At some point in life, most people experience moments of overwhelming fear - times when our circumstances shift abruptly, and we are stunned temporarily. But some experience these terrible feelings of fear and anxiety daily. When worry heaps upon us in overwhelming proportions, we lose our footing, and we feel swept away in the mighty torrents of a river of fear, flung about and bewildered in our thoughts and actions. But the good news is that whether we experience overwhelming fear daily or periodically, God has made a way of escape for us, and we'll see it in our study today.
“The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now, therefore, take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”… “17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.” Joshua 3:7-13,17
In the book of Joshua, we follow the journeys of a new generation of Israelites who were born in the wilderness after God rescued their parents’ from cruel slavery in Egypt. Their commander was Joshua, and their destination, the country of Canaan, the Promised Land.
The Israelites knew from scouts sent in the former times of Moses that Canaan was an “exceedingly good land” (Numbers 14:7-8), flowing with God’s bounty and provision. It was also a land filled with no less than seven enemy nations that would oppose them (Joshua 3:10). Still, their first hindrance was the seemingly impassable barrier of the torrential Jordan river.
At the time the Israelites approached, the Jordan river was filled to the brim, flooded with the waters from the snow-capped Mount Hermon in Lebanon. This massive river that blocked their path was well beyond their ability to cross. They were at a complete standstill on "the brink of the waters of the Jordan" (Joshua 3:8), overwhelmed by the massive size and force of the river before them. One can imagine how insignificant and powerless they must have felt hearing the roar of the water, seeing the width and length of the river, and fearing to drown in the dark depths. The more they looked and fixated on the problem before them, the more their hearts might have been drained of faith in the God who had led their parents faithfully for 40 years through the wilderness. Standing at the water's edge, they were devoid of answers, alarmed, and uncertain of what lay ahead.
We do not need to face a flooding river to feel similarly. Challenging circumstances can make us feel stuck and paralyzed by our insufficiencies. Our mind and emotions can feel flooded with the numbing icy fear of the unknown or imagined.
Sometimes a small trickle of worry can grow into a running stream of fretful anxiety, then to a river of needless fears, ending with a flooded expanse of terrifying panic.
If we focus on our problems and our fears, then we are prone to speak and live faithlessly and fearfully. But God implores us, as He did Joshua and His people, to turn from our self-absorption:
“Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” Joshua 3:8
And what is that we hear?
The Word of God promises God’s presence: “as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” (Joshua 3:7)
In Joshua's day, God dwelt with His people in the Tabernacle. And, specifically, God resided with the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. The Ark of the Covenant was where God manifested His presence to His people and also the Israelites' means of relating to God. The Ark of the Covenant could only be approached once a year by the high priest on the Day of Atonement. On this day, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of a sacrificed lamb. It was also only on this day that God's presence manifested between the two golden cherubs that were atop the Ark. The high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the Mercy Seat. Once received by God, the blood of the lamb atoned (covered) for the sins of the high priest and the entire nation of Israel.
So, on the brink of the flooded Jordan River, God directed Joshua to send the priests into the river carrying the Ark of the Covenant. Joshua said to his people:
“Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you… Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan” Joshua 3:10-11
God went before His people and provided safe passage for them. God did for the Israelites what they could not do. As we consider this miraculous provision of God to save His people, our hearts rejoice, but we should not stop there because this story points forward to the bigger story of first importance that speaks to us personally:
“that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
The ark of the covenant was a foreshadow of Jesus. In the Person of Jesus, God came and “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). He is the center of our worship; He is the One through whom we relate to God.
We read in Joshua that when the priests carried the ark into the Jordan river, the water stopped in place immediately. The priests walked out and stood still in a completely dry river bed until the people had passed over safely to their new lives on the other bank.
“And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap…17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan” Joshua 3:13,17
Jesus also stood firmly amid danger for us. He was nailed and stretched out, fastened to the cross, in love and care for us, saving us from the flood of sin, wrath, and death itself.
He lived out each moment of the six hours of crucifixion purposely, loving us till His death, and the death of our old nature was completed, atoning by His shed blood for each moment of our lives of rebellion against God. Then with awesome power, the earth trembled and rocks were split, and the veil of the temple of God was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) as "Christ the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24) shouted the victory cry, "It is finished!" (John 19:13). The chains of death were shattered, and Jesus took up His life and our new life in glorious resurrection three days later. By His power, we received a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27), and His love rushed into our hearts, like a dam bursting its walls.
Jesus became the new dwelling place of God within us (1 Corinthians 6:19), and no longer do we need to follow an ark to be near Him. The feet of our Savior trod every step on earth in perfect obedience so He could be the perfect sinless sacrifice for us. The nail-pierced soles of His feet walked into the sinful turbulence of our lives at the cross to bring us into the Promised Land of eternal union with God through Christ and rest in our souls. We are redeemed, forgiven, treasured, favored, and reconciled by the accomplishments of Christ.