Summer At Sea: Week 5 Day 4
Joshua 4:8-18
8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day. 10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war. 14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses. 15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.
If you had to pick, would you rather be the one in control giving the orders, or the one receiving the orders? What if you had to do both?
Several times this week we have read, “God commanded Joshua” and then “Joshua commanded the people” (Joshua 4:16-17). Joshua was granted an earthly reward for being obedient to God. God “exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life” (Joshua 4:14). Obedience is rarely easy, partly because we lack heavenly perspective and our human desire to be in control is so strong; we frequently think our plans are better.
What would happen if we changed our perspective to only sustaining what God’s will was for us? If our heavenly perspective was so strong, then we would be able to follow in faith and obedience. How many people would see that we were different and gravitate towards the light of Jesus Christ shining brightly through us?