| “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” |
| —Joshua 3:4 |
Joshua had become the new leader of the Israelite nation, overseeing approximately two million people. Although he had served as Moses’ aide for 40 years, Joshua nevertheless faced many new challenges. No longer did he have to maintain the pattern that these people had followed for all these years of traveling. He now received from God the directive to move them from their wanderings in the wilderness into the Promised Land.
Joshua, sensing the hand of Almighty God upon him for this task, listened carefully to God’s instructions, obeyed the preparations given, and trusted God to lead him and his people along the pathway that God Himself had provided.
The first challenge facing this new leader came on the morning that the whole company set out. He arose early and went to the edge of the Jordan where he instructed the entire population to camp for three days. We don’t know what they did during these three days, but we can imagine that the leaders prepared themselves and the people with much prayer and waited for God to reveal His miraculous hand upon them.
Following these three days, the leaders gave all the people the instructions for moving forward. They were told to follow their spiritual leaders, the priests and Levites, who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant, God’s sign that He lived among them. This command was followed with the words, recorded in Joshua 3:4:
“Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.”
Next, Joshua asked the people to consecrate themselves in preparation for the Lord doing amazing things for them. If we study the story, we know that they crossed the Jordan River on dry ground into the land promised to them—a miraculous phenomenon not unlike the crossing of the Red Sea at the beginning of their journey, now so many years ago.
They had never been this way before, but neither had Joshua their leader. God had astounding reasons for the way that He had led these people. Instead of traveling on the western side of the Jordan, as other travelers would do, God led them to the place of impossibility. Yet, He exposed His purpose in Joshua 4:24:
He [God] did this so that all the people of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.
But, what about today? In these uncharted days for America, our spiritual leaders, like Joshua, have never led their people into a place like this. Nor have we, as a people, ever been here before either. We can decide to criticize and worry over what we should do, or we can do those same things that the Israelites were instructed to do.
Namely, we can spend a time of waiting and praying to God for His direction. In those prayers, we should lift up our spiritual leaders, asking God to direct them toward the specific things they need to do. Secondly, we should follow the suggestions, instructions, and guidance of our leaders. Then, we should move forward in faith, knowing God will lead us in order to accomplish the purpose of showing those around us, and the whole world, our Mighty God, His majesty, and His overwhelming power. He desires that the whole world come to search for Him and fear Him. He has said in Isaiah 45:22-24:
Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, “In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.”
