SS~ #18~ JOSHUA ~ #2 camped at Jordan ~ 10-12-14
Joshua 3: -- pt 1
Today we'll continue in our study of Heb.11: -- "the hall of the faithful" chapter.
Listen as I read our text verses.
Heb.11: 30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Today we'll see how the Israelis crossed the swollen Jordan River on their way to their promised land.
~ Before we get into Joshua 3: -- let me remind us that in the last 2 verses of chapter 2: the two Israeli spies that Joshua had sent into Jericho had returned and reported to Joshua everything that they had witnessed, and this would include their encounter with Rahab. -- So after Joshua received the report he was now ready to begin the invasion of Jericho.
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Joshua 3:1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
~ Shittim lies approximately 10 miles east of the River Jordan, and about 15 miles east of Jericho. ~ So there was about 5 miles from the Jordan River too the walls of Jericho, so the nation of Israel had amply room once they all crossed.
~ All the children of Israel would camp there for 3 days near the River before they passed over.
~~~ Well here they are, camped at the swollen Jordan River because of the spring rains, they had no idea how they would pass to the other side.
It was one thing for the two spies to make their way across the River (as happened in (chapter 2 :) but here we are talking about a nation of about 2 ½ million people with all their possessions, but they had faith that they would cross over because back in chapter 1: verse 11
Joshua had told them -- within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, -- so they had no doubt that they would, but no idea as yet how.
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~ This generation of Gods people had heard how that God had parted the Red Sea for His people about 40 years earlier and they were sure that He would work another miracle if He so willed.
Let me remind us that Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years after leaving Egypt, because of their complaining and doubting God, all the people 20 years old and older would die in their wilderness wanderings.
~ Only the children that were born during their wilderness wanderings would enter. -- So these Israelites here at this time did not witness God's parting of the Red Sea.
@@@ num.13: --- we’ll see why these 20 years old and older were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
Chapter 13:
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. --- 12 men, one from each tribe.
3 And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
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17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:
18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;
20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.
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25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
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31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
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@@@ Numbers 14:1
1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
~~ Notice Moses intercedes for the people.
13 And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
16 Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
> Numbers 14: 26 -33 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
29Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
30Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
32But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
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~ So the generation that was to enter the Promised Land was not alive when God parted the waters of the Red Sea, but they had heard about it many times.
Joshua 3:1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; --
~ We read several times in the Bible of people doing things early in the morning.
>Gen 22:3 Abraham and Isaac rose up early in the morning to go to Mount Moriah, there Abraham's faith would be tested as he was going to offer Isaac if need be.
> Exodus 8:20 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh ---
> 1 Samuel 17:20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse (his father) had commanded him; and he came to the trench -- this would be Goliaths last day.
>Mk 16:2 & 9 --- it was early in the morning that the women went to the tomb of Jesus and found Him risen from the dead.
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Joshua 3: 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; --- through out the people.
~ Let me remind us, that when we see a 3 in the bible, most of the time God is involved.
3And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
~ The Ark, referred to 17 times in chapters. 3 & 4 represents the presence and covenant of the Lord.
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4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: (about half a mile) come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
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~~ If hey had they been allowed to come near to the Ark and surround it, none could have had sight of it except those that were close to it; but with this distance of about half a mile, most would be able to see it when it entered the river. -- They had not passed this way heretofore.
— So this would be for their encouragement. -- this new generation did not witness the parting of the Red Sea, but they were about to witness the miracle of God causing the water of the Jordan River to bank up and stop flowing until they passed over. -- They had not passed this way heretofore.
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~ The Jordan River is one of the world's most ancient and famous waterways. The Jordan takes its name from the Hebrew word "descender" because of the way it snakes its way from the top of a mountain all the way down below sea level. The river runs for about 200 miles and is mentioned 175 times in the Old Testament. ~
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5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.
~Joshua requires that the people have a spiritual preparation. Sanctify yourselves means they were to separate themselves from common things to focus in on the LORD, and to see that the LORD will do wonders among you.
The people are not commanded to prepare their weapons, draw their swords, or polish their shields. ---- Instead, they are to prepare their hearts.
The sanctification mentioned here was not ceremonial, but spiritual.
They were to prepare themselves to see the mighty hand of God moving among them in a way until now unknown.
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6And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the Ark of the Covenant, and went before the people.
~ The priests were ordered to take up the ark and carry it before the people.
~ It was the Levites’ work ordinarily to carry the ark, but on this great occasion the priests were ordered to do it. --- And they did as they were commanded, they, the priest took up the ark. -- They were Levites as well remember, but only the dissidence of Aaron was eligible to be priests.
We read that it was the other Levites job in;
Num. 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons (the priest) have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: (they were of the tribe of Levy) but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
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~ But on this great occasion the priests were ordered to do it, and they did as they were commanded. -- They were to "Take up the ark of the covenant"
That means it was to be lifted up and carried by the staves that ran through it on their shoulders.
> Numbers 7:9 -- the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.
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