“Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Dear Ones:
The whole of Christianity is based on objective truth, as revealed in the Scriptures, and in Jesus Christ. Not only do we read what Paul says about the Scriptures as being inspired by God, Peter declaring the same thing, but also what Jesus says of Himself…”I am the way, the TRUTH, and the Life.” (Jn. 14:6) Even in private audience with Pontius Pilate before the crucifixion, Jesus would declare to him: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” (Jn. 18:37) If Jesus IS the truth, and He must be if He is God in the flesh, and, if He has the words of eternal life, as Peter declared, then that which He declares to us corresponds perfectly to what He was, is, and shall for ever be. This concept of Him being the truth, along with his words being absolute, is the very bedrock, and foundation for faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God, but there is no true faith unless it is based on Christ, what He says. It is for this reason that the author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote: “…that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.” (6:18) On the basis of this verse, what is the reason for which this “consolation,” this ability to “lay hold upon the hope set before us,” becomes ours? It is the Lord Jesus Christ as the absolute truth, the very foundation and essence of every true experience of communion with God. How is this practically grasped?
When Joshua and the children of Israel arrived in proximity to the Jordan River, after wandering in the wilderness for forty years, they were on the precipice of a magnificent promise being realized. In Egypt, the children of Israel had become a nation. Now, after four hundred years, during which in Canaan, the “iniquity of the Amorites” had become full, the promise to Abraham, passed down to his descendants, eventually came to Moses. He is called to bring the people out of Egypt, and into a land of promise, where the promises of God will be realized. After Israel’s wilderness experience, Joshua is the charged by God to take the people across the Jordan River, to begin conquering the land. As it was before Joshua’s day, so now in his day, all of God’s dealings with Israel is based on the declarative word of truth, coming from the God of truth. One aspect of that revealed truth has to do with a covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was the symbol of that covenant, that specific and objective commitment of God to meet the people in a certain way. The words of the Apostle Paul, thousands of years later, echo the very essence of the covenant, or commitment of God: “Faithful is He who calls you who also will do it.”
Regarding the covenant, the Lord had told Joshua to instruct the priests to take it, bring it to the Jordan River, and then to put their feet in the Jordan…there to stand still. Israel’s responsibility was to follow that ark, keeping it ever before them. Why? The ark symbolized the promises of God, His provision and His presence. The people would cross Jordan, on dry land, with the priests standing still in Jordan, holding the ark. How does this apply to us today?
At the last supper, Jesus took the cup and told the disciples: “This cup is the new testament (covenant) in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Jn. 22:20) The Lord Jesus’ covenant, by His shed blood, provided the making of a “new and living way” into the very presence of the Father. It is a way that is established in heaven, whereby the believer can come and commune with God. Therefore, with boldness we draw near to God.
Dear Father, May the full meaning of the covenant be realized in us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad