Thursday 5 September 2024
Then Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (v. 5)
Background
The narrative is this story about Joshua is moving around. The reference to the 'third day' in verse 2 matches with 1:11. The account of the mission of the two spies in chapter 2 that we read about yesterday would not therefore fit chronologically between the two chapters but would fit better with the passage of time that chapter 5 allows for.
The Ark of the Covenant is first referred to in verse 3 and then 17 times in chapters 3 and 4. As the symbol of God present with God’s people, it's intended to convey that the crossing of the River Jordan was something that God accomplished; the people, although they physically walked from one side to the other on dry ground, are essentially spectators to an act of God, rather than actors in the drama.
The “2000 cubits” distance (roughly a kilometre) to be left between the people and the Ark carried by the priests (v. 4) was probably so they could clearly see where they were to go – along with the miracle of the waters piling up above the crossing point. While there is a story in 2 Samuel 6 concerning the inappropriateness of a person who is not a priest touching the Ark – because it represents a holy God – that theme would seem extraneous here, as the whole point is that God is right among God’s people.
On the other hand the significance of the occasion is marked by the instruction the night before to “sanctify” themselves (v. 5), which may mean washing their clothes, abstaining from sex, and confessing their sins.
Alongside the strong evidence of God’s power that crossing the Jordan gave to the Israelites, the occasion also heightened the people’s estimation of Joshua as their God-given leader (v. 7).
To Ponder:
- Have there been times you have felt it appropriate to prepare yourself in a special way for an anticipated experience of God? Or do you routinely prepare to attend worship in a particular way to emphasise its importance?
- We may not have experienced such powerful evidences of God among us as a miraculous temporary damming of a river. What, then, is the evidence today that the living God is among us (v. 10)?
Prayer
Dear Lord, make us alert to the signs of your influence and activity everywhere around us, and to discern how you have been working in our lives even when we failed to notice it at the time. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Stephen Mosedale
Stephen is a retired Methodist minister living near Exeter. He served in West Africa and Scotland and was a New Testament tutor at Cliff College.