“And Joshua_said to-the sons of-Israel, ‘Come here and hear the-words of-YHVH your-Elohiym.’ …” Joshua 3:9
Several months ago, as I was reading through Joshua 3, I was bothered by a statement made to the people that I did not understand or see a ‘good enough’ answer. The scribal-leaders of each of the tribes went throughout the camp to tell the people that when they saw the ark of the covenant moving, they were all to pack up and follow after it. They went on to tell the people, in v4, not to come near the ark, because where they were going they had not before traveled. I understood the whole issue of everyone needing to see the ark so as not to crowd it; but with everything that the LORD is unveiling concerning Jesus in this hour – the finished work of the cross, the ripping of the veil, the consequential invitation for all to enter into the Holy of Holies – the above v4 command bothered me … until a few nights ago. I was taking apart v9 (this blog’s opening vs) in the Hebrew text.
In v6, Joshua had commanded the priests to lift up the ark of the covenant and then to pass over in the face of (before) the people, and so they did. Immediately the LORD (YHVH) speaks to Joshua that He is going to magnify Joshua in the sight of all the people, in order to show to them that as He was with Moses, “I-AM with you”; and so it is that He charges him to command the priests who are taking the ark to the edge of the Jordan, that they are to stand in the Jordan. The priests did not drive the people to distance themselves from the ark when they had lifted it and carried it in the midst of the camp for all to see that this was about to lead them forward … alas, into their long awaited, Divinely promised inheritance.
It is on the heals of this passing the ark through the encampment, Beloved, and the LORD immediately speaking to Joshua, that Joshua calls the people to come close, the living word of YHVH still ringing alive inside of him. I intentionally left one word out in the opening blog verse, for many translations leave out the word, maybe in assumption that it is understood by the context. Here it is below:
“And Joshua_said to-the sons of-Israel, ‘Come-near here and hear the-words of-YHVH your-Elohiym.’ …” Joshua 3:9
There are a couple of other more common Hebrew verbs used for “come”, but this one is not of those. This verb in Hebrew does not carry the casual “come”, rather denotes the intentional (English) compound “draw-near”, “come-close”, “approach”; it carries even a somewhat intimate denotation. As I was looking through other O.T. verses using this particular verb, one jumped off the page to me because this account has touched my heart for years, making it now even stronger and more personal. It is the time when the LORD came w/ 2 angels into the encampment of Abraham to tell both he and Sarah (it was the first time she had ever heard from his LORD) that they were going to have a son. As the LORD is afterwards leaving, He lets Abraham know that He is going down to Sodom to see if things are as bad as the outcry then arising to heaven. Abraham realizes what is about to happen, “…Abraham was still standing before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said, …” (Gen. 18:22b-23a NASB). Abraham was already standing before him, yet comes even closer towards His face. This “came-near” is the same single Hebrew verb of Joshua’s command to the people to come close to hear the words of the LORD. Joshua is here unveiling the personal heart of YHVH to God’s people who just saw the ark pass in front of their eyes.
What makes this “come near“ different than the “don’t come near” of verse 4 is that the command of v4 not to come near the ark is a verb denoting “don’t present yourself”, carrying somewhat the weightiness of one’s own merit. This particular verb in a host of other passages allows approaching with an offering … it is the offering offered that gives one merit to draw nigh … (are you listening, Beloved? Do you hear?). Yet Almighty God’s heart and evidential action all throughout the scriptures, as this One who is YHVH-(the Hand of Grace Nailed in Grace)-Personal-Covenant-God-towards-us, is both to draw near to us and call us to draw near to Him, and cause us, by His own willing sacrifice, to thus let us draw near … wholly based upon the merit, the weightiness, of His sacrifice for us. Our present Joshua/YeHoshua, our LORD Jesus, is this One who – because of the unveiled ark of the New Covenant in the midst of, even in the eyes of, all that His cross was and is – is calling us to draw near to hear living words from the Father, from His Father made our Father.
Jesus is this One, Beloved, calling you, each one of you personally, to come near and hear, to come to His Word and let Him unloose to you what is the mystery and veiled words to so many, indeed, what is the revelation of the finished work of the cross to show you glory unfading by which you are effortlessly changed into His image, just how complete His cross was and is on your behalf, how complete you are, Dear One, in Christ … revealing to you just Who Is this so awesome a God made OUR God AND Father.
“And by-such parables (and) many, He-was-speaking to-them (the crowd) the word, according-as they-were-able to-hear. … but privately [down-alone] to_His disciples He-unloosed all.” Mark 4:33, 34b (frm. Grk Txt in Grk. wrd.ordr)
Come near, Beloved, to hear. Spend time with Jesus every day in the Word, and let Him unloose, to you, all. You will find increasingly just how good is this God you always thought was so fearful to approach. Your awe of Him will grow faster than you can imagine, as you find out that it is His great delight to show you His heart, indeed, to show you … Himself!
You are so loved, Beloved. Mark D.
(If you are new to this post, Beloved, you might be wondering why I often use the O.T. Hebrew initials of the “LORD” – YHVH. The revelation of the cross, of our salvation from eternity hidden in God is in this Name, imparted into the Name of Jesus. Much of this is explained in previous posts. When you see and understand the mystery of the cross, of our intended salvation by God from eternity, the places you consequently see this name, LORD, both in the Old Testament and then in these posts, will give you a greater impact as to the context in which this Name is set.)
kairos – (Kahee-ros’) – Strong’s concordance defines this word: “an occasion, I.e. set or proper time.” The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (NASB) defines this word; “season, time, but not merely as a succession of moments, which is chronos,” [from which we derive the English word ‘chronology’]. “Kairos, however, implies not the convenience of the season, but the necessity of the task at hand, whether the time provides a good, convenient opportunity or not.” This must be understood. Strategic times of the Lord do not necessarily imply good or convenient times. We are in Kairos times. Maybe not good or convenient times, but definitely strategic, opportune times because of the season we are in. We must have “ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches,” (Rev. 2:29), so as to respond correctly to the Kairos time.
* Some Scripture for this letter is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Other references translated from Grk. Txt as presented in T. Newberry’s Englishman’s Greek New Testament, Zondervan Publishing – 1982- originally published in London, Eng. 1877