Joshua_3
Scripture
Joshua 3:13
It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.
Observation-What does it say?
This is an exciting portion of scripture. The Israelites have left the desert and are about to cross into the land of Canaan. Joshua was one of the spies originally sent into the land. He believed in the Lord and His ability to deliver the Promised Land to Israel, while ten of the spies were in fear of the giants that inhabited the land. I can only imagine his heart as he waits at the doorstep of a place that he had been waiting for most of his life.
Here, as they are about to decamp from Shittim and cross the Jordan, God tells Joshua to have the priests walk into the river and He will stop the flow. The river is flooded and is expected to stay that way for some time. Israel has experienced a similar miracle in crossing the Red Sea. But, as the Matthew Henry commentary points out, this was done with the Egyptian army coming right behind them. They were trusting God out of desperation. Here God announces the crossing three days ahead of time. He is asking them to trust in expectation. Additionally, the author of Joshua Points out that the water wasn’t stopped until the priests stepped into the water.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Whenever I read this portion of scripture, I think of those horrible scenes from the news, of places like Louisiana or Mississippi, when they are experiencing a heavy flood season. A row of houses with only the top half showing, people standing on top of cars waiting for someone in an aluminum boat to rescue them, and no end in sight. This seems to occur once every few years, and all because of too much rain. A teacher once described seeing the Columbia River in Washington at flood stage, and realizing the true strength of it when he saw entire oak trees, with the roots still attached, floating down stream.
In Southern California, it usually only takes a few hours for water to disappear after the rain, but the Jordan River had been like this for some time. If I had been one of the priests in charge of carrying the Ark of the Covenant across a raging river, I would definitely be a little apprehensive. It sounds similar to those scenes in mobster movies where they give a guy concrete shoes and throw him in the East River. But God was just showing a portion of his strength. It was a foreshadowing of the other miracles that would follow. God was about to take the nation of Israel through a large string of victories, all for His glory.
In Isaiah 43:1-2 we hear a promise that harkens back to this moment, “But now, this is what the Lord says-he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”” God is faithful to his children, and he always comes to the rescue. And from time to time, he asks us to step out of our comfort zone and walk into an uncomfortable situation. It's a lot like teaching your kids to swim, "Jump to me. I will catch you, nothing bad is going to happen. I'm your father, I won't let anything bad happen." As the parent, we already know how much fun swimming is, but getting a child to go past the fear of the unknown is difficult.
Life Application
Jesus when you ask me to take a step of faith, help me to remember the Israelites at the banks of the Jordan. Help me to know that you will be there to catch me when you say to jump. Give me the discernment to know your voice over all the noise around me. Help me to rest in the confidence of your redemption. For I know I can trust in your promises.
-Tyler Galloway