Is your church going through a time of change or movement? We should be moving on with God. These chapters are about getting to your destination. Our ultimate destination is Heaven. We are to live our lives with that perspective. We also need to live our lives in the here and now. We need an acting desire for people to be saved.

1 – The preparation of God’s people (3:1-6)

Central to this is the Ark of the Covenant. It symbolised the presence of God in their midst. When the Ark moved, the people moved. It was important for them to keep their distance from the Ark. (About 900 metres). Why?

• To recognise the awesome glory of God.
• They were to make themselves holy before they followed. They had to make their hearts right before they followed God.

2 – Exhaltation of God’s people (3:7-9)

The people had to recognise Joshua as their new leader. Moses had left big sandals to be fille! Moses was gone. Joshua was the key man now. The purposes of God are greater than any one individual.

3 – Assurance of God’s power (3:10-13)

God tells Joshua what will happen ahead of what is happening. There is no doubt that God knows what He is doing. God has eternal purposes. They will receive their inheritance. It is not a maybe!

4 – Strangeness of God’s ways (3:14-17)

They cross the river Jordan at the worst time of the year and at the worst possible place. God wants to bring glory to His name. If God is not in it they are sunk – literally! The water will part as they start to cross. They only had the Word of God that once the sandals of the priests got wet the water would part. It is astonishing faith! You may feel in danger of drowning. They walked through the river with a wall of water on each side.

5 – Remembering God’s provision (4:1-10)

They put up a memorial. There is a pile of twelve stones. They could remember from generation to generation, how good God had been to them. It is good to remember answers to your prayers.

6 – Date of God’s faithfulness (4:19)

It is the first day of the tenth month. It was the same day as the Passover! God finishes what He starts! They walked into the Promised Land. It was never in doubt. There was trouble on hte way but those who were steadfast made it into the the Promised Land. What a great God!

Categories: Joshua