ABOUT 2000 CUBITS
God had promised to give the land of Canaan to the descendants of Jacob. They had left Egypt and came to a moment of crisis and failed in their trust toward God. As a result all of those from twenty years old and above died in the wilderness wanderings. A new generation had grown up and was now prepared to answer the call of God. It was necessary for this new generation to be circumcised because they had grown up during the time of the wanderings in the wilderness (Joshua 5:2-5). This new generation was to respect what God commanded and follow His will in all things.
One avenue for this obedience was in regard to the carrying of the ark of the covenant before the people into the waters of the Jordan. The men go through the camp and alert the people that when the priest bearing the ark began to carry it, they the people were to follow. Here is one of the ways in which they could demonstrate their willingness to obey God. Those who became before them balked at what God had commanded. Years later the writer of Hebrews would touch on this failure and call it unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). This generation was given a means to obey God. Would they balk at it or respond in a willing way to the will of God?
One of the ways for them to obey God was that when the ark was moved, there was to be a space between them and the ark of about 2000 cubits (Joshua 3:4). What possible reason could 2000 cubits make? The distance was an opportunity for them to obey God. Had they disregarded that distance, then they would have joined with the previous generation in balking at the commands of God. A command then in a sense is a test of what resides in the heart of man. Years later the prophet Isaiah would use the words, "...if ye be willing and obedient" (Isaiah 1:19). Why do we have to have commands? If there are no commands, then there is no way to express obedience. Without that expression how would we know if we loved God or not (John 14:15)? In our time some have tried to promote the idea that we are no longer under law but rather under grace. Such a statement bears truth if you understand the word law to mean a representation of the law of Moses and the word grace to be a representation of the law of Christ. The efforts by the hereticks among us is to promote the idea that we no longer have to obey laws because we are under a different system. Such a charge needs to be defended. If there were no 2000 cubits how would Israel have a means to test their love for God? Do you love God? How could they answer that without a means of obedience?
When two individuals become husband and wife through the laws of the land, in most cases there is an affirmation of the love they have for each other. How long would love last or grow for that matter if there was no way to express that love? A man learns what is the content of his heart as he expresses himself toward his wife. He uses words, deeds and actions to affirm that which he declared in the wedding ceremony If he has no means to express that love then it infringes upon him discovering what is in his own heart. A wife is faced with the same reality. If she has no means to reveal to her husband what is in her heart, then how can she know what she feels is real or not?
When God gives a command, it modifies a person's thinking and action. It is also a way for a person to find out if what he has in his heart toward God is real or not. The 2000 cubit feet measurement gave Israel an opportunity to prove they were different than the past generation. To their credit they passed the test.
What if there were no commandment regarding the removal of sins from the souls of men? I know of no religious body today calling itself a follower of Jesus Christ, that does not teach the need for repentance. A person may declare the content of their heart as being one that is willing to change. A command therefore to remove sin provides an individual a means to prove to God and to himself, a willingness to respond to God's will. Hence the command which came from God was a call to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). It is a question of "2000 cubits"? Will we obey or choose the path of past generations? Each generation must answer.