365 Reflections

The central element of the Jordan crossing is the Ark. Nothing happens without the Ark being involved and visible to the nation. The Ark was the representation of the presence of God amidst Israel. It is also the prefigured picture of Christ among His people. Consider the following facts that point to Christ. The Ark was made of wood - representing Christ's humility and humanity. The Ark was covered with gold - representing Christ's Kingship and Divinity. The Ark contained the law - representing His ability to KEEP the law perfectly. The Ark contained the manna - representing His ability to nourish His people in any season. The Ark contained the budded rod of Aaron - representing the resurrection of Jesus. And so fittingly, the people of Israel were to keep watch on every movement of the Ark during their Jordan crossing. I have heard many messages that talk about how we need to be leaders of the people as the priests were in this episode. How we need to put our feet i...

Joshua is a book about the judgment of God on the nations that were given hundreds of years to repent and turn to Him. They did not. Yet the book starts with the mention of three "days three" times in the first two chapters followed by the salvation of a prostitute even before the judgment upon those nations takes place. It is really an interesting beginning to what is essentially a record of warfare. It is clear the text is pointing to the larger picture of the Bible: God has given the nations to His Son who rose again on the third day and was first greeted with by a woman from a terrible past upon His resurrection. Joshua 3 begins telling the story of Israel's triumph through the Jordan river and into the national territories which Israel will possess. The whole episode represents for us a beautiful picture of the work of the church which is empowered by the work of Jesus on our behalf. First, the ark of the covenant - which represented the presence of the Lord ...