seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Joshua 3:1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from ####tim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
a. Joshua 3:4 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters
They had been here before. Their parents and grandparents were here forty years before. But they were afraid. They didn't think they could do it. Someone told them that there were giants in the land and that made them tremble in fear. Now.... Joshua says "we're going to do this. We're going to all get ready and do this. You have three days."
The commentary this morning is from Bible.org.
But if there was excitement, there must also have been some anxiety as they beheld the swollen river and thought about the fortified cities that lay on the other side.
“Consecrate” is the Hebrew qadash and it may mean, “be hallowed, set apart, consecrated” or “consecrate, set apart, prepare, dedicate.” But here it is in the hithpael stem which is reflexive and means, “consecrate yourselves, set yourselves apart, prepare yourselves.” This stem points out personal responsibility.
900 yards is about half a mile. Next time you're on the interstate and an exit is half a mile away.... consider this.... The Ark was ahead of them.... about half a mile. It occurs to me.... the Ark was a box with decorations on top carried on long poles. It didn't carry gunpowder. It wasn't armor clad. It was a shiny gold box carried by men.... set way apart.... ahead of everyone... Those Israelites really expected miracles.... swollen river.... fortified cities... and a box to protect them....
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