The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Joshua 6:6,
"Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it."
As Joshua gave the orders to take Jericho, following the Lord's direction, he tells the priests to carry the ark of the covenant. They are to march around Jericho for seven days with seven priests carrying trumpets in front of the ark. Leading the way is the armed guard, followed by the priests with the trumpets and the ark and following them, the rear guard. It is as if the priest with the trumpets are heralding the advance of the ark.
The ark was a focus as Israel entered into the promised land. As Israel crossed the Jordan, it was the ark that led the way. The ark of the covenant held three things: Aaron's rod that budded, the jar of manna, and the Ten Commandments engraved in stone. The ark represented God's presence and spoke of God's prerogative in his sovereign choice (Aaron's rod that budded), the provision of God (the golden jar of manna), and the grounds on which man can have a relationship with God (the Ten Commandments). All of these aspects of God are on full display as the Lord delivers the promised land into the hands of the Israelites. God chose Israel as his people, he provided them the promised land, and his earthly presence will be among them in the tabernacle, and later in the temple to be built.
It is the Ten Commandments that captures my thoughts this morning. Contained within the ark, as the Israelites marched around Jericho, were the tablets of the covenant, the Ten Commands. Paul makes an interesting observation about the purpose of the law that God gave Israel. The law was given to show us our need of salvation. This is how Paul puts it, "The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." Galatians 3:24-25. The Ten Commands show us we are helplessly in need of rescue from God's wrath because we are unable to live up to what it takes to exist in God's presence. Therefore, we need a Savior. It is as if this was the message the trumpeting priests were heralding as they marched around Jericho.
The picture I have of Israel marching into the promised land with the ark represents all that God purposed with the nation Israel. God chose the nation of Israel as his people because he wanted to accomplish his agenda through them. The agenda is all about our heavenly Father's Son that he is going to send into the world.
For me this morning, the ark represents three important things of God: his proclamation that we need his Son because of our sin (the Ten Commandments), that he is going to provide his Son (the golden jar of manna) and he has made his choice that those who will embrace him in faith will inherit eternal life (as represented in Aaron's rod that budded - it is God's to choose).
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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