Joshua 4:14 “On
that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared
him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.” NLT: “That day the Lord
made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israelites, and for the rest of his life
they revered him as they had revered Moses.” Revered means to show devotion and
honor to; to show respect.
I find this
interesting about the word, magnify. I thought it was only for the Lord to
magnify Him. But here, the Lord magnify Joshua so what does the word actually
mean? The translation made it clear that God will make Joshua great in the eyes
of all Israelites. It means that God had a special job for Joshua to take over
Moses’ place. It is a big responsibility for Joshua to lead 2 million people
which Moses had led them out of Egypt.
Just before
crossing over into the Promised Land, Joshua gathered the people to hear the
words of the Lord. They were so excited to rush into the Promised Land they had
waited 40 years. But Joshua made them stop and listen to the words of the Lord.
So whenever
Joshua gave instruction from the Lord to the people, they listened and obeyed
Joshua. The priests carried the ark of covenant and touched the Jordan River
and the water parted and dried up so all the Israelites were able to cross over
just like they crossed over the Red Sea. They camped at Gilgal. Joshua piled up
12 stones taken from the Jordan River. It was the same month that the
Israelites had left the Egypt. (Ref. Joshua
4:15-20)
They were making
a history. Joshua 4:21-24 Then Joshua said to Israelites, “In the future, your
children will ask, ‘what does these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘this
is where Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God
dried up the river right before your eyes, and He kept it dry until you were
all across, just as He did at the Red Sea when He dried it up until we had all
crossed over. He did this so that all the nations of the earth might know the
power of the Lord, and that you might fear the Lord your God forever.”
What does this
mean to me? The story of Israelites crossed over the Jordan River was the same
month that the Israelites had left Egypt. I could see that God had a perfect
timing for 2 million Israelites who had crossed the Jordan on dry ground so He
could prove Himself once again! God rolled back the Red Sea 40 years before.
Forty years later, God parted the Jordan River. The story in the Bible, His
Word has enlighten me to praise Him!
SONG: HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!
How great is our God! How great is His name:
He’s the greatest one, Forever the same.
He rolled back the waters, Of the mighty Red Sea
And He said, “I’m going to lead you, Put your trust
in Me.”
(Inspiring Choruses)
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