Down By The Dry Riverbed Series

Back in the 1920’s the US Govt began talking about controlling the flooding of a river in the West called the Colorado. They intended to build the largest dam ever constructed in the US, and they also wanted this dam to supply electricity and a stable water supply to the growing population in the 7 states in that surrounded this river. Thus, in 1928 President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill authorizing the building of this dam … and work began in 1931. It took 5 years to build this huge project, involving 6.6 million tons of concrete (6.6 million tons of cement would be enough to pave a 16 foot wide highway from San Francisco to NYC). They also had to build a city from scratch just to house the 1000s of workers that were employed for the 5 years it took to complete the project. The Dam was such a monumental structure that it has stood for nearly 90 years and receives upwards of 7 million visitors every year.

What is the name of that famous dam? (Hoover Dam)

Now, remember … it took the US government 5 years, using 1000s of workers who laid 6.6 million tons of concrete to stop the flow the Colorado River. Do you realize, God could have done that in a single day. In fact, He did do something like that several 1000 years ago … at the Jordan River.

In our story today… the Israelites had been led by God to the edge of the Jordan. We’re told that when the priests carrying the Ark stepped into the flooded waters of Jordan the waters coming down from (upstream) stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam. The waters literally stopped. It was as if someone had built an invisible dam that created a wall of water towering over the Israelites as they crossed on dry ground. The waters backed up as far as a town named Adam which was about 10 miles North of them (the distance from here to Walton, IN). And they walked across the riverbed of the Jordan like walking on dry ground.

Now, what’s interesting is that they had to cross the Jordan at all. The first time Israel came to the edge of the Promised Land 40 years before, they came to the southern border of Canaan… and there was no river to cross. They could have just walked right on in. So why go all the way to the East of Canaan and then cross the Jordan? Well, they went there because God led them there. He wanted to show Joshua and the Israelites His power because, when they crossed the Jordan, they were going to go to war. For the next few months they’d be fighting Canaanite armies on their home turf, and Israel needed to be shown God’s power. So, God brought them to the Jordan river… for a little Show And Tell.

In Joshua 3:10- Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that THE LIVING GOD IS AMONG YOU and that he will without fail DRIVE OUT FROM BEFORE YOU the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan… and when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

So, as soon as they’re at the edge of the Jordan, God leads them into the waters. The feet of the priests touch the Jordan, and the waters pile up in a heap on their right. Then, the Priests stepped out into the middle of the riverbed - and that’s where the priests stood until all the Israelites crossed the river and reached the other side.

Then a man from each of the 12 tribes picked up a big rock from the riverbed and carried it out of the riverbed to be set up as a memorial to God’s power. And another 12 huge stones were piled at the place where the priests had stood in the riverbed and THAT pile of stones was also a memorial. Then Israel made camp at a place called Gilgal not far from the mighty city of Jericho.

Now, that’s a cool story… but what difference does it make to us? Why should we care what God did there? Well, Romans 15:4 tells us that “whatever was written in former days (the Old Testament) was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” There some things here that God believes we learn.