Title: The attitude of saints toward the future
Contents
For people, the future is always an unknown world. When looking into the future, we generally look at the hopeful cases, but there are often times when we are frustrated while looking at the gloomy future. When faced with such a case, people become anxious and even feel fear.
You should pay attention to God.
Look at verses 3-4 in the main text. “And he commanded the people, saying, When you see the Levite priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, leave your place and follow him. I know that you have not passed this road before.' When you are walking on a road you have not traveled before, you need a clear guide. Who will be the clearest guide for those going into the unknown? That's right. He is God. The way to pay attention to God in the text is to follow the ark of the covenant. Two thousand cubits is a distance of about 900 meters. Therefore, we must follow the ark while looking at it with awe as it falls, and we must have the passion to look at the ark of the covenant and not let it go.
Even today, God is invisible to our eyes, but He is still before us. The saints who look forward to the unknown world and the future must pay attention to and follow the God who is acting ahead of them. Always through the Word and praying, I need to respond sensitively to what kind of impressions and instructions God gives me. God wants to guide our future with joy. That is why God wants His people to always pay attention and follow.
Look at Paul's exhortation in Philippians 4:6. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You must not take your eyes off God. I hope that you will be the saints who receive the guidance of God who is always working in prayer, always in the Word, and always in obedience.
You must obey God's way.
If you are a believer who pays attention to God, you must obey God's method. God has already commanded in Chapter 1 through Joshua. Verses 10-11: “Then Joshua commanded the men of the people, saying, Go through the camp, and command the people, ‘Prepare food; in three days you will cross this Jordan and acquire the land that the LORD your God is giving you for possession. Therefore, obedience to God's method in the text is three days of waiting. This command is very absurd. The reason is that the Jordan River will be flooded in three days. 3:15, “In the time of the Jordan harvest, the hills always overflowed.” How do you know that the Jordan River will be flooded in 3 days? The flood does not come from rain, but because the snow on Mount Hermon melts and flows down. So the timing is very accurate. Therefore, we do not know how advantageous and convenient it is to cross the Jordan right now. But God commands us to wait three days. So, what is the meaning of the command to ‘wait for three days’?
1. From God's point of view, it is showing the method and ability to overcome difficulties.
2. From the human point of view, it means to prepare through holiness and prepare through prayer.
You must listen to the leader.
There are several leaders in the text. Verse 2, it is a pseudonym, so-called rulers of tens, rulers of fifties, rulers of hundreds, and rulers of thousands. Verse 3, Levite priests, who have mastered the service of God. And verse 1, Joshua who succeeded Moses. In verse 7, God promises, “The Lord said to Joshua, “From this day on, I will make you great in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.”
Dear all! I hope that you will have a blessed time sharing the Word with us, listening, leading and being guided, and experiencing the wonderful world of God. Always keep an eye on God. Always obey God's ways. Even if you don't understand God's way, obey and be bold. And you must strive to be sanctified. At the same time, go ahead while listening to the word of God from the leaders. When we live like this, we are sure that God will grant us abundant blessings this year as well.