Crossing
over from one place to another can be quite scary, especially if it’s a road
like the one in front of our school compound.
Cars, bajas, geris, bicycles, men on horses, along with trucks and buses
of all sizes…are speeding by. Often
times, I see huge herds of cattle trying to cross the street. And sometimes I just shut my eyes. Long lines of animals…mixes of cows, donkeys,
sheep, and horses often make the brave move.
Some don’t
make it to the other side. They just stand in the middle of the road looking
stunned at the commotion or seem confused on where to go from there. I often shut my eyes when I see these
stragglers just standing motionless. So
many times I’ve seen huge trucks heading right towards them and
I anticipated the worst. Some animals get hit and are killed. Some find other ways over, which is hilarious.
Others just chill when they reach the middle-
never making it to green pastures on the other side.
I was
watching one of these herds attempt to cross the street one morning this past
week and also happened to be reading in Deuteronomy and Joshua about the
Israelites getting ready to “cross over” into the promised land. And God brought some things to my mind…
Our lives
have several points where we have to cross over something to somewhere different. A move is needed or one is
called beyond our control and we have to change positions…move from one season
to the next, maybe one field of service to the other.
What should
we do when we’re about to cross over to a different place? What do we tend to
do?
In thinking
about my own life…there have been many times when I was ready to move…but God
had me stand on the side of the road and wait for Him to tell me when to
cross. Wow. Those are difficult times.
When you’re ready, your bags are packed, but no clearance is given, no door is
open. So you wait. And hope for traffic to clear or a sea to
part.
Other
times, I’ve grown inpatient and have just started to cross and have literally
gotten knocked down by the waves or the traffic – the timing wasn’t right. Some of those times, I kind of froze, not
sure what to do. Thankfully- God helped me in those moments.
But
sometimes, I’ve waited on God’s perfect timing…and when He said go, I went…and
the sea parted, the door swung open where there had been no door…and I made it
to the next place. It’s all about timing
and obedience-trust. Those moments are too sweet and become amazing testimony
to our God who likes to work in the impossible!
So what can
we learn from how Moses and then Joshua prepped the people to “cross over” on
their journey to the promised land?
I noticed
some key things included in their prep time:
- Kingdom Living Reminders
- Commitment to Covenant
- Purification
- Supplies Readied
- Right Alignment Confirmed- how to move
KINGDOM LIVING REMINDERS
There
seemed to be a lot of reminders Moses
and later Joshua gave to the people before they moved. They were read the law, reminding them of
kingdom living laws and standards. They were reminded of some key things about their identity…they were a chosen
people. They were not to make the new land look like Egypt nor were they to adopt
the practices of the people they might encounter there. They were God’s people
and were to live as His people under His laws…for their good. He didn’t want them to forget Him…and He
wanted them to prosper…
Deuteronomy 6:1-11
These
are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your
God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the
Jordan to possess, so that
you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord
your
God as long as you live by
keeping all his decrees and commands that I
give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear,
Israel, and be careful to obey so that
it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a
land flowing with milk and honey, just as
the Lord, the
God of your ancestors, promised you.
Hear, O
Israel: The Lord our
God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength. These
commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress
them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie
them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write
them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. When the Lord your
God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses
filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not
dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not
plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be
careful that you do not forget me…
Deuteronomy 6:22-25
If you carefully observe all
these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your
God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him—then
the Lord will
drive out all
these nations before
you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every
place where you set your foot will be yours: Your
territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the
Mediterranean Sea. No one
will be able to stand against you. The Lord your
God, as he promised you, will put the terror and
fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.
Deuteronomy 8:1-18
Be
careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and
increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised
on oath to your ancestors. Remember
how the Lord your
God led you all the way in the wilderness these
forty years, to humble and test you in
order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his
commands. He humbled you,
causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor
your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your
clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know
then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your
God disciplines you.
Observe
the commands of the Lord your
God, walking in obedience to him and
revering him. For the Lord your God
is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs
gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land
with wheat and barley, vines and fig
trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land
where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land
where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
When
you have eaten and are satisfied, praise
the Lord your
God for the good land he has given you. Be
careful that you do not forget the Lord your
God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving
you this day. Otherwise,
when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and
when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all
you have is multiplied, then
your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your
God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led
you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land,
with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave
you manna to eat
in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to
humble and test you so
that in the end it might go well with you. You may
say to yourself, “My
power and the strength of my hands have
produced this wealth for me.” But
remember the Lord
your
God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so
confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
I believe God doesn’t want
us to forget who we are and whose we are.
We’re not to change to be like our new environment in whatever place He opens up next for us. We’re already part
of a kingdom and the kingdom is in us.
May we not forget there is a standard way of kingdom life given for our
good. There is absolute truth and the right way to live. God has laid it out. May we
live it out so we can prosper!!!
COMMITMENT TO COVENANT
The people
listened to the laws and commands and said- verbally, we commit or
recommit. There was a commitment
made.
Joshua 1:16
Then they answered Joshua,
“Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever
you send us we will go.
The people
with Joshua were circumcised. God
wanted His people in covenant, loyal to Him and knowing it, before they moved to the next place.
Joshua 5:2-12
At that
time the Lord said to
Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the
Israelites again.” So
Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
Now
this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military
age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. All the
people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the
wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. The
Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty
years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died,
since they had not obeyed the Lord. For
the Lord had
sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their
ancestors to give us, a land
flowing with milk and honey. So he
raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua
circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been
circumcised on the way. And
after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in
camp until they were healed. Then
the Lord said to
Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place
has been called Gilgal to this day. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while
camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the
Passover. The day
after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened
bread and roasted grain. The
manna stopped the day after they
ate this food from the land…
Deuteronomy 30:6
The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your
descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your
soul, and live.
Are we REALLY committed to God? Do we need to renew our vows made? Before God takes us to the next place, He might want to check
this. Are you loyal to Him?
PURIFICATION
There was a
call for the people to consecrate themselves, to set themselves apart for God
and be clean. No one wants to enter a
new land smelling bad or polluting where you go.
For the Israelites…it was a total purification check.
Look what happened after a battle where the Israelites were defeated. A lack of purification led to a defeat. God called it.
Joshua 7:10-13
The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my
covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted
things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own
possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand
against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been
made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy
whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
“Go, consecrate the people. Tell
them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you,
Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
God wants
purity in our lives, our speech, our actions, our hearts.
Often
before God will part the sea or open the door, He’ll check your heart and life.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, since we have these
promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that
contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Titus 2:14
He gave himself for us to redeem
us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his
very own, eager to do what is good.
SUPPLIES
READIED
They were told
to get ready to move. I’m assuming they packed light.
Joshua 1:1-11
After
the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to
Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses
my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the
Jordan River into
the land I am
about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will
give you every place where you set your foot, as I
promised Moses. Your
territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and
from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to
the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one
will be able to stand against you all the
days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never
leave you nor forsake you. Be
strong and courageous, because
you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give
them.
“Be
strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the
law my servant Moses gave
you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that
you may be successful wherever you go. Keep
this Book of the Law always
on your lips; meditate on it
day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then
you will be prosperous and successful. Have I
not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not
be discouraged, for the Lord your
God will be with you wherever you go.”
So
Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go
through the camp and
tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from
now you will cross the Jordan here to
go in and take possession of the
land the Lord your
God is giving you for your own.’”
If God is
about ready to have you or me cross over to a new place soon- what would tangle
you up if He said today- GO. Debt?
Unhealthy relationships? Over-commitments? Too busy of a schedule? Too tied to
your stuff to sell it? Jesus told a
story of one guy who had one of those issues:
Mark 10:17-23
As Jesus started on his way, a
man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked,
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not
commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you
shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept
since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved
him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He
went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked
around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
May we be ready to move when God says MOVE.
RIGHT
ALIGNMENT- HOW TO MOVE
There was a
certain way and with certain people the Israelites were supposed to travel.
There was a
line formation. Sometimes I think the cattle here have that kind of plan…
But there
was a certain way they were to move…God’s presence…first…then with their
tribes…
Joshua 3:1-8
Early
in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and
went to the Jordan, where
they camped before crossing over. After
three days the
officers went
throughout the camp, 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. 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 between you and
the ark; do not go near it.”
Joshua
told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for
tomorrow the Lord will do
amazing things among
you.”
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.
And the Lord said to
Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the
eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell
the priests who
carry the ark of the covenant: “When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters,
go and stand in the river.’”
Who is leading you? Is God’s presence first?
Then are those around you
leading you the right way, traveling the same way you are? May we be careful who we allow close to our hearts.
And may we move in accordance with God’s plan and bring glory to His
name!
Our God is
with us!!! We can trust Him to direct
our paths and His timing is perfect!
Isaiah
43:16-21
This is what the Lord says—He who made a way
through the sea, a path through the mighty
waters, who drew out the chariots
and horses, the army and reinforcements
together,
and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See,
I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do
you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the
jackals and the owls, because I
provide water in the wilderness and
streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my
people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.
Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear
a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in
it.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust
in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Isaiah 30:18
Yet the Lord longs to be
gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of
justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take
heart and wait for the Lord.
One final
thought….if you just read through this and like me are maybe thinking…uh-oh…you’re
not ready at all to cross over, I have good news for you.....these are some things we can check and prepare as we wait for God to open up the next thing, but the timing is still all God’s. You might feel like all of these areas
are a mess, but God STILL might go ahead and tell you to cross over. His ways are not our ways. He might be able to teach us more while we're crossing than while we're waiting. His ways are best!
May we stay hopeful, ready and expectant that our best days are not behind, but ahead.
May we carefully and regularly check our hearts, lives, minds, bodies, relationships, etc, to keep ready to
cross over to the next place in honor of our God when He says to move!
Psalm
48:14
For
this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to the
end.
Onward With You!
PRAYER
REQUESTS
-My Dad is continuing to do well following his back surgery. He is in physical therapy. Thank you for
continuing to pray for him and please continue to do so, as well as for my
whole family…that God will keep us healthy.
-My good friend Debelle’s wife continues to improve in her
health, please keep his family in prayer- God’s best for their way ahead.
-Please keep our new school semester in prayer. Classes are
going well.
-Some friends I know are seeking visas to be approved,
others are looking for work, please pray God’s hand in all!
-Please pray for wisdom, courage, and good relationship
building with students, staff, and neighbors.
-Please pray for my book, that I can find time to finish my
draft.
Thank you again for your prayers and partnership!!!
