Title: God Removes Difficulties

Scripture Reading: Joshua 3:13-16

“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.” So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”

Main idea: The Lord, represented by the ark of the covenant, leads his people into the land of promise.

GOD told the people of Israel to cross the Jordan to enter Canaan. But they faced great difficulty. We are told (Joshua 3:15) Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest. The Jordan crossing, strengthens the relationship of God and Israel by promoting Israel’s faith. The miracles that Jesus performs show his special relationship to the Father, bring people to faith, and reveal the Father’s love and compassion (Matt. 14:14; John 7:31; 11:41-42).

Facing the difficulties.
“Those who bore the ark came to the Jordan.” This was obedience to God’s command. You will never cross the Jordan if you do not come to the Jordan. You will never do God’s will if you expect to have all the difficulties removed before you start doing God’s will. God expects us to walk by faith. When He commands, we must go as far as we can and let Him take care of the rest.

Timing for the crossing.
Jordan is overflowed. No passage is possible by human means; that is, no works of our own can avail to place us where we may hope to carry on a successful war against our own and God’s enemies. “Not of works, lest any man should boast,” but “by grace are ye saved through faith, and even that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8). The circumstances could not have been any worse. But God often allows our problems to become greater in order to increase our faith and trust in Him by showing us more of His power. He may allow you to be flooded with trials in your walk of faith. But do not quit. If you are obeying God and troubles mount, you can count on God to remove the difficulties when they need removing.

God removed the difficulties.
“The feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off” (Joshua 3:13).

The term “cut off” describes the wall of water at the exodus crossing (Exod. 15:8; Pss. 33:7; 78:13). The Lord God is the almighty Creator who gathers the waters by his unmatched power. Though the Jordan was flooded, the priests began to walk into the Jordan. This is faith. It is a prime example of showing our faith by our conduct.  God had promised that once their feet touched the water the Jordan would part and it did. But first the feet must enter the flood. That is a real test of faith. But the results here really encourage our faith especially when circumstances are so opposed. Keep obeying God; He will make a way.

Why doesn’t God part the water first? It’s because the language of eternity is faith. In this life God uses every opportunity to teach us to see and hear with the eyes and ears of faith. “Step out. Step in. Step up in faith,” He says. “And watch and see what I’ll do.”

The ark of the LORD.
It was no longer the pillar of cloud that guided them, but the arc of the covenant led them to the promised land. Like the veil on the face of Moses (2 Corinthians 3), so this figure teaches us that what was dark under the Mosaic dispensation should be made clear by Jesus Christ. “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did” (Hebrews 12:18-24). The law guided through the wilderness; the gospel, into the promised land. God was with them, no longer by cloudy tokens in the skies, but by the visible symbols of His presence. Trusting and following Jesus takes us to eternal life.

The ark, which represents the presence of God. (Joshua 3:10-11). God’s presence leads Israel through the wilderness and against formidable enemies (Exod. 33:14–15; Deut. 4:37–38). The Lord promises to pave the way (Joshua 1:5; Deut. 31:6, 8; Heb. 13:5). Now the people must move forward at the Lord’s command and cross Jordan. This dramatic crossing reveals that they are not alone; they receive the favor and power of God in their midst. When you face difficulties in life always remember you are not alone, The Creator of the universe is with you.

By the ark’s lead, the people can see and know that the Lord is at the head of the processional, not Joshua. The priests are living reminders of their awesome God, who demands their loyalty and complete obedience. Their enemies have no reason to fear the Israelites but have every reason to fear the God of the Israelites. We take comfort from knowing that the work of Jesus is supreme and transformative (Phil. 1:6). We discover that God is faithful is by taking steps of faith based on his promises. Are you living by faith or by sight?

Application
In connection with the wandering in the wilderness, the stream of Jordan is the type of death. The river rolls between us and the land of promise; how shall we cross it in safety? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4). God does “amazing things” (Joshua 3:5; Exod. 34:10) among his people to show that he alone is God and he alone is worthy of their utmost trust (Joshua 2:10-11; 9:9-10). The main objective of the miracles he achieves is to build the people’s faith in the Lord.

The participants are the commander Joshua, the civil officers, the priests, and the general population—all Israel. They each know their role and abide by it. God, represented by the ark, led the people into the Jordan. He was demonstrating that His presence, which caused the waters to flee before Israel, was their hope of triumph, and not anything in themselves (1 Sam. 4:3). The time of trouble is the time when He manifests His power.

Velma Margie Barfield was a fifty-two-year-old grandmother who was executed after being convicted as a serial killer. She was the first woman executed after the death penalty was reinstituted in 1976 in North Carolina, and the first woman to die by lethal injection. While on death row Barfield gave her life in faith to Jesus Christ, and she was transformed. She became a counselor and helped other inmates learn to cope with their life in prison. After her execution, evangelist Billy Graham preached at the prison, using John 3:16 as well as Barfield’s Christian witness, and two hundred people responded to the invitation to trust in Jesus for their salvation. God has the power to transform your life as well. (Billy Graham, Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham (New York: HarperCollins, 1997), 681–83.

I leave you today with these words taken from Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Let’s pray together
Heavenly Father, I thank you, You not only began a good work in me but You will complete that work as well. You allowed me to go through difficulties; I am not alone but You are with me to lead me to victory. In Jesus Name Amen.