Transformation At The Jordan

Today’s meditation is based on Joshua 3:13, “When the priests who carry the Covenant Box of the LORD of all the earth put their feet in the water, the Jordan will stop flowing, and the water coming downstream will pile up in one place." (GNB)

These are the words that Joshua received from God which he passed on to the people. The Israelites had come really close to the Promised Land, but in order to do so they had to cross over the River Jordan which was full, and overflowing its banks. It was at this juncture that God gave them this instruction.

God’s word reminds us that He is God over all of mankind, and there is nothing that is impossible with Him. The Lord could have asked them to stand still on the banks of the river, and made a way for them to pass through. However, God desired that there should be a certain initiative from the people, before He performed the miracle.

The instruction that was given to Joshua was that the priests who bore the Covenant Box, which actually represented the presence of God, should put their feet in the waters of the River Jordan. The moment they did that they were assured that the waters of the River Jordan that flowed downward would all pile up to stand in one place. By piling up, a way was made for them so that the Israelites could cross over to the other side.

There was no way they could pass over the Jordan if not for God’s divine intervention.

So also, we must remember that there is often a part that we have to play in order to receive the miracles that God has in store for us. This Jordan like situations are found in the lives of many, and may be varied. You may have heard people say that there is just one problem, or habit, or debt or circumstance that needs to be changed so that they can progress in their lives. These are what I call Jordan like circumstances and God is the same God who is able to change all of them. This miracle will happen, when like the priest who carried the Covenant Box, we too are ready to step out in obedience to do all that God requires of us to do. There are many complications in our lives that cannot be sorted out unless the Lord intervenes in a miraculous way, and if we want that to happen we must be willing to obey the Lord.

There are other incidents that happened in the Jordan River, all of which were beyond the realm of nature. We will just look at two of them in this message.

The letter that agitated the king of Israel

We read in 2 Kings 5:7, And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” (ESV)

The King of Israel received a letter from the King of Syria, the contents of which greatly disturbed him. In that letter the King of Syria mentioned that he had sent one of the commanders of his army by name Naaman to him, so that he could be cured of his leprosy. To the King of Israel it seemed like the King of Syria was making such a request knowing that he could not fulfill it, and thereby making a reason for war between them. The King of Israel was so perplexed and agitated that he even tore his clothes.

By tearing his clothes the king was declared that he was just a mere human who had no power to cure a person of his leprosy. No wonder he exclaimed and said, ‘Am I God?’ and thereby attested that God alone had the power to perform miracles.

This incident reminds us that though one might be a king on a throne with power and authority, but even he has a limit to what he can accomplish. Our God is the King of all kings, and He alone can do anything, for nothing is beyond His control.

The prophet’s response

When the news about the king’s predicament, and the fact that he had torn his clothes in despair spread through the land, it also came to the notice of the Prophet Elisha.

We read in 2 Kings 5:8, But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” (ESV)