That You May Know the Way

At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” (Joshua 3:2-4)

The command to the people was to follow the Ark of the covenant being carried by the priests, but there was a caveat…there would be distance. The distance God gave was 2,000 cubits, which is about half a mile or just under a kilometer.

The space ensured they could see clearly where to go, because they had never been that way before.

If you’ve ever driven in a caravan before you know you don’t want to be too close or you won’t have time to change lanes, exit, or turn. You need a close enough distance to see, but a far enough distance to navigate following safely. Considering the people of Israel were about 2 million people by this point, a half mile was that safe distance.

In seasons of transition, we often try to rush ahead of God, especially if we think we see where He’s leading. But if He turns in a different direction than we anticipate, we may end up missing it because we didn’t keep the space in place to actually see where He was leading. God can correct us of course, but wouldn’t you rather just do what He says in the first place?

Obedience requires trust. Do we truly believe and trust that His plans, ways, and thoughts are higher and better than our own? If we do, then the actionable proof of that trust is our obedience. Staying close, but not outpacing Him, keeps us aligned with His leading.

As you go through this current season and the ones to come, this is such a good reminder…don’t outrun God, simply follow Him.