Joshua : Says, "Follow God’s Holy Box"

Bright and early the morning after the spies got back from scouting out Jericho (with the help of Rahab), all of Israel packed up and went to the Jordan River — the edge of the Promised Land.

This was it — the beginning of a whole NEW journey! No more wandering, wandering, wandering around the wilderness. It was time to march, march, march into the land God said was theirs!

The leaders went through the camp and told the people exactly what God wanted them to do.

“Watch God’s Covenant Box, the Ark! When you see the priests carrying it, get moving and follow it. But stay about 2,000 steps behind it. Keep 2,000 steps back so you can see which way you should go because you’ve never been this way before.”

Ahhh… This is how God was leading His people! They didn’t know where they were going or what they were doing. But God knew what HE was doing, and He would help His dear children.

They didn’t have to know the way. In fact, if they had known where they were going, it would have been the WRONG way! If they had known where they were, that would have meant they were still wandering in the wilderness since that was all they’d ever done.

So all the people watch, watch, watched God’s Holy Box, and got ready to move when it moved, to follow it right into the Promised Land.

March, march, march went the priests carrying God’s Covenant Box. March, march, march right into the water of the Jordan River. But as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water… Phhht! Dry ground baby!

Does this sound familiar? Yes, it was God doing His miraculous work again! No bridges, no dams, no wet feet! The people followed God’s Holy Box, and God did a miracle for them. Wherever God’s Covenant Box went — that’s where the Glory of God was and where miracles happened.

Think about it…

As you grow older and learn to walk with God, step by step, this is a perfect picture of what to do when you don’t know what to do — follow God’s Golden Treasure Chest. This special and beautiful golden Box of God was a “shadow” of Jesus!

Sometimes it’s not so clear to us what to do in situations. And you can’t just memorize the “right thing to do” based on something that’s happened before. You have to Follow the Covenant-Carrier — Jesus!

We’re not following something, we’re following someONE. And that someone, Jesus, is alive.

Follow God’s blessing. Follow the SUPERnatural. Follow the dwelling of God — where His Glory lives. Look for it and follow it!

You may not know where you’re going or what you’re going to be doing this week or next week or next year, but if you know that you can follow Jesus — that’s all you really need to know. If you follow Jesus, you’ll not only be safe, but you’ll see the blessings of His involvement in your life.

The priests carrying God’s Covenant Box walked right to the middle of the river — and stopped. Then the rest of God’s army walked through that river on dry ground until they were all on the other side of the Jordan.

After the army had passed through the dried up Jordan River, God gave instructions for one leader from each tribe to pick up a stone from the ground over by the Box.

Once the stones were taken up and laid on the other side of the Jordan… God’s Covenant Box completed its journey out of the riverbed and into the Promised Land with the people.

Whooooosh! No sooner had the priests set their feet on the other side than the waters of the Jordan River rushed back to their place, flooded and wet as before.

The people set up their camp there at Gilgal and Joshua set up the 12 stones as a reminder of all that God had done for them.

They were finally in the land flowing with milk and honey. This was the place filled with God’s blessing. It was the place God had been wanting His children to make their home for so long.

So now, it was time for battle. If God’s children wanted to live in the fullness of what He had planned for them, they were going to have to fight for it! But no worries. Following God’s Glory will move you into battle and supply what you need to win the battle.

And then, it will move you into the only place that truly satisfies — the promises of God, the inheritance, the land of REST.

Ahhh…. Don’t ever think those things that happened long ago don’t have something to do with you today. They do! God’s Covenant Treasure Chest, Jesus, went ahead of the people by 2,000 steps. Could it be that a step stands for a year? Maybe? Maybe it’s time for some MORE of God’s Promises to COME TRUE! Ya think? Just think about it.