Patterns for PeaceНамуна

Between Two Extremes

The pattern that Jesus modeled for us was dangerous. He willingly traveled hazardous roads in a cause He knew was right. As we set out on this pathway toward peacemaking we find a parallel in the way God brought the Israelites out of a land of injustice and into a land of abundance.

In Exodus, we learn how God used Moses to bring Israel out of the land Egypt and later we see He used Joshua to bring them into the land of promise. But on the border between the wilderness where they wandered for 40 years and God’s promised land of something better, there was the Jordan river that separated the two places.

Imagine what this moment must have been like for the nation of Israel, to see the place God was leading them just on the other side of this river. They probably couldn’t wait to cross over and leave behind everything the wilderness represented. But it happened in a very specific way. In fact, even when they were traveling in the wilderness God required the priests and the Levites to always be out in front of the people. The priest and the Levites were the ones who carried the ark of the covenant which represented God’s presence.

But in Joshua 3 God makes a very interesting command to His people before the nation crosses over.

"Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” Joshua 3:8

What's crazy about this command is that the priests are the ones who are supposed to lead the way. You'd think God would want them to cross over to the other side and show the rest of the people how it’s done. It doesn’t make sense that God would instruct them to stand in the gap between two extremes: the wilderness they were leaving and the Promised Land God was calling them into.

But in verse 17 it says..

"Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan." Joshua 3:17

The people who helped the nation cross over didn’t shout from the other side. They got in the middle. That’s where God’s presence was. In the same way the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant, our job as Christ-followers is to carry God’s presence into every place we go.

The truth is, many times when we think we’re leading people, we’re actually leaving people. We leave people behind, and we leave people stuck because we’re not willing to stand in a place that’s uncomfortable until they can cross over. But to be a peacemaker is to walk a path that is made for the middle.

Questions for reflection.

Do you think it's easier to pick a side or to stand in the middle?

How can we carry God's presence into the places we go?