Joshua
4 - Chapter 3
In the third chapter of Joshua we come to the crossing of the river Jordan. This was to be a great and memorable sign to the Israelites as great as the parting of the waters of the Red Sea. Just as that earlier miracle showed God's hand granting them freedom from slavery and their Egyptian oppressors, so this crossing of the Jordan was the demonstration of God's favour and power enabling them to enter upon their promised territory - with their enemies driven before them.
We can divide the Chapter into two sections: "Waiting at the Jordan" and "Crossing the river". The first section goes from verse 1 to verse 13 and the second from verse 14 to verse 17.
We look first at "Waiting at the Jordan". As the Chapter opens we see the whole host of Israel moving down towards the banks of the Jordan where they wait for three days. Remember that the book of Numbers tells us that the fighting men numbered six hundred and one thousand, seven hundred and thirty. How many more women and children there would be. It has been suggested that two and a half million people is a reasonable estimate. It probably is! To the people of Jericho about five miles away they would appear as a living carpet moving down towards the Jordan.
In verse 3 we read that the people were told to follow the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord their God as it was carried by the priests. This was after spending three days contemplating the Jordan in full flood, a formidable barrier. Their utter helplessness and dependence on God was being brought home to them. Have you learned that lesson yet? It is the most important one of all if you are to know the mercy and blessing of God.
The Ark of the Covenant was a sacred box or chest, containing among other things the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone. That was the foundation of God's dealings with them. He showed them mercy, but they had the obligation of honouring and keeping his law. Yet the Ark had the blood of sacrifice sprinkled on it by the High Priest when he prayed for their forgiveness. And so they were being reminded that the God of mercy and judgement was going ahead of them into the Jordan and Canaan. If you are a Christian believer remember that the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, goes before you, having kept the law perfectly and shedding His blood to pay for your sins. He takes you through each difficulty in your path and has overcome Satan already.
Next, the people are told, in verse 4, to leave a space of 2000 cubits between themselves and the Ark. The cubit was an ancient measurement, the distance between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger. So 2000 cubits is approximately 800 metres. That would give a clear view of the great miracle that was to come and allow the people to stand in amazement, adoring the power of their God. Also that distance between the people and the Ark said something else. It spoke of dignity, and respect, and was a warning against undue familiarity with that most sacred emblem of the presence of the mighty God. Only priests from the tribe of Levi were allowed to carry it, covered by its sacred cloth. You and I need to remember that God our Father is the one true God, the Lord of heaven and earth. Unspeakable glory and power belong to Him.
Note carefully Joshua's command to the people in verse 5: "Sanctify (or consecrate) yourselves". That means, "make yourselves clean, pure, set apart to God, and spiritually prepared for this great and wondrous event that is going to take place." The Israelites were not involved in something that was their own undertaking. It was a holy war that lay ahead of them in which the Lord would do great wonders for them.
So it is with us who are the Lord's people. We are in unceasing conflict and the battle is the Lord's. The weapons we use are spiritual: God's Word and prayer. That is all we have, but they are mighty in the pulling down of evil strongholds. Therefore, you and I must sanctify ourselves. We long for God to do great things, but we have to be spiritually prepared. We must put away the sin and corruption and that weakens us spiritually, and, as Hebrews 12 verse 1 says, "Throw off everything that hinders." In 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1, Paul urges us to "Purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
The great need in the church is for godliness. We long to see conversions - people soundly saved, and great obstacles overcome. Why do we not see these things? Because we have not sanctified ourselves in readiness. God has promised mercy to His people if they will only humble themselves before Him, seek Him in prayer and turn from wrongdoing: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." That's 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14. Our Saviour predicted that in the last times there would be an upsurge in lawlessness that would cause the love of many to grow cold (Matthew 24 verse 12).
God assured Joshua in verse 7 of Joshua chapter 3 that He would set His seal of approval on him as the chosen leader by parting the waters of the River Jordan before them. The Israelites would know beyond all doubt that he was God's chosen successor to Moses.
So it is with our Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection from the dead was God's message to the world that this was indeed His Son, His Messiah, the Saviour whom He had sent into the world. In Romans 1 verse 4 we read about the Lord Jesus: "Who through the Spirit was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead." What a word of encouragement that is!
In verses 9 to 11 of Joshua chapter 3, Joshua gives God's message to the people, telling them what the Lord is going to do for them. He is going before them to drive out seven tribes that inhabit Canaan. In these words are vital teaching that we need to learn or learn again according to our spiritual state.
In verses 10 and 11 a great sign is given to the people. Joshua brought God's message to the Israelites. This message was that the going of the Ark ahead of the nation into Canaan was the assurance of victory. The ultimate outcome of the coming conflict was certain. God had promised the land to His people and His promises are certain. This is a reminder to us that God has promised to drive back the devil and all his influence that hinders victory in our lives. In Romans 6 verse 14 we are told that "Sin shall not be your master". It is only in heaven that we shall be free from Satan's presence, but we remember that our Saviour has destroyed all Satan's works and that he has no power over us if we are cleansed by the precious blood of Christ shed for us on the cross.
Note carefully the name of God in verses 11 and 13. He is described as "The Lord of all the earth." That is a significant description because of the prevailing belief at the time. Each tribe and nation among Israel's enemies had a very localised idea of a god specific to that area or group of people. Whether it were Baal, Dagon, Chemosh or Molech. The Hebrew people might have been tempted to think that the God who had been with them in the wilderness was no match for some local god in Canaan, but here we read He is "Lord of ALL the earth". There is NO place that is not under His sovereign will. Today there is no place where the Gospel cannot bring light and freedom.
Do remember that our Saviour exercises the same power today. By His death he has destroyed the devil who keeps people in slavery through fear of death and the fear of false gods.
We now come to the second section in Joshua Chapter 3: "Crossing The River", which goes from verse 14 to verse 17. Now the three days of preparation are over and the people must go forward in faith to claim the land and subdue their enemies. We cannot sit around meditating. There is work for God to be done: chairs and hymn books set out; someone to be picked up in the car to take to a meeting or walk along with; leaflets to be distributed; gifts to be gathered and sent off for the Lords work. We are to be faithful in our attendance at the services, and there will be personal battles to be waged against self- interest or inner corruption. And so the list could go on!
The priests moved on, approaching the swollen Jordan. In complete faith they never faltered and at the exact moment their feet touched the waters they receded. Only the presence and power of God could account for such a marvel. It is worth noting that the River Jordan overflows each Springtime as the snows of Mount Hermon melt and the water level rises in the Sea of Galilee. Added to that, the latter rains come, and whereas the river is normally 30 metres wide or less in Summer, it becomes a wide, swiftly-flowing torrent in April and May. The few fording places lie well under water. It seems that God chose the most unpromising and unlikely time for the Israelites to cross. Yet it was the right time for in it God would display His mighty power.
You may have seen such things yourselves. Someone you thought could never be brought to saving faith has been converted. A gift came in for some project when it looked as though it would have to be abandoned. Permission to build was withheld, then miraculously some official granted it. There is an old chorus we could well do to re-learn that says:
"Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can't tunnel through? God specialises in things thought impossible. He can do just what none other can do."
About 30 kilometres upstream from where the Israelites were to cross, near to a town called Adam, verse 16 tells us that the waters heaped up. What happened exactly? We may never know for sure, but we think back to the time when God caused an east wind to drive back the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape the pursuing armies of Pharaoh. Did God likewise use a natural event with supernatural timing? Landslides in the area of Adam have been known to occur and cause the Jordan to be dammed up. One was in the year 1266, one in 1909 and another in 1927.Just say it was such an event. The timing could not have been arranged more perfectly!
The priests did not falter in their stride, and as they reached the river the waters went back. God's timing was perfect. He knew what He had planned for His people and He knows the end from the beginning where YOUR life is concerned. Can you say and believe with the Psalmist, in Psalm 31 verse 15: "My times are in your hands"?
And so this staggering number of people, with all their animals, crossed the Jordan. As the priests carrying Ark went before them, the Lord opened up the way, and they entered Canaan opposite the great city of Jericho where God was to give them a famous victory. This reminds us that as Christians our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus, has gone ahead of us, overcoming our enemies - sin and death and hell. We can now enter upon our heritage, our privileges as children of God through faith in Him.
Keep in living fellowship with Him each day as you pray and as you read the Bible. Enter the Land of Promise, Rest and Victory, living for Him in newness of life (Romans 6 verse 4), alive to God and to righteousness (Romans 6 verse 11). May the Lord give you grace to do so.