Joshua 3:1-3 "And Joshua rose early in
the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the
children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. (2)
And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;
(3) And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of
the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then
ye shall remove from your place, and go after it."
The people of Israel are being taken into the new land that had been promised to them. For forty years, they have seen and followed the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Although that was removed at the death of Moses, the presence of the Lord was still with them. Now, instead of watching for the pillar to move, they were to watch the priests, and more specifically, they were to watch for the ark of the covenant. When they saw the priests carrying the ark, they were to be ready to go. They were to be more diligent in paying attention to their surroundings and especially in paying attention to where they kept their hearts and minds. They were being taken into a new arena of faith.
They were living in the dispensation of time called "the law". They had been accustomed to the visual being their guide. As long as they could see the pillar of cloud or fire, they surely felt a sense of safety in being able to actually see that which represented the presence of God. Now they were to become more diligent in their focus because instead of the huge pillar before them, there was the ark of the covenant.
We live in the dispensation of time which is called "grace". We might have a tendency to allow our minds to become more relaxed as a result of being under the pinnacle of grace. In reality, grace takes us deeper into the arena of faith. We do not have a pillar of cloud or fire that goes before us. We do not have men carrying a golden box called the ark of the covenant. So how can we know when to be prepared to go into action? In my own words, it seems that God has moved from the external (law) to the internal (grace). By that I mean He no longer is represented by a pillar of cloud. He no longer is represented in a golden box carried by men. In fact, God does not live by representation in our lives; rather, He LIVES in us by way of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit teaches us and directs us on a daily basis. In fact, you and I have been moved into a deeper arena of faith because we walk by faith, not by sight. We do not look for signs around us; although it seems at times the Lord is gracious in giving us things that help cement His will into our hearts. The main motivation of Spiritual movement in our lives is by the direction of the Holy Spirit. But I will say this: The Holy Spirit never moves us in a contradiction to the written Word of God. If our movement is contrary to the Word of God, we can know that we are moving of our own desires rather than the design of the Lord. We are to sanctify ourselves by separating ourselves from the way of the world and seeking to walk in His path for us. That path leads to wellness of spirit which brings peace and joy into our lives. Believe Him. Trust Him. Follow Him.
The people of Israel are being taken into the new land that had been promised to them. For forty years, they have seen and followed the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Although that was removed at the death of Moses, the presence of the Lord was still with them. Now, instead of watching for the pillar to move, they were to watch the priests, and more specifically, they were to watch for the ark of the covenant. When they saw the priests carrying the ark, they were to be ready to go. They were to be more diligent in paying attention to their surroundings and especially in paying attention to where they kept their hearts and minds. They were being taken into a new arena of faith.
They were living in the dispensation of time called "the law". They had been accustomed to the visual being their guide. As long as they could see the pillar of cloud or fire, they surely felt a sense of safety in being able to actually see that which represented the presence of God. Now they were to become more diligent in their focus because instead of the huge pillar before them, there was the ark of the covenant.
We live in the dispensation of time which is called "grace". We might have a tendency to allow our minds to become more relaxed as a result of being under the pinnacle of grace. In reality, grace takes us deeper into the arena of faith. We do not have a pillar of cloud or fire that goes before us. We do not have men carrying a golden box called the ark of the covenant. So how can we know when to be prepared to go into action? In my own words, it seems that God has moved from the external (law) to the internal (grace). By that I mean He no longer is represented by a pillar of cloud. He no longer is represented in a golden box carried by men. In fact, God does not live by representation in our lives; rather, He LIVES in us by way of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit teaches us and directs us on a daily basis. In fact, you and I have been moved into a deeper arena of faith because we walk by faith, not by sight. We do not look for signs around us; although it seems at times the Lord is gracious in giving us things that help cement His will into our hearts. The main motivation of Spiritual movement in our lives is by the direction of the Holy Spirit. But I will say this: The Holy Spirit never moves us in a contradiction to the written Word of God. If our movement is contrary to the Word of God, we can know that we are moving of our own desires rather than the design of the Lord. We are to sanctify ourselves by separating ourselves from the way of the world and seeking to walk in His path for us. That path leads to wellness of spirit which brings peace and joy into our lives. Believe Him. Trust Him. Follow Him.