Passed Clean Over

Joshua 3:17 - “Passed clean over”

When the priests “stood firm…in the midst” it allowed for the people to be “clean passed over” (i.e., “Passover”) just as when the people of Israel abode “in the midst” of their houses of Egypt during the “Passover.” They were considered “clean” by the “blood of the lamb“ as the “death Angel” “passed over” each house.

Jesus Christ the LORD is our Priest and High Priest, who stands in the midst of our “dry ground” and “house”, which is our body, and keeps us clean by the blood of his covenant, so that when death and hell “pass over,” our souls are not in jeopardy. Jesus Christ will continue to stand in the midst “until every thing is finished” (4:10) because he has promised that he will continue the work in us until it be “finished” at the day of Christ (Philippians 1:6). At which time he will “cleanse” us by the “washing of the water of the word” so that we might be “without spot and wrinkle…holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:26-27) and “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of the saints (Revelation 19:7-8).

Until then we are to follow behind the LORD as he leads us from place to place, battle to battle, victory unto victory, keeping ourselves from the “accursed” things of this world. If we “mess up” we must stand up and “confess” up, giving glory to the LORD for his grace and mercy and forgiveness, which by his blood he is able to forgive us and CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9), so we are able to stand with him in the midst for his fellowship and blessing.