The Jordan River - Part 1

A personal picture of my spiritual journey is represented by the physical geography of the Old Testament from Egypt to the promised land of Israel. My own spiritual condition during different phases of my life, and many of my experiences, seem to mirror those of the Israelites.

Please refer to the posted diagram of a cross section of Israel. When I visualize my own spiritual journey, from the time before I knew Christ to now, as I journey on towards eternity, I frequently picture the stages of my walk as the same walk the Israelites took. I am not certain that the way I visualize every aspect of this is 100% theologically accurate, but I hope/believe the majority of it is accurately extrapolated from Scripture. So bear with me.

1. Characteristics of life in Egypt: Because the captivity of the Israelites to Egypt represents captivity to sin, I think of Egypt as the place where I was before I knew and trusted in Christ. I was a slave to my own desires and wants, and could do nothing to save myself. Just as the Isrealites were set free from Egypt by miraculous acts of God (saved from the angel of death at the Passover, led through the Red Sea, etc.) I was saved from death when I accepted Christ's blood as being sufficient to cover my sins. For me, this new life began in my mid-20's.
2. Characteristics of life in the desert: After escaping slavery in Egypt, did the Israelites then go straight to the land of promise? No. They went into the desert for years and years of alternating trust in their God, and more often, stiff-necked, grumbling, rebellious behavior. The Bible says that as believers "we have been given everything we need for life and godliness," but then follows "through our KNOWLEDGE of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." Although, as a new believer, God saw me as perfectly forgiven because of my trust in Christ, I still did not UNDERSTAND that I was an heir of promise, blessing, fullness of life, and eternal life. Because I had for so long operated in sin, worshiping idols instead of the one true God, I still habitually turned to my old ways. Like the Israelites, I wandered the desert, wondering where the blessing was, continually turning away from the direction God wanted to lead me, insisting on the sufficiency of my idols/old habits. I grumbled alongside the Israelites, complaining "I'll die without water, what do you have for me to eat and, it would have been better for me to just stay in Egypt!" Of course, there were blessings in the desert. I was learning about my God as I applied His word to my heart. He was proving Himself to me as I took steps of faith and saw Him answer prayer. He was leading me into clearer knowledge of His TRUTH. He was building conviction in me that my idol worship was hindering my walk with Him. He was leading me to the banks of the Jordan River.

OK, so I haven't gotten to the diagram yet.....stay tuned~!