After the preparation of Joshua as a leader, the encouragement to do what God had commanded - to take the land, and the spying out of that land to find out that the enemy seemed powerful but was frightened of God. After that is where the rubber meets the road, or in this case, the feet meet the water! No more talk and saber rattling, now the people must actually trust God and literally step out on the water to see if He will move.
They cannot cross the Jordan on their own. The Jordan is about 100 feet wide at its narrowest. At this time of year (April) it is impossible to ford (though it could be swum by the spies). "Full up to the brim" is a better way to put it.
And when they do cross by God’s miracle, they are in danger every second, wondering if God will let loose the water and drown them. It is literally putting themselves into the hands of God.
Jesus was baptized in the Jordan to begin his public ministry. And so too the Children of Israel are "baptized" as they cross over. For us, baptism is the first step of a public commitment to God, giving our lives to him, dieing and having him bring us back to life. It’s part of stepping out and putting our trust in God to lead us to victory.
Verses 1-6
Shittim to the Jordan is about 10 miles. They were to walk about ½ mile away from the Ark. Not sure if that was just until the priests entered the water or what.
To consecrate meant to bathe, wash your clothes, and abstain from sexual intimacy. It meant to set yourself aside and prepare to do something special. As we prepare our lives for the victory wrought on our behalf by God there is a setting aside of things that really don’t matter. I found that in myself traveling to Africa recently. Suddenly all the mundane things around me just didn’t hold that importance anymore.
The priests were told to cross but not told how to do it. Often God gives us a task but we must trust in Him in how to accomplish it after we step out.
Verses 7 - 13
God repeats his promises and says "without fail." We cannot fail when on God’s mission and it is good to hear God’s promises and His past actions over and over.
Verses 14 - 17
God would have actually had to stop the waters flowing quite some time before the priests set their feet in the river for the water to be away. He was working behind the scenes well before the actions took place. God knows you will step out and when so don’t fret about it.
How did God stop the flow? It is possible that He used a landslide. This area has faults running through it and in two times in history the Jordan was actually dammed up by landslides - in 1267 and 1927 (stopped for 21 hours).
Adam and Zarthan are lost - but the city of Kuru Sartabeh is some 17 miles upstream from Jericho.
Chapter 4
Verses 1 - 10
So there are really two piles of stones - one from the midst of the Jordan set up on the side, and one piled up in the middle where the priests stood.
What is the significance of these piles? One pile sits at the place where the priests stood in the middle of the Jordan. The other all the way out of the Jordan where they spent the night. In a spiritual sense we could say that one set represents the place at which God intervened and began a miracle. The other represents the completion of that work of God.
I was a TV reporter back in the 1990’s and remember covering a major flood in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. There was one point during a day which I worked about 24 hours straight - at which the highest crest of the flood would occur at a bridge in downtown Salem. Where that crest occurred, they put a mark. This is kind of like that - for when the priests set their feet down the Jordan was a flood stage. So in future generations they could point to the place on the eastern shore and say "when the water was that high the Lord dried up the Jordan for us to cross."
For our study of the victorious Christian life in Joshua - the first set of stones marks the place where we said "God I will obey you and set forth on this journey, committing myself to your care and asking you to make a way for me." The second set represents a marker of God accomplishing what he said. With each step in God bringing victory in our lives, we should look back and remember the good things He has done - especially for the days when we are frightened by an enemy that seems overwhelming.
Verses 11 - 13
Remember that these tribes lived on the east side of the Jordan but had promised to fight for the rest of the land before they settled, so here they commit to that.
Verses 14 - 18
God did what he promised, and used this miracle to show the people that He had put a new leader in front of them: Joshua.
The priests had to step into the Jordan before the flow stopped. Committing to the journey means we go when God calls, not when we think the coast is clear.
Verses 19 - 24
The parallels to Moses are clear - both crossed on dry ground, both gave commands on the 10th day of the first month. God is doing something similar as the past generation and He does much the same things today as our past generation of believers, that is sending us out on a journey to win victory over the devil and the world and the flesh so we can win souls.
Gilgal was a good place for them strategically as it provided security from the Jordan on one side, and an open plain on the other so no one could attack them by surprise.
There are two reasons given here for the miracle: to impress the people of the land with God’s power, and to impress the Israelis into fearing the Lord. Are not those the two reasons God does things for us? It’s not for us to show off or get things for ourselves. God moves in order to show people who is God, and in order to show us that we are not God and are not capable of doing anything on our own.
One of the main points of these chapters is commitment. It was one thing to get out of Egypt-to escape from a tyrant to be your own people. It is quite another to then cross over into a land to take it. It took commitment on the part of Joshua to propose such a move as crossing a flood-stage Jordan. It took commitment on the part of the priests to set their feet into the water and it took commitment on the part of the people to follow on the dry ground, not knowing if the water would engulf them as they crossed.
As Christians we escape from the clutches of the tyrant sin and become one of the people of God. We then pray and seek Him for what He wants to do with our lives. But then when we feel he is revealing something to us it takes commitment to carry it out. I think about when we considered going to Africa. It was one thing to pray about it, make plans, talk it over. But when it actually came time to pull the trigger on the tickets, and when it came time to step out the door on our way to the airport-it was commitment time.
It can be scary. But remember what God said to Joshua in chapter 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." The Israelites were in peril the entire time they crossed the Jordan. We are in God’s hands and without His hands guiding us our mission and our battle will be for naught. It may feel like you are in peril, but you are in God’s hands and there is nothing that can touch you apart from God’s will and purpose.
Don’t be afraid to "step out" for God. Unless you take the step you cannot seen God’s provision. We went to Africa not knowing what we would say. We asked the Holy Spirit to guide us, we were placed in situations where we were extremely tested and unsure. Yet the Lord answered the prayer and gave us what to say. He will do the same for you as you move in what He has called you to do.
Perhaps it is as simple is telling a co-worker you will pray for them, or visiting a sick neighbor or volunteering to teach Sunday school. Perhaps it is as big as training to become a missionary and go to Africa to live, like one of our Sunday school teachers did. Most of the time, taking the first step is the hardest: picking up the phone, starting the conversation, raising your hand to volunteer.
Note too that once they crossed over there was no turning back. You don’t have to have the whole plan, just the first step into the water. God will take care of the rest. Remember, He is out there in the middle waiting for you.
It reminds me of the hymn: I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. The cross before we, the world behind me. Though none go with me still I will follow.
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