Set Apart
I know it’s not necessarily good hermeneutics (the art and science of biblical interpretation), but Joshua and the people of Israel keep coming to mind as a kind of metaphor for our church under the current circumstances. Generally, you don’t want to take an Old Testament narrative and turn it into a metaphor to force an application unrelated to the purpose of the original text. A common example would be using the story of David and Goliath to teach that “God is encouraging us to face the giants in our lives.”
Though we should be careful about using them as metaphors, we can look at Old Testament stories and glean truth about the character, attributes and activity of God that can be applied to current circumstances, depending upon how it’s applied. So after not inhabiting our church property for nearly three months, either for day-to-day work or weekend worship because of COVID-19, it reminds me of the Israelites returning to the Promised Land! No, I don’t think we are Israel, nor do I believe our church property is the Promised Land. But God’s dealing with Israel, under circumstances that have some similarities, helps me calibrate my perspective as we approach reopening.
One lesson that comes out of the story of the Israelites preparing to cross over is the importance of dependence on God. As they faced the Jordan River, there was only one way this vast multitude was going to get to the other side: a miracle. Why? If you’ve been to Israel you know there are places along the Jordan River where walking across might be a bit messy, but not impossible. In the case of Joshua and God’s people, the place was wide and the river was at its high season. It would have been too deep to traverse on foot, apart from divine, miraculous intervention.
How does that apply to us? At some point we have to depend on God. It may not take a miracle to get us back together physically for fellowship and worship, but ultimately our safety is in God’s hands. Despite all the safeguards, guidelines and precautions, our safety is in God’s hands. Of course, we prepare wisely and never take unnecessary risks, but eventually we must realize our safety is in God’s hands.
The next aspect of the story I believe we can apply is where Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Joshua 3:5). Not only does this statement demonstrate great faith in God’s power, but it shows the importance of being set apart, or consecrated, as people of God. When you are about to make a major move, you can get wrapped up in making the right choice and forget that God calls you to be the right person. If we think about who we are going to be and not only what we are going to do, the decision-making process becomes much more effective. Our primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever! Let’s be set apart to that! Let’s be those people! As the Israelites learned, that sometimes involves risk.
The third lesson is about following God’s lead. As the Israelites were anticipating crossing the Jordan, Joshua instructed the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people” (Joshua 3:6). If you’re familiar with the ark of the covenant, you know that it was housed in the holy of holies in the Tabernacle. It was where the high priest went to represent the people before God. Of all the physical indications of God’s presence with them, the arc of the covenant was the most representative. By sending the priests with the arc of the covenant first, God was demonstrating that He was leading the way. When God leads, the appropriate response is to follow. And we should not get ahead of God. At some point it’s time to move ahead, but not ahead of God.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ─Joshua 1:9