Joshua 3 (6)

Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan. Joshua 3.17

Reflect.
1.  Why would this miracle have been so significant for the people of Israel?

2.  If you had experienced a miracle like this, do you think you would be inclined to share your experience with others? Why?

Think about it.
This verse encourages us to consider some important aspects of the life of faith. First, as the people crossed the Jordan “on dry ground,” they would have been wondrously aware that they were literally walking in and on a miracle. What they were experiencing – the wonder and excitement of it, the safety and security they felt in the midst of it – was a mighty work of God. He Who could do such a miracle for them would not fail them in the days and months ahead.

Second, the life of faith requires trustworthy leaders. We need leaders like Joshua who hear and believe the Word of God and report it to us exactly as He spoke it to them. We need leaders – like the twelve of verse 12 – who will accept responsibilities without fully understanding what they entail, simply because it is their nature to lead when necessary, whatever the cost. We need leaders like those anonymous priests and Levites who opened the way into the promises of God by fulfilling their duty in the midst of the Jordan – standing still and holding the ark of the Lord as the people crossed around them. And we need leaders like those heads of tribes, families, and households who guided and encouraged their charges step-by-step through God’s mighty work into His promises.

Third, the life of faith does not rest in miracles and mighty works, nor seek them for their own sake. Miracles of every sort – even the daily miracles of breath and health and goodness that we easily take for granted – are means of passage to a greater realization of the promises of God, to the next phase of His rest. We don’t dwell in God’s mighty works; we walk through those miracles and by those mighty works to greater levels of sanctification, growth, and Kingdom progress, knowing as we do that greater miracles and more mighty works lie just ahead, if only we believe and obey.

Those two uses of “all” together with the Hebrew verb here translated as “completely” (תַּ֙מּוּ֙– completed or finished) produce a wonderful sense of finality and relief – “At last!” – don’t you think? A foretaste of God’s promised rest? Like the foretaste of rest we who believe in Jesus have come to know? God’s rest comes in stages, and even after Israel had conquered most of the land and Joshua’s work was done, still, a rest would remain that only Jesus can provide (Heb. 4.1-10).

Meditate and discuss.
1.  How would you have felt, walking on that dry river bed, as you passed those priests and the ark of God? Is this what it’s like for you to draw near to God?

2.  Do you imagine this crossing as noisy with singing and cheering, or as utterly silent, in stunned amazement? Why would either of these responses have been appropriate?  

3.  The miracle of the Jordan crossing symbolizes the work of the shepherds of God’s flocks. They are to stay close to the Lord and take the bold steps of obedient faith that will open the promises of God to His people. Do you pray for your pastors, elders, and church leaders? Do you thank the Lord for the myriad and often unseen ways their work makes it possible for you to know more of the promises of God? How can you encourage your fellow church members to be more faithful in praying for church leaders?

“But if, you also have entered the mystic font of baptism and in the presence of the priestly and levitical order have been instructed by those venerable and magnificent sacraments, which are known to those who are permitted to know those things, then, with the Jordan parted, you will enter the land of promise by the services of the priests. In this land, Jesus receives you after Moses and becomes for you the leader of a new way.” Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)

Thank You, Father, for the shepherds You have assigned to watch over my soul. I ask that today You would…

Pray Psalm 132.13-18.
Pray for the leaders of your church, that they will remain close to the Lord, grow in His salvation, and guard and nurture you and all your fellow church members to know a more completemeasure of God’s rest.

Psalm 132.13-18 (Finlandia: Be Still My Soul)
God dwells among us, and He will forever, 
To meet our needs and clothe us with His grace.
He has to us sent Jesus Christ, our Savior, 
And made us His eternal resting-place.
His foes are banished from His presence ever, 
But we shall reign with Him before His face.

T. M. Moore

Where does the book of Joshua fit in the ongoing story of God’s covenant? Our workbook, God’s Covenant, can help you discover the place in God’s work of redemption not only of Joshua but of all the books of the Bible. God’s Covenant is a valuable resource to guide you in all your studies in God’s Word. To order your copy, click here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).