The Way We All Must Learn

“Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.” (Jos 3:4 AV)

The space between the ark and the people was roughly one-quarter mile.  Given they were crossing on a desert river bed, that is more than enough distance for a mirage.  In other words, they may not have seen the ark at all.  Rather, they would have seen evidence of the ark passing before them.  But not the ark.  Now, notice the underlined portion of our verse above.  I don’t know about you, but if I didn’t know the way and there was a possibility I could not see the leader in front of me, I would follow as closely as I could.  Wouldn’t you?  What if it was pitch black outside?  Wouldn’t you remain at the foot of the one who knows the way?  What way are we talking about here?

There was an exercise we ran while learning leadership in the Boy Scouts.  There would be one person who had written instructions on how to navigate an obstacle course.  The rest would be on a length of rope spaced fifteen feet or so behind.  There would be a paper grocery bag placed over our heads so that we couldn’t see the person in front of us.  All we had to lead us was this rope.  As long as we held on to the rope, we knew which direction we were supposed to go.  There were obstacles in our way.  Chairs or blocks places in our way.  If someone got off course or knocked an obstacle, they were taken from the team and the rest advanced.  The object of the exercise was to see how many team members the leader could get safely to the goal.  It taught the leader a principle.  He was responsible to lead his team to the objective.  Not as individuals.  But as a team.  It taught the team to trust its leader.

There are lessons in life that only faith can teach.  This was the way they didn’t know.  Israel, as yet, had not learned to completely trust the LORD and His leader.  When they left Egypt, it was a no brainer.  Stay there and die, or trust the LORD and Moses.  When they were compassed in at the Red Sea, another no brainer.  When there was no food or water, it didn’t take much faith to believe water and manna were the answer.  The one step of faith in which they recoiled cost them forty years of wilderness wandering.  Now they were asked to follow a leader they couldn’t fully see.  One might think all they had to do was walk between the walls of water as they did at the Red Sea.  But this was different.  The water was stopped upstream.  A wall of water was on one side only.  And that, a great distance off.  They had only one choice.  Follow the footsteps of the ones who were led of the LORD and trust the LORD to get you safely on the other side.  We are called to live by faith.  It is what separates us from the angels.  It is what pleases God.  There is only one way to walk by faith and it has to be learned.  This is the way they did not know.  This is the way they had to learn.  This is the way every child of God must learn.  Trust the LORD!  He will guide You all the way.