The thing that is the most prominent, especially in chapters 3 and 4, is the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. Now we haven’t seen the Ark of the Covenant up to this point, but suddenly here it is as the focal point of the narrative. And it is mentioned again and again. It’s mentioned nine times in chapter 3, seven times in chapter 4, and four more times by the use of a pronoun. What was important about the ark? It was the focal point of the nation of Israel. It was where God symbolically resided among his people.
We are told what it looked like Exodus 25. It was a relatively small wooden box of about three feet, nine inches long; and it was a little over two feet high and deep. It was covered with gold inside and out, and had a lid made of solid gold. On either end of the lid there were figures of cherubim, which were facing each other. And each of these cherubim had wings that went back behind them, and then came upward over the ark, and nearly touched above the lid, which was called the mercy seat. And it was in that space between the wings of the cherubim above the mercy seat which God was understood to symbolically dwell. The ark was transported by the priests using poles. There were rings attached to each side of it, and poles were inserted through the rings. The poles were very important because nobody was supposed to touch the ark of God.
The Ark of the Covenant figures in this story because when the people were given instructions by God through Joshua to enter the land, the ark, which symbolized God’s presence, was to go before them. And as the ark went forward, the people were to follow, but at a respectful distance. The priests carrying the ark stepped down into the Jordan River, and as they stepped into the river, the water stopped flowing. Now at that time there was a great deal of water running because it was at flood stage. We’re told that the water piled up at a town upstream, and in a very short time the river had run dry. Then we’re told that all the people of Israel crossed over on dry ground. Then after they had crossed over, the priests who were still standing there holding the ark went across the Jordan themselves. When they went across and stepped up out of the river bed, the waters returned, and the Jordan flowed on as usual.
When God gave instructions for that to be done, it was symbolic and instructive. The first thing God was teaching was that if we’re going to get anywhere in spiritual things, God has to go before us. If He is not leading us, we must not go in that direction because if we do, God is not going to bless it. We might reach a point in our lives where we know we ought to do something, but we are not sure what it is, and it’s very hard to wait until we are sure where God is leading. But it is always better to wait until God moves. And at that point it becomes clearer why God had you wait, and that He was moving you along all the time.
