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JOSHUA Miraculous Parting
of the Jordan, and the Passage | ||
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| Introduction
before the miracle Israel's History Prior to Joshua Chapter One through Three
Who is Joshua? He was one of the 12 spies (Numb. 13:8). His name was "Hoshea," which means "Salvation," (Num. 13:8), but Moses changes it to Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "Yahweh [or the Lord] is Salvation" (Num. 13:16). He was Moses' Assistant (Ex. 24:12-13) and a military hero against Amalek (Ex. 17)
In Joshua, Chapter 1, Victory before entering the land. God guarantees Israel's victory over the people of the Land and He tells Joshua that no one will be able to stand against him all the days of his life. But, there is a condition. That condition is to live righteously with obedience to the Lord. That is the key to their victory? God's Word, they must meditate it day and night in order to obey it. They must not veer from it to the right or left; then they will have success.
Meditating on God's word is God's principle to stay righteous and out of error. If we veer from God's word, we take a chance to falling into error.
In Joshua, Chapter 2, The Two Spies Confirm God's Word About The Promise Land
Joshua sends two spies to spy Jericho and they find out from Rahab that God's Words are true. The people of the Land are dreadfully afraid of Israel because of the reports they've been getting for he past 40 years. They know about the parting of the Red Sea and Israel's victory over the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, which leaves them terrified. And this is exactly what the spies report to Joshua at the end of chapter two: And they said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainhearted because of us."
Note: Please read Chapter 3 in Joshua - you will be blessed
In Joshua, Chapter 3, The Crossing of the Jordan River - Miracle
God had already begun to show Joshua what to do. Now Joshua instructs the people. This was a transitioning time for Israel. The dictionary defines transition as a passing from one condition or place or activity to another. None of us like change or transition with its fear of the unknown, the uncertainty of entering uncharted territory.
A short march brought them to the brink of Jordan. Strictly speaking, the Jordan has a threefold bank; the largest at the water's edge, which, in spring, is frequently inundated, owing to the melting of snow on Hermon; a middle bank, which is covered with rich vegetation, and an upper bank, which overhangs the river. The people now halted for three days, first to await the Divine direction as to the passage of the river, and then to prepare for receiving in a proper spirit the manifestation of Divine power about to be manifested in the miraculous parting of Jordan. For, as one has remarked, the expression used by Joshua, "the living God is among you" (Joshua 3:10), does not merely imply the presence of God among Israel, but, as the event proved, the operations by which He shows Himself both living and true. All that was to be done by Israel was Divinely indicated to Joshua, and all was done exactly as it had been* directed. First, proclamation was made throughout Israel to "sanctify" themselves, and that not only outwardly by symbolic rites, but also inwardly by turning unto the Lord, in expectant faith of "the wonders" about to be enacted. These were intimated to them beforehand (Joshua 3:5, 13). * We mark in this narrative three sections, each commencing with a Divine command (Joshua 3:7, 8; 4:2, 3; and 4:15, 16), followed by Joshua's communication thereof to the people, and an account of its execution. This to connect each stage with the Lord Himself. The Miracle: It was early spring, in that tropical district the time of early harvest (Joshua 3:15), and the Jordan had overflown its lowest banks (raging rapid river). As at a distance of about half a mile the Israelites looked down, they saw that, when the feet of those who bore the Ark touched the waters, they were arrested."* Far up "beyond where they stood, at the city of Adam that is beside Zarethan,"** did the Divine Hand draw up the waters of Jordan, while the waters below that point were speedily drained into the Dead Sea. In the middle of the river-bed the priests with the Ark*** halted till the whole people had passed over dryshod (the river bed was dry and not muddy). Then twelve men, who had previously been detailed for the purpose, took up twelve large stones from where the priests had stood in the river-bed, to erect them a solemn memorial to all times of that wondrous event. * In Joshua 3:11 and 13 it is significantly designated, "the Ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth," as Calvin remarks, to show the subjection of all to God, and to increase the trust of Israel. ** This, and not, as in our Authorized Version, "very far from the city of Adam," is the correct rendering. The sites of these two cities have not been identified. From the nature of the banks, the inundation caused by this miracle would not lead to serious consequences. *** The attentive reader will notice that, throughout the Scripture narrative, the main stress is laid on the presence of the Ark, the priests being only introduced as the bearers of it. First went the Ark, borne by the priests, and, at a reverent distance of 2000 cubits, followed the host*. For, it was the Ark of the Covenant which was to make a way for Israel through the waters of Jordan, and they were to keep it in sight, so as to mark the miraculous road, as it was gradually opened to them. It is to this that the Divine words refer (Joshua 3:4): "that ye may know," or rather come to know, recognize, understand, "the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore." With the exception of Caleb** and Joshua, none, at least of the laity, had been grown up at the time, and seen it, when the Lord parted the waters of the Red Sea at the Exodus. Then it had been the uplifted wonder-working rod of Moses by which the waters were parted. But now it was the Ark at whose advance they were stayed. And the difference of the means was quite in accordance with that of the circumstances. For now the Ark of the Covenant was the ordinary symbol of the Divine Presence among Israel***; and God commonly employs the ordinary means of grace for the accomplishment of His marvelous purposes of mercy. *Israel had to pass by the Divine Presence of God. Not only that, it was like a baptism into salvation (Joshua's name meant Salvation) into the new life - the promised land. Some day we go to a promised land (heaven) to be with the Son. **Caleb was not a Jew but one of the ones who left Egypt and was graphed into Israel. ***The Ark represented the Divine Presence of God. God's desire is to be very much part of each of our lives. He desired to dwell amongst his people. Only after that did the priests come up from Jordan. And when "the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land" (literally, were detached, viz., from the clogging mud, "upon the dry"), "the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as before." It must have been towards evening when the rest of the march was accomplished - a distance of about five miles - and Israel's camp was pitched at what afterwards became Gilgal, "in the east border of Jericho," about two miles from the latter city. They enter into the promise land (milk and honey) and now also the Divine wilderness-provision of the "manna which had clung to them with the tenacity of all God's mercies," ceased on, "the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land: neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruits of the land of Canaan that year." And so also have miraculous gifts ceased in the Church, because their continuance has become unnecessary. Similarly will our manna-provision for daily life-need cease, when we at the last enter upon the land of promise, and for ever enjoy its fruits! It was "the tenth day of the first month" (Joshua 4:19), the anniversary of the day on which forty years before Israel had set apart their Paschal lambs (Exodus 12:3), that the miraculous passage of the Jordan was accomplished, and Israel stood on the very soil of the promised land. Before the evening of that anniversary had closed in, the memorial stones were set up in Gilgal. All between those two anniversaries seemed only as a grand historical parenthesis. But the kingdom of God has no blanks or interruptions in its history; there is a grand unity in its course, for Jehovah reigneth. Overview of Salvation
Observations about the miracle:
By Traci Morin |
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