Parting the River Jordan

     After Joshua sent the spies into Jericho, the time finally came for the people of Israel to cross the River Jordan as the Lord commanded.  At this point it seems important to me to acknowledge some of the circumstances surrounding the people of Israel.  For several generations the people of Israel were ruled by the Pharaohs of Egypt, not by leaders anointed by God.  Moses was the first.
     Unfortunately this lack of a spiritual leader allowed many of the descendants of Israel to grow accustomed to the Egyptian beliefs in deity.  The plagues of Egypt were specifically designed to allow the Lord God to demonstrate the Egyptian Gods had no power.  Only He did.  Then He buried Pharaoh, who was considered a god in Egypt, in the depths of the Red Sea, fully establishing Himself as God. 
     He did this not only to declare Himself God to the Egyptians (thus convincing them to let the Israelites depart), but also to reclaim His rightful place in the eyes of the Israelites.  He was their God, the only true God, and always would be.  In addition these miracles were performed through Moses, establishing him as the mouthpiece—the prophet—of God.  Ironically the Israelites, as discussed a couple weeks ago, still struggled obeying God and following His prophet.
     Forty years later the mantle of leadership would be placed on a new man—Joshua.  This time the children of Israel had become a new group of people.  These people had come to know and trust God.  They also trusted His leader.  So when the Lord gave guidance and direction to Moses, they obeyed.  When the Lord called Joshua to take the place of Moses, these people had faith in God and followed Joshua.
     As the Lord commonly does with those who wish to follow Him, he decided to test the faith of the people of Israel.  When Moses and the people of Israel were trapped by the Egyptian Armies on the shores of the Red Sea, the Lord God departed the large body of water.  The people were allowed to cross the sea on dry ground without ever getting their feet wet. 
     Now the people of Israel stood by the banks of the River Jordan.  No army pursued them.  In fact they were to become the army moving into a land they had never been in.  Yet the Lord God commanded the priests of Levi to stand in the river, actually in it, with the sacred Ark of the Covenant in order to prepare the way for the people of Israel.  This time, with these people who carried more faith than their predecessors had, a demonstration of their faith was required.
     The priests of Levi did enter the waters of the River Jordan in faith.  The Lord then caused the waters to depart in the same way that He had with the Red Sea.  In this manner He rewarded the faith of the Israelites while profoundly declaring He would stand by Joshua just as He had Moses.  The people of Israel were willing to follow Joshua because they believed He was called of God.  Now God had confirmed it.
     Amazingly we have no record of any complaints by this second group of people.  The Israelites who departed out of the land of Egypt were shown several signs and wonders even when they did almost no work to earn these miracles.  They even often complained about the signs and miracles they saw.  Yet this second group of people was asked to do more work to get the same sign their ancestors received.  They did so with no indication they complained about the task before them.
      Now imagine your life.  Has the Lord asked you to do some work so He can bless you?  I can read the scriptures and know there isn’t anybody reading this blog who can answer no to this question.  All of us have been asked to show our faith by works.  In return the Lord has promised blessings.  I’m also familiar with the way the Lord works.  I know that anyone who places their faith in God will be asked to demonstrate their faith through their works in more ways than those presented in the scriptures.  So I know that all of us must answer yes to the question above.  The Lord has asked us to do some work so He can bless us.
     Are you doing it without complaint?  This is the example the Israelites set for us.  This is what the Lord wants us to learn.  He never asks anything of us that won’t come back to bless us in the long run.  For the Israelites the blessings of their faith came through the parting of the River Jordan.  Ultimately it would also lead to a strong nation settled within the borders of the land of Israel.  And eternally it would lead to a place with God in the courts of heaven.
     So where will your faith and obedience take you?