I suppose Joshua and Israel could have erected a monument to Moses and remained on the east bank of the Jordan. They wept and mourned for Moses thirty days (Deut. 34:8), but then it was time to arise and cross this Jordan. Grieving, weeping, and mourning can be good and right in their season, but then it is time to arise and cross our Jordans.
We marvel at Israel’s desire to return to Egypt during their Wilderness journey; we think, “How can they even think of returning to bondage?” But how many times have we traded the security of bondage for a relationship with the true and living God? And how many times have we yearned not for an Egypt in our past, but rather for a Moses? That is, how many times have we longingly looked to a glorious past experience or season of life, wanting to return to it – rather than arising and crossing the Jordan?
When the subject of sky diving arises some folk are apt to say, “Why would I jump out of a perfectly good plane?” or, “If God wanted me to fly He would have given me wings.” It was one thing to go through the Red Sea with an army of Egyptians threatening destruction; it’s another thing to cross a river with the avowed purpose of confronting an enemy army; they’re not bothering us so why should we bother them? I can see crossing a river to escape an enemy, but why cross a river to confront an enemy? The east bank of the Jordan looks like a fine place to live; and by the way, Moses is dead.
Are there times we make a likeness of Moses to take with us when we arise so that we really don’t have to leave him on the East Bank? Do we take what was once living but has lived its life, served its purpose, played its role, and put it on artificial life support so that we can continue to rely on it, rather than rely on Christ? Do we put our glorious past experiences in a frozen cyronic state in hopes of reviving them in the future? Does the past become our future goal? If the past had been Joshua’s future goal he would not have arose and crossed the Jordan.
Is there something in your life which is dead but which you are pretending is alive? Are you making the past your future? Do we hear the voice of our Lord Jesus saying, “Arise and cross this Jordan”? What Jordan would our heavenly Father have you cross today? The time of crossing rivers to escape is in the past; the time to cross rivers to conquer the enemy is today; the time to cross rivers to bring our brothers and sisters into their inheritance is now.
“…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13a-14.
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