JULY 24, 2011 Today s Scripture: Joshua 3 OVERVIEW Joshua 3 Israel crosses the Jordan River Joshua 4 Twelve stones are stacked up as a memorial Background: o Joshua sends two spies from Shittim to go reconnoiter the land. At this point, the people of Israel are at the intersection of decision. o It was now time to make a move on the enemies in the land. I suspect the pressure was really on Joshua. o He was the one who had the responsibility to make the call. It was on his shoulders. No easy decision. Joshua had a tough decision in crossing the Jordan into a hostile land. Just like Joshua, we have to make decisions every day. Some of us are considering a life altering decision even today. o And so from Joshua 3, let s consider... WHAT TO DO WHEN FACING A TOUGH DECISION Begin with a waiting posture before God. (2:23-3:3)
Joshua 2:23-3:3 (NIV) 23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us. 1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Clearly, Joshua was a man of action but he waited three days after receiving the report from the spies. o I wonder if he felt pressure from the people What are we waiting for? The wait is killing me. Maybe Joshua has cold feet. o And yet he waited. o Waiting isn t viewed very favorably in our culture. We admire people of action. Take charge people People with initiative not patience. o Spiritual waiting is not a bad thing. Painful, yes. Difficult, yes. But productive, yes, even though it doesn t seem like it. o It is filled with activity. Serving while you wait. To give up my own rights. The effort is to be put into breaking ourselves of our automony (I am my own master). o What I need to learn is there is something more important than the comfort of certainty, it s learning to trust the rule of God in uncertainty. Also, while we are waiting it s an advantageous time to... Make sure your conscience is clear. (V. 5) Joshua 3:5 (NIV) 5 Joshua told the people, Consecrate [To dedicate something as sacred in this case yourselves// The were to dedicate themselves as sacred.] yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you. [Joshua called the people to conscration in preparation for what God was going to do Note the word for, or because ] What did they do to consecrate themselves? o We need to draw upon Exodus 19 to get an idea of what this meant. Everybody bathed and changed their clothes and married couples withheld from marital relations. This was an outward expression of an inward desire to be right with God. o The process of clearing our conscience involves (1) confession, (2) repentance and (3) restitution. o An unclear conscience makes us vulnerable to wrong choices. When our conscience is clear, we then will be prepared to... Make the spiritual aspect your priority (in the decision). (V. 6)
Joshua 3:6 (NIV) 6 Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people. So they took it up and went ahead of them. [The Ark was the manifestation of the Lord s presence, especially just above the mercy seat. No scouts would go ahead to make sure the coast was clear, no special forces going first, no infantry,no army corp of engineers, just a few priests and a box on two poles.] o Three human priorities in decision making: 1. Self-preservation 2. Self-advancement 3. Search for ease and comfort o Spiritual priorities often have little to do with these three human priorities. 1. Instead of self-preservation, God says, Come and die. 2. Instead of self-advancement, God says, Deny yourself. 3. Instead of the search for ease and comfort, God says, Pick up your cross and follow me. o The priority question in decision making is not questions like... Will this advance my career? Will this move be advantageous for my family? Will this new car get better gas mileage? Will this new house be in a good neighborhood? o Eight questions that I ve seen that fine tune our decisions to the spiritual aspect: 1. Will this decision be spiritually profitable? 2. Will it build me up spiritually? 3. Will it slow me down in my Christian race? 4. Will it bring me into bondage? 5. Will it violate the Lordship of Christ in my life? 6. Will it help other Christians by its example? 7. Would Jesus make this decision? 8. Will it glorify God?
Once we are confident that the spiritual aspect is ruling our decision, then our next move is to... Step out in faith. (Vs. 6-17) Joshua 3:6-17 (NIV) 6 Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people. So they took it up and went ahead of them. 7 And the LORD said to Joshua, Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the Jordan s waters, go and stand in the river. 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites [The cellulites, and mosquito bites]. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD the Lord of all the earth set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap. 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea )[The Dead Sea] was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
o The Jordan River - V. 15 - During harvest That would be the barley harvest (March-April). Sea of Galilee The Dead Sea Flooding of the Jordan River snowmelt from Mt. Hermon. River would have been one mile wide and 12 feet deep. Furthermore Sea of Galilee to the north 682 below sea level. o Dead Sea 1300 feet below sea level. o A drop of 620 feet in 70 miles. 1 foot every 600 ft. A high velocity of the flow of the river. We got some major rapids here. o So what am I trying to say? It took a lot of faith for Joshua to tell the priests to step out into the river. It took EVEN more faith for the priests to step out into the flow of the river. Life Application Identify a tough decision you are presently facing: Make a commitment today to only move ahead when you have a clear direction from God. o Based in His Word. o Based on integrity. o Based on putting Jesus and others first. This Week s Prayer
Father God, As I process making a decision about (the situation), please give me Your guidance. I commit to waiting on You for to give me a clear direction based in Your Word. I want the spiritual aspect of this situation to be the primary influence on my decision. Please give me courage and faith to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences. And may Jesus receive all glory and honor in all I do. In His name, Amen. For further study - A more detailed copy of this sermon, the Expedition A.B.F. notes, and maps/charts/photos can be found at www.thebibleexpedition.wordpress.com (Posted by 4 P.M. today) THIS WEEK S STUDY: JOSHUA 5