Sanctify Yourself

"And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap." Joshua 3:5-13

In the course of their journey from Egypt, the Israelites would on occasion be required to sanctify themselves because they would soon be in the presence of God. You see in those days they would purify themselves with water and refrain from sexual relations so that they might enjoy God's presence for a specified period of time. In addition notice that before the Children of Israel could cross over into the promise land they first had to be sanctified. Also notice that God chose twelve priest to uphold the Ark of the Covenant and carry the word of God (the Ten Commandments, Exodus 25:21) before the people and lead them into the promise land. We as modern day Christians have the distinct privilege of being blessed by God sending His only begotten Son to sanctify us. We as the body of Christ have the privilege of being sanctified by God himself ("Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:23) so that we might be able to be with Him forever. Instead of water it is the blood of Christ Jesus that cleanses us from sin. And notice, after the resurrection God chose twelve to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and present the Word of God before the people. God chose twelve to lead us into the Kingdom. The Ark was a testament of God's promise to the Children of Israel. Jesus is our promise of an everlasting life. "Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Galatians 1:3-5) "And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." Mark 14:24