Prayer of the Day: Almighty and faithful God, You are a God of Your Word, who speaks and it is done, who promises and it stands forever. Grant us steadfast faith to trust Your promises, even when we cannot see the way before us. Strengthen our hearts through the resurrection of Your Son, that we may walk in confidence, cling to Your Word, and rejoice in Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

In Christ Jesus, the Word of God who lives and reigns from God’s right hand, dear fellow redeemed:

The Bible has much to say about the Word of God. That makes sense, because the Bible is the Word of God (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21). The Bible reveals the power of God’s Word, the purpose of God’s Word, and the many promises in God’s Word. The Bible does this for our distinct benefit and as a direct blessing from God who communicates with us directly through His Word. The Bible informs us, for instance, that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). The Bible further informs us that “the word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Pet. 1:25a). As both powerful and eternal, God’s Word consistently convicts us of our sins, leads us to a genuine repentance over sin, and then assures us of God’s forgiveness of our sins. In this way, it engenders faith within our hearts and brings us into fellowship with God and with each other. God’s Word then goes on to provide guidance for this life and the assurance of everlasting life to come.

In our text for today, Joshua encourages the children of Israel to come and listen to “the words of the LORD our God.” The LORD God had made promises to His people—promises to be with them, to enable them to defeat their enemies, and to give them the land of Canaan as their inheritance. The LORD God was about to perform a mighty miracle to demonstrate to the children of Israel His full intent to keep His promises. He wanted His people to move forward with great boldness and confidence, knowing that He would do what He had said He would do. Let us consider today the fact that OUR LORD GOD IS A GOD OF HIS WORD! He makes us promises, and when He makes us promises, He keeps His promises! So, it was for the children of Israel in Joshua’s day, and so it is for us—God’s children today!

I.

The children of Israel were camped on the east side of the Jordan River and were preparing to cross that river into the Promised Land. Moses had been their leader for forty years and had led them through the wilderness to this place. By the LORD God’s directive, he had recently left their camp, ascended Mount Nebo, and after viewing the Promised Land, had died and been buried by the LORD God Himself. The leadership position had now been entrusted to Joshua, who was to bring the people into the Promised Land. But there was a problem—the Jordon River was in its annual spring flood stage and, consequently, could not be forded at this time. Entrance to the Promised Land would have to be delayed until the flood waters subsided.

But that was not to be the case. There was to be no further delay. The time to enter the Promised Land and for the LORD God to fulfill His promise had come, and the LORD God intended to perform a mighty miracle to make it happen.

OUR LORD GOD IS A GOD OF HIS WORD! Joshua knew that, and he wanted the children of Israel to believe that, as did the LORD God Himself. The LORD God had made promises hundreds of years before to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He had taken Abraham out of his tent and under the stars of heaven and promised him: “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your offspring be” (Gen. 15:5). The LORD God then went on to promise Abraham: “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess” (Gen. 15:7). The LORD God made the same promises to Isaac and Jacob and then repeated them to Moses when He had called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.

What was true for Joshua and for the children of Israel is also true for you and for me today as God’s children. OUR LORD GOD IS A GOD OF HIS WORD! He has given us His Word—the Bible with both its Old and New Testaments. He has given us His Son—the Word, through whom He has bestowed upon us His love and forgiveness. Within His Word and through His Son, He has made many promises to us. He has promised to rescue us from sin, death, Satan, and hell (cf. Gen. 3:15). He has promised to hear and answer our prayers (Jn. 14:13). He has promised to work all things together for our good as we follow Him and love Him (Rom. 8:28). He has promised to prepare a place for us in heaven above (Jn. 14:2). He has promised to hold us safely within His hands, while we remain here on earth (Jn. 10:28). He has promised to return at the end of time to take us home to heaven (Jn. 14:3). Indeed, OUR LORD GOD IS A GOD OF HIS WORD, and for that we can be truly thankful!

II.

We are thankful that He not only makes promises, but that He also keeps His promises! The children of Israel had once before been on the verge of entering the Promised Land, but they failed to do so. Ten of twelve spies had recommended turning back and returning to Egypt after spending forty days reviewing the land. The land was wonderful, they had said, but occupied by giants living in walled cities that Israel could never, in the spies’ estimation, conquer. They and their children were doomed to destruction, or so they said. But just as the LORD God had parted the Red Sea allowing the children of Israel to leave Egypt, now the LORD God was determined to part the flooding Jordon River to allow the children of Israel to enter the Promised Land.

When the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant stepped in faith into the flooding waters, the LORD God cut those waters off far upstream, and the water below simply drained to the south into the Dead Sea. Before the people lay not a raging, flooding river, but dry land over which they could easily walk. The LORD God performed a mighty miracle that uplifted the faith and confidence of the people in both His presence and His power. He would keep His promises! At the same time, that miracle demoralized the heathen tribes dwelling in Canaan, for the same LORD God who had parted the waters of the Jordon River would be present in the battles that would soon be fought, and victory would be given by the LORD God to Israel!

My dear friends, the LORD God of Old Testament Israel is the same LORD God who presently occupies the throne of heaven. He is our God! OUR LORD GOD IS A GOD OF HIS WORD! He makes us promises, and when He makes us promises, He keeps His promises! But some may ask and argue, “What miracles has He performed for us?” We have never walked through the Jordon on dry land, as Israel did. But in response, we need only think back one week to Easter. The greatest promises of our Savior God are those tied to our redemption through Jesus Christ. The LORD God promised to send us a Savior, which He did in the person of Jesus Christ. That same LORD God promised that His Son, our Savior, would both die on the cross in our place and arise once again on the third day to assure us that we have been justified in the sight of God. Our LORD God assures us that our sins have been washed away, that our futures are secure through Christ in heaven, and that upon Jesus’ return at the end of time, heaven will without question be our home. The empty tomb, my dear friends, is the greatest of all miracles and assures us that the LORD God will keep all His promises to us.

Are you facing trials and troubles in your lives? Our God has promised to deliver us as we call upon Him (cf. Ps. 50:15). Let us only remember to glorify Him with our thanksgiving and praise when He delivers us. Are we lacking anything we truly need? Our God has promised to provide those things we need as we come to Him in prayer (cf. 1 Jn. 14-15)

. Let us only remember to entrust ourselves and those we love to His tender care. Are we approaching the end of our lives in this world? Let us do so with confidence, for our Savior God has promised that nothing can separate us from His love for us in Christ (cf. Rom. 8:38-39). He, who has brought us to faith, will stand by us and preserve us in that faith unto our end (Phil. 1:6).

Yes, my dear friends, OUR LORD GOD IS A GOD OF HIS WORD! He makes us promises, and when He makes us promises, He keeps His promises! Let us cling to those truths in faith and rejoice in those truths for they inspire our faith, our hope, our confidence, our joy, and our love! Amen.

—Rev. Paul D. Nolting

Mankato, MN

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