God’s going to meet our need before we decide to trust Him. That won’t work, because understanding doesn’t require any faith.
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.
Augustine.
B. This Was Maintained By The Stand Of Faith.
Joshua 3: 17 “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.”
NOTE: [1] The words “stood firm” seem to shine out at us like a neon sign from verse 17. It was not enough for the priests to merely take the step of faith; they also had to maintain the stand of faith. Some folks start well enough. They take the first step. But they don’t stand where they have stepped.
[2] Have you ever stopped to think what might have happened had those priests suddenly decided that it was too difficult and dangerous to keep holding on to the ark (the symbol of God’s presence and power)? Likewise, what would have happened if those priests had looked upstream to that ominous wall of water, and began entertaining a “what if” train of thought?
2a. Folks, I believe that thousands of lives literally hung on whether those men stood their ground in the midst of the Jordan. Had they turned loose of the ark, and ran out of that riverbed, I believe that there would have been many people swept away to their death.
2b. In like manner, when we waver in our stand of faith, we may cause others, who have confidence in us, to be swept away in destructive unbelief.
[3] Notice that as soon as the priests took their stand, they found themselves on “dry ground” (Joshua 3: 17a). What a wonderful principle is found here. Though all around us, life may be shaky and uncertain, when we stand firm on the ground of faith, we will find it to be a place of safety and security. As the old hymn says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand/All other ground is sinking sand/All other ground is sinking sand.”
[4] Mark this well dear Christian: If Satan cannot keep you from taking the step of faith, he will try doubly hard to keep you from taking the stand of faith. Like a very wise black preacher once said, “If your faith fizzles before the finish, it was faulty from the first.”
III. THE LORD PROMPTED REMEMBRANCE OF JEHOVAH
Joshua 4: 7b “…and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.”
A. These Memorials Would Testify To God’s Fulfilled Promise.
Joshua 4: 1 “And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.”
NOTE: [1] The implications of what is said here are rather exciting. The first thing to note is the fact that there were actually two stone memorials set up, both having twelve stones each. These twelve stones were obviously representative of the twelve tribes of Israel.
[2] According to Joshua 4: 3, one memorial was to be set up on the Canaan-side of Jordan. In Joshua 4: 9 we are told that another memorial was set up on the wilderness-side of Jordan. This arrangement was indicative of the fact that the Israelites had come through the wilderness together, and they had entered the Promised Land together.
[3] These memorials would not only testify to the present generation of the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promises, but also to the next generation as well, who would ask of their meaning. In Exodus 3: 17 God promised His people that He would bring them out of Egyptian bondage, “…unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” These stones would proclaim the fact that God always keeps His promises.
[4] Speaking of the faithfulness of God, it is said of Hudson Taylor:
Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote: Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning...He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all...Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.
Our Daily Bread, May 16, 1992.
B. These Memorials Would Testify To God’s Fabulous Power.
Joshua 4: 4 “Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.”
NOTE: [1] God’s purpose in setting up these memorials was to remind the Israelites of one simple truth: Passage into this new life in the Land of Promise was provided solely by the power of almighty God, not by devices of their own making. God had miraculously cut off the floodwaters of the Jordan River that His people might cross over on dry ground.
[2] Only God could get the credit for bringing His people into their possession. It was only the greatness of God that had brought them through the wilderness and the water.
In 1715 King Louis XIV of France died after a reign of 72 years. He had called himself "the Great," and was the monarch who made the famous statement, "I am the state!" His court was the most magnificent in Europe, and his funeral was equally spectacular. As his body lay in state in a golden coffin, orders were given that the cathedral should be very dimly lit with only a special candle set above his coffin, to dramatize his greatness. At the memorial, thousands waited in hushed silence. Then Bishop Massilon began to speak; slowly reaching down, he snuffed out the candle and said, "Only God is great."
Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 24.
C. These Memorials Would Testify To A Gloriously Fateful Place.
Joshua 4: 9 “And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.”
NOTE: [1] The spiritual picture framed by these two stone memorials is a beautiful one. As one stood looking at the monument on the Canaan-side of Jordan, his eyes would inevitably be directed to the corresponding monument on the wilderness-side of Jordan. Looking at one would remind him of the significance of the other.
[2] As an Israelite stood in the Promised Land, looking at this heap of stones, his thoughts would perhaps be something like this:
These stones came from the spot where the priests stood in obedient faith to Jehovah God—the place where we as a nation took our stand in agreement with God, claiming His promise and our possession. My people and I are able to stand here because we first took our stand there, where the other heap of stones stands on the other side.
The monument on the other side of Jordan marks the place where our glorious fate was settled. They remind my people that we first had to stand firm in our faith toward God in order to enjoy the blessings of the Promised Land. By faith we have been brought from that place to our possession. Thanks be to God!
[3] What a contrast this is to what is said of Israel concerning their first opportunity to enter the Promised Land. Hebrews 4: 6 tells us, “…they…entered not in because of unbelief.” This time however, the flood tide of trouble evoked faith instead of fear and failure. Every time they beheld these memorials, they would be encouraged to remember the faithfulness of God, His protective presence, and His awesome power so vividly demonstrated on their behalf.
Theme: In seeking to mature Israel’s faith:
I. THE LORD PRECEDED THE PEOPLE TO JORDAN
II. THE LORD PARTED THE JORDAN
III. THE LORD PROMPTED REMEMBRANCE OF JEHOVAH
