Thursday 13 August 2009
- Bible Book:
- Joshua
"While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan." (v.17)
Background
Leadership of the Israelites in the wilderness has passed fromMoses to Joshua and it was his task to lead them into the PromisedLand. He had already made preparations by sending spies into thecity of Jericho, but now it was time for the main event - thecrossing over into Canaan.
The main reason for this 'divine intervention' at the river Jordanwas to validate Joshua's leadership role towards the people ofIsrael. This miraculous event, which mirrored the crossing of theRed Sea by Moses and the Israelites (
The ark of the covenant, containing the stone tablets with the tencommandments written on them, was said to be the throne of God. Sothe Lord, leading with the throne, went into the river Jordan aheadof the people. God remained there in the place of danger until allof them had safely crossed over and entered the Promised Land
To Ponder
It's challenging to be a leader. In what ways doyou think Christian commitment can help someone to be a moreeffective leader?
The people of Israel entered an unknown countrypopulated by unknown people. In what ways might exercising faith asa Christian be a journey into the unknown?
To what extent does your trust in God equal thatof the people of Israel in this passage from Joshua?