CROSSING THE JORDAN AS ON DRY GOUND
Joshua 3:1-17
Key Verse: 17
“The priestswho carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground,while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”
Last week, we learned about the story of 2 spies of Israel and a prostitute in Jericho Rahab. Through Rahab’s help, the 2 Israelites who spied out Jericho and its vicinity returned safely and reported to General Joshua with joy, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us”(2:24). Now, by faith the Israelites can enter the Promised Land boldly. In order to enter the Promised Land, however, they have to cross the Jordan River first, the geographical obstacle that lies between Israel and the Promised Land.Joshua’s first mission is to cross the Jordan with roughly 2 million Israelites. According to Wikipedia, the Jordan River is a 251-kilometer-long river. It begins from Mount Hermon, flows through northern Israel to the Sea of Galilee, and continues south to the Dead Sea, about 1,410 feet below sea level, the lowest land point on earth. When Joshua and Israel are about to cross the Jordan, it is at flood stage and its width is more than 1.6 km. But Joshua and Israel cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land, following God’s leading. Through today’s passage, let us learn how to overcome our Jordan River that we face in our lives and in the course of our mission and experience God’s amazing work among us.
First, follow the ark and you will know which way to go.After hearing the report of the spies, Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim early in the morning, went to the Jordan River and camped at the edge of the Jordan. Probably before the sun had risen high in the sky they finished relocating. Imagine the Israelites standing at the edge of the Jordan and looking at the Promised Land just across the river. Many might have said, “This is the day! Our God makes our dream come true! Our forefathers failed, but we will enter the land by faith in God! Faith is the victory!” But the reality they saw in the bright daylight was dreadful. The Jordan was defiantly not crossable. According to verse 15, the river overflew its banks at that harvest season with raging torrents. What’s worse,the plain that surrounded the river was packed with thorn bushes anddense growth.
There they spent the next three days, seeing the uncrossable river. Some might have doubted and said, “How can we cross with infants, old and sick people and animals? It’s impossible.” Humanly it was indeed impossible. But God can turn a “no-way” into a highway as he opened the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites. Therefore, the people of God should walk by faith in God almighty, not by sight. By crossing the Jordan God wanted his people to learn the living faith and to experience the living almighty God. By breaking through what is impossible, God also wants us to have faith in mighty God and experience the living almighty God.
After three days, the officers went through the camp and commanded the people in verses 2-3,“When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.”What does this command mean to Israel? Why did God require that this furniture should go first and they should follow it? What is the ark? In today’s passage, we can find that the ark is written 9 times (3,4,6,8,11,13,14,15,17).The ark is not just a decorated furniture, but a monument of God’s faithfulness to Israel. Inside the ark, there were three historical reminders: 1) the Ten Commandments stone tablet, the covenant between God and Israel with his unchanging commands,2) the pot of manna,a reminder of God’s gracious provision in the wilderness for 40 years and 3) Aaron’s staff, a symbol ofGod’s authority, guidance and power. Moreover, on top of the ark was a gold plate called the Mercy Seat on which two statues of cherubim knelt. God showed up right above the Mercy Seat and met his people and forgave them through the blood sacrifice (Ex 25:22; Lev 16). In short, the ark of God witnesses God’s unfailing love for his people, his provision and his guidance. So, the ark means God loves, provides and leads his people. It means God’s presence with Israel, in the New Testament term, “Immanuel, God with us.” So when the ark led the way, it meant God was out in front. God would make a way through the sea, and through the mighty waters (Is 43:16). Therefore his people should stop doubting but just follow his leading and go after him. God would lead them, make a way for them, protect them and bring them to the Promised Land. So the test to enter the Promised Land for the people of Israel was the test of faith. After the Exodus, the people of Israel, the first Exodus generation could not pass the test of faith because of their unbelief and disobedience, and all died in the desert. Now their second gens had the same test. They could pass this test only when they had faith in God and assuredly and boldly followed the ark of God who would make a way where there seemed to be no way.God is our spiritual GPS that leads us into the right path. After we set our destination into the GPS, we trust it and follow it. When we miss the way, it says, “Recalculating…” and shows a new path to the destination. So we simply follow its leading. In the same way, God knows the way and so we just follow him humbly.Often times, we wander not knowing where to turn and go. But we must follow God and his word by faith. God will show us the way. Jesus is the way. Let us come to Jesus when we don’t know the way. Jesus will show his way. He will make a way for us.
Second, consecrate yourselves. After the officers’ orders to follow the ark, Joshua told the people in verse 5. “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” What does it mean to consecrate yourselves? Consecrate in Hebrew is “qodesh” meaning, “be holy,” “dedicate,” or “set apart.” So consecrate yourselves simply means be holy by repenting of your sins and dedicating you to God. God is holy. God cannot tolerate sin and sinners. Sin causes God’s wrath and blocks God’s blessings. In chapter 7, we can find the fact that Achan’s sin caused God’s anger and blocked his blessing. To participate in God’s work therefore, we must first repent of our sins, turn our hearts back to Godand devote ourselves wholly to the Lord.
Consecration in the Old Testament times also implicates washing their clothes, abstaining from sexual relations, changing their work schedule and the like. They deliberately interrupted normal functions in life in order to be spiritually alert. To join in God’s amazing work, we must restrain our daily normal routine, be spiritually alert and get involved in God’s work. We have been preparing for the September outreach to new students. Before joining this work of God, we are to consecrate ourselves first. Let us repent of our sins first before our holy God. Let us dedicate ourselves to him and his life-giving work, so as to witness God’s abundant and amazing blessings.
Third, go and stand in the river. Verses 7-8 are God’s words given to Joshua. In verse 7, God promised to confirm Joshua’s leadership among his people Israel. God also gave specific instructions to the priests who would carry out the ark in verse 8, “When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.”This instruction was very unusual and terrifying. It sounds like, “Go and drown in the flooded river.” The torrent of the Jordan was raging and formidable. They were also carrying the heavy ark.
It is known that only 6 inches moving water can knock a person off and carry him away. One foot of flood water can sweep up a vehicle. But the priests were to go and stay in the flood water in the 3 to 12 feet deep river. So without faith they could not do it. By courageous faith in God, they should step out into the flood water and then stand still in the river. Here we learn that we can only do God’s work by faith in God. In fact faith is the only way we can do God’s work. When we have faith in God and engage in what God commands us to do by faith, God will do his mighty work and we will experience God and the power of our faith. Let us not do God’s work in our own strength, but by faith. Our God wants his people to be men and women of faith who do not live by sight, but by faith (2Cor 5:7). He challenges us to grow in faith by engaging in the work of God that is often times impossible to do with our own strength and wisdom.
Fourth, their feet touched the water’s edge and the water stopped flowing. How did the Israelites and the priests respond to God’s words through Joshua? Look at verse 14. “So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenantwent aheadof them.” The people and the priests all trusted and obeyed God’s words and began to move with faith in their heart. The priests reached the river and their feet touched the water’s edge by faith, then the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away. When they did by faith God performed a miracle. God stopped the flood and made a great wall of water on the one side and on the other side, no water but just dry land. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho by faith. They didn’t hesitate, but went to the swelled river and crossed it. The priests took the step of faith by getting their feet wet by faith. They arose and took action in obedience to God’s command by faith. Faith moved them forward in God’s way and in God’s timing.
We must know that there will come a moment when we must act on what God has commanded. If we don’t, we will never cross the Jordan. Consecrating ourselves to God is vital. Having faith in God is essential. But unless we take the step of faith, we will never cross the river. Our eyes and our heart can be set on the Lord, but if we don’t move our feet to meet the challenges, we will never progress in God’s work. We must commit ourselves to God, giving our time, our energy, our money and our lives to what the Lord is doing. Otherwise, it will never happen. We must get our feet wet by faith. In other words, we take action by faith and then see God’s amazing work.
Look at verse 17, “The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”This verse is the repetition of verses 14-16. God made the Jordan dry ground on which the priests not only stood on the riverbed, but also the entire nation crossed. Through this miracle God demonstrated that God is with and among his people Israel and he would drive out from before them the hostile idol-worshiping nations in the land starting from Jericho as he had promised.
Crossing the Jordan reminds us of crossing the Red Sea. Through these 2 events, God proves himself that he is with his people as he promised. And most of all God wants his people to be people of faith in God almighty. He also wants his people take the step of faith, coming out of our comfort zone to the faith zone or God’s zone.
Today, we learned that to enter into the Promised Land we must first consecrate ourselves. We are God’s people. God’s people are holy people whom Jesus bought through his precious blood. To enter into the Promised Land, we must also have faith in God and take the step of faith practically by challenging a Jordan which stretches before us. When we do so, God will do his miraculous work for us. We are here as God’s people and his church with God’s commands and promises. The question today is “Will we walk by faith or by sight?” Let us live by faith and see God’s miracles and his amazing blessing. Let us cross over our Jordan by practically challenging it by faith. Let us do God’s work in UTSC this new semester with consecration and with living faith in God almighty.