When the People Removed from Their Tents - Joshua 3:14

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “the LORD said unto Joshua, … command the priests … when you are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, you shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said … Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap”, and in chapter three and verse fourteen of the book of Joshua, we learn what happened, “when the people removed from their tents” where we read,

And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan,

 and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;

The verse reads, “And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and it came to pass” which means “and it happened and occurred”, “when the people” or “at the time and moment the human beings from Israel” “removed from their tents” which means “pulled out, set out and set forward on their journey and separated from their temporary abodes, habitations and dwelling places”, “to pass over Jordan” or “to cross Jordan whose name means descender and was was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”. We learn at the point the people of Israel departed from their “tents” to cross the “Jordan” river, the following also occurred.

 

The verse continues, “… and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;” Joshua added the words, “and the priests” or “and the spiritual leaders, chiefs and principal rulers” “bearing the ark of the covenant” which means “lifting up and carrying the box or chest pertaining to the alliance, pledge and agreement” “before the people” or “in advance and in front of the children of Israel”. We learn how the spiritual leaders who lifted up and carried the “ark of the covenant” went in advance of the children of Israel. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how the time to begin to move toward the promise land had finally arrived for the children of Israel. They were to depart from their “tents” to cross over the Jordan river, and the “priests” or spiritual leaders were to lead them just as God instructed. God has His plan and timing for events in our lives, and when we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit who will lead and guide us into the truth and according to our appointed times to depart and move.

Next time we learn how, “the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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