Studies in the Life of Joshua

#4:  Crossing the Jordan Joshua 3:1-24

In the Christian life you’re either an overcomer or you’re overcome, a victor or a victim.

After all, God didn’t save us to make statues out of us and put us on exhibition. He saved us to

make soldiers out of us and move us forward by faith to claim our rich inheritance in Jesus Christ.

We’ve just examined the faith of an individual, Rahab; and now the focus in the Book of Joshua moves to the faith of an entire nation. As you study, keep in mind that this book deals with much more than ancient history—what God did centuries ago for the Jews. It’s about your life and the life of the church today—what God wants to do here and now for those who trust Him.

The Book of Joshua is about the victory of faith and the glory that comes to God when His people trust and obey. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said, “The world was never conquered by intrigue; it was conquered by faith.”

In the Christian life you’re either an overcomer or you’re overcome, a victor or a victim. After all, God didn’t save us to make statues out of us and put us on exhibition. He saved us to make soldiers out of us and move us forward by faith to claim our rich inheritance in Jesus Christ.

Moses said it perfectly: “He brought us out . . . that He might bring us in” (Deut. 6:23). Too many of God’s people have the mistaken idea that salvation—being delivered from the bondage of Egypt—is all that’s involved in the Christian life; but salvation is only the beginning.

Both in our personal spiritual growth and in our service for the Lord, “there remains very much land yet to be possessed” (Josh. 13:1, nkjv). The theme of the Book of Joshua is the theme of the Book of Hebrews: “Let us go on” (Heb. 6:1); and the only way to go on is by faith.

Unbelief says, “Let’s go back to where it’s safe”; but faith says, “Let’s go forward to where God is working” (see Num. 14:1-4).

Forty years before, Joshua and Caleb had assured the Jews, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” That’s faith! But the people said, “We are not able!” That’s unbelief, and it cost the nation forty years of discipline in the wilderness (see Num. 13:26-33). “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—your faith” (1 John 5:4, nkjv).

One of the joys of our life is the study of Christian biography, the lives of the men and women whom God has used—and is using—to challenge the church and change the world. The Christians we read about were all different in their backgrounds, their training, their personalities, and their ways of serving God; but they had one thing in common: They all believed God’s promises and did what He told them to do. They were men and women of faith, and God honored them because they believed His Word.

God hasn’t changed, and the principle of faith hasn’t changed. What seems to have changed is the attitude of God’s people: We no longer believe God and act by faith in His promises. His promises never fail (Josh. 21:45; 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56), but we can fail to live by the grace of God and not enter into all that He has promised for us (Heb. 3:7-19; 12:15).

Can you think back and remember a day you waited for a long time with great anticipation and excitement? Most of us can. As a child, Christmas and birthdays were such days. Later it may have been graduation day, your wedding day….

Depending on the nature of the day and what it might hold, such a time might also bring about a certain amount of anxiety because of the challenge you might face. For months, weeks, and days you waited, and then finally, the day arrived. Can you imagine the anticipation and excitement the children of Israel faced as they stood before the River Jordan the evening before they were to cross over into the land?

The earlier generation had failed to enter because of unbelief and the new generation had waited a long time, for some it was close to forty years. Joshua and Caleb, who were now about eighty years old, had waited even longer. According to the promise to the Patriarchs, Jewish anticipation went back some five hundred years. But now, Joshua tells the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (3:5).

But if there was excitement, there must also have been some anxiety as they beheld the swollen river and thought about the fortified cities that lay on the other side. Life is like that. Often, with our hopes at their highest, there are accompanying challenges and problems that we face at the very same time.

Along with our hopes and joys there are always problems for which we simply have neither the strength nor the wisdom to meet the challenge. We need strength from above. The battle is really the Lord’s and this is what Israel was being taught in this chapter.

The Preparations Needed for Crossing (3:1-6)

The location of Acacia Grove is unknown today, but it was where Israel had been camped for some time after arriving at the plains of Moab, at the northern end of the Dead Sea (Num. 22:1; 25:1). It was where Israel was when Balaam came with the intent of cursing Israel (Num. 22—24), and where many Israelites had gone after prostitutes among the Moabite women (Num. 25:1–3). The day after the spies returned from Jericho, Joshua led the people from this place to the Jordan.^[1]

After three days, the officers went through the camp with instructions about the crossing itself. These instructions (v. 3) were different from the instructions given in 1:11, and this three-day period started on the day after the spies returned from Jericho. The previous three-day period in 1:11 (and 2:22) began when the spies went into Jericho to begin with. After these two three-day periods, the Israelites crossed the Jordan on the next day, the seventh day after the book’s action begins (3:5). This seven-day period immediately precedes the dedication of Israelite males in ch. 5. It is then followed by another seven-day period of marching around Jericho.^[2]

As the nation waited by the Jordan River, the people must have wondered what Joshua planned to do. He certainly wouldn’t ask them to swim the river or ford it, because the river was at flood stage (3:15). They couldn’t construct enough boats or rafts to transport more than a million people over the water to the other side. Besides, that approach would make them perfect targets for their enemies. What would their new leader do?

Like Moses before him, Joshua received his orders from the Lord, and he obeyed them by faith. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17, nkjv).

It has been well said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence. When you read Hebrews 11, the great “faith chapter” of Scripture, you discover that the people mentioned there all did something because they believed God. Their faith wasn’t a passive feeling; it was an active force.

Because Abraham believed God, he left Ur and headed for Canaan. Because Moses believed God, he defied the gods of Egypt and led the Jews to freedom. Because Gideon believed God, he led a small band of Jews to defeat the huge Midianite army. Living faith always leads to action. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26, nkjv).

In this paragraph, you find five different messages, all of them based on the Word of God, which is the “word of faith” (Rom. 10:8). The people obeyed these messages by faith, and God took them over the river.

The officers’ message to the people (vv. 1-4).

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. {2} After three days the officers went throughout the camp, {3} giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. {4} Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

Joshua was an early riser (6:12; 7:16; 8:10), who spent the first hours of the day in communion with God (1:8). In this, he was like Moses (Ex. 24:4; 34:4), David (Ps. 57:8; see 119:147), Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29:20), and our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:35; see Isa. 50:4). Archbishop Usher supposes that this was upon Wednesday, the 28th of April, A. M. 2553, the fortieth year after the exodus from Egypt. From Shittim, where they had lately been encamped, to Jordan, was about sixty stadia, according to Josephus; that is, about eight English miles.

It’s impossible to live by faith and ignore the Word of God and prayer (Acts 6:4); for faith is nurtured by worship and the Word. The people God uses and blesses know how to discipline their bodies so that they can give themselves to the Lord in the early morning hours.

Joshua ordered the camp to move ten miles from The Acacia Grove (Shittim) to the Jordan; and no doubt the people in Jericho watched this march with great apprehension. It probably took Israel a day to make this journey; they rested another day; and on the third day, the officers gave them their orders: The people were to cross the river, following the ark of the covenant.

Aside from the miraculous way the river was crossed, the most important feature of this chapter is the Ark of the Covenant. Its prominence is stressed in the number of times it is mentioned in chapters 3 and 4 (nine times in chapter 3 and seven times in chapter 4) and by the nature of the commands and statements given in its regard.

What’s so important about the Ark? It represented the person and promises of God. It pointed to the fact that as the people of Israel set out to cross the Jordan, invade, and possess the land, they must do so not in their own strength, but in God’s for it was God Himself who was going before them as their source of victory.

And such is the case with all of life. As Paul cried out when contemplating the challenges and trials of ministry, “And who is adequate for these things?” But he then answered his own question with these words: “And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (2 Cor. 3:4-5).

The ark is mentioned sixteen times in chapters 3 and 4. It’s called “the ark of the covenant” ten times, “the ark of the Lord” three times, and simply “the ark” three times. It was the “throne of God,” the place where His glory rested in the tabernacle (Ex. 25:10-22) and God sat “enthroned between the cherubim” (Ps. 80:1, niv). The Law of God was kept in the ark, a reminder of God’s covenant with Israel; and the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled on the mercy seat on the annual Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:14-15).

The ark going before the people was an encouragement to their faith, for it meant that their God was going before them and opening up the way. God had promised Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Ex. 33:14, nkjv). When the nation had marched through the wilderness, the ark had gone before them (Num. 10:33); and Moses would say, “Rise up, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before You” (v. 35, niv). On that occasion, the presence of the ark was a guarantee of the presence of the Lord.

Each of the tribes had an assigned place in the camp and an assigned order in the march when they broke up camp (Josh. 2). When the leaders of the tribes saw the priests bearing the ark and moving toward the river, they were to prepare their people to follow. Since the people had not traveled this way before, they needed God to guide them. But they were not to get too close to the ark, for this was a holy piece of furniture from the tabernacle; and it was not to be treated carelessly. God is our companion as we go through life, but we dare not treat Him like a “buddy.”

The people were to keep about 2000 cubits away from the ark. This was not done, however, to prevent their going wrong in the unknown way, and so missing the ford, for that was impossible under the circumstances; but the ark was carried in front of the people, not so much to show the road as to make a road by dividing the waters of the Jordan, and the people were to keep at a distance from it, that they might not lose sight of the ark, but keep their eyes fixed upon it, and know the road by looking at the ark of the covenant by which the road had been made, i.e., might know and observe how the Lord, through the medium of the ark, was leading them to Canaan by a way which they had never traversed before, i.e., by a miraculous way.

Joshua’s message to the people (v. 5).

{5} Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

In verse 5, Joshua commands the people to consecrate themselves in view of the wonders God would work among them on the next day. But what does the word “consecrate” mean? This is not exactly what we might expect from a military standpoint. Today, the military leader would have said, “Sharpen your swords and spears and polish your shields!” But God’s ways are not our ways. For God’s people, spiritual preparation is the vital element for it is being rightly related to God that brings the power of God on our work and ministry.

“Consecrate” is the Hebrew qadash and it may mean, “be hallowed, set apart, consecrated” or “consecrate, set apart, prepare, dedicate.” But here it is in the hithpael stem which is reflexive and means, “consecrate yourselves, set yourselves apart, prepare your­selves.” This stem points out personal responsibility.

In the Old Testament this word is often used (particularly in Exodus and Leviticus) in connection with the Old Testament sacrifices, priesthood, washings, and with regard to the children of Israel as God’s people. In this regard, it was especially used in connection with confession or cleansing through the use of Old Testament sacrifices, washings, and offer­ings (Ex. 19:10, 22; 40:13). It portrays the need to deal with sin in the life.

It was used of setting something apart for use by the Lord and His pur­poses in the sense of cleansing, preparing, and dedi­cating it to the Lord (e.g., consecration of Mt. Sinai) (Ex. 19:22); preparing Aar­on via the priestly gar­ments and anointing for minis­try (Ex. 28:3, 41); and set­ting apart for God’s use through sacri­fice, and anointing (Ex. 29:1, 36, 37; 29:44; 40:13).

This was both an order and a promise, and the fulfillment of the promise depended on their obedience to the order. Some of God’s promises are unconditional, and all we have to do is believe them; while other promises require that we meet certain conditions. In meeting these conditions, we’re not earning God’s blessing; we’re making sure our hearts are ready for God’s blessing.

If the experience of Israel at Mt. Sinai was the pattern (Ex. 19:9-15), “sanctify yourselves” meant that everybody bathed and changed their clothes and that the married couples devoted themselves wholly to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:1-6). In the Near East, however, water was a luxury that wasn’t used too often for personal hygiene. In our modern world we’re accustomed to comfortable bathing facilities; but these were unknown to most of the people in Bible times.

Here it is likely that the sanctification of the people did not consist in the washing of their clothes, which is mentioned in Ex 19:10, 14, in connection with the act of sanctification, for there was no time for this; nor did it consist in merely changing their clothes, which might be a substitute for washing, according to Gen 35:2, or in abstinence from connubial intercourse (Ex 19:15), for this was only the outward side of sanctification.

It consisted in spiritual purification also, i.e., in turning the heart to God, in faith and trust in His promise, and in willing obedience to His commandments, that they should lay to heart in a proper way the miracle of grace which the Lord was about to work in the midst of them and on their behalf on the following day.

In the Bible the imagery of washing one’s body and changing clothes symbolized making a new beginning with the Lord. Since sin is pictured as defilement (Ps. 51:2, 7), God has to cleanse us before we can truly follow Him. When Jacob made a new beginning with the Lord and returned to Bethel, he and his family washed themselves and changed their garments (Gen. 35:1-3). After King David confessed his sin, he bathed, changed clothes, and worshiped the Lord (2 Sam. 12:20). The imagery is carried over into the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Ephesians 4:26-27, and Colossians 3:8-14.

“Wonders:” those miraculous displays of the omnipotence of God for the realization of His covenant of grace, which He had already promised in connection with the conquest of Canaan (Ex 34:10). In v. 6, where the command to the priests is given, the fulfilment of the command is also mentioned, and the course of events anticipated in consequence.

The promise was that the Lord would do wonders among them. As He opened the Red Sea to deliver Israel from Egypt, so also He would open the Jordan River and take them into the Promised Land. But that would be just the beginning of miracles, for the Lord would go with them into the land, defeat their enemies, and enable the tribes to claim their inheritance. “Who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders” (Ps. 77:13-14, nkjv). “How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders!” (Dan. 4:3, nkjv)

Joshua’s message to the priests (v. 6).

{6} Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them.

It is remarkable that the priests, not the Levites, whose ordinary business it was were employed to carry the ark on this occasion. Calmet conjectures that this was because it was probably carried without being wrapped up in its curtains, as it always was when the Levites carried it. Though it was the business of the Levites, the sons of Kohath, to carry the ark; yet on certain occasions the priests alone performed this office.

1.   In the present case.

2.   When they encompassed Jericho, Joshua 6:6.

3.   When it was carried to the war against the Philistines by the priests, the sons of Eli, 2 Samuel 15:25.

4.   When David sent it back to Jerusalem, at the time he was obliged to fly from it, through the rebellion of his son Absalom, 2 Samuel 15:25; and,

5.   At the time that it was taken out of the tabernacle, to be deposited in the temple; see 1 Kings 8:6-11.

These were the most solemn occasions, and on such alone, we may presume, the priests performed this office instead of the Levites. In all their former marches the ark was carried in the center of this immense camp; (see the scheme at the end of Numbers 2:2 (note) of the book of Numbers); but now it was to proceed at the head of the army, and to go before them, and at such a distance, about three quarters of a mile, that the whole camp might see it as their guide.

The priests had the responsibility of bearing the ark of the covenant and going before the people as they marched. It was the priests who had to get their feet wet before God would open the waters. The priests would also have to stand in the middle of the riverbed until all the people had passed over. When the priests arrived on the other side, the waters would return to their original condition. It took faith and courage for these priests to do their job, but they trusted God and relied on the faithfulness of His Word.

Application: Note Joshua 3:5b, “for tomor­row the Lord will do wonders among you.” When there is a lack of consecration through confes­sion for the defilement of sin along with a commit­ment to God’s purpose for our lives in service or minis­try, we hinder the power of God. But there is more included here in this call for consecration. “The people of Israel were to expect God to work a miracle. They were to be eager, gripped by a sense of wonder. Israel was not to lose sight of their God who can do the incredible and the humanly impossible.”[3]

Two key ideas are involved here—Preparation and Dedication:

(1) It reminds us of God’s holiness. God is absolute holiness, completely set apart from sin. He is a holy God who cannot have fellowship with sinful man or allow sin in His pres­ence without a solution to the sin problem.

(2) It shows the necessity of sacrifice for sin or the cross of Christ. Without faith in the cross and its cleans­ing, no man can be set apart for God’s use or blessing.

(3) God does not use unclean vessels. For believers, those saved and cleansed by the work of Christ, this command for consecration demonstrates the necessity for cleansing through confession or getting right with God and with men in order to be used of God and to experience His deliverance. To experi­ence God’s power, protection, and deliverance, we need to prepare our hearts and deal with the known sin in our lives through confes­sion (cf. Josh. 7:13; with Ex. 19:10, 22).

(4) Keeping in mind the idea of dedication associated with this word, this command reminds us of the necessity of understanding our purpose as God’s people along with a commitment to God and His purpose. It meant they were to set themselves apart to Yahweh to cross the Jordan so they could enter the land, defeat the enemies, and become a testimony to the nations (Ex. 19:4‑6).

(5) The command, especially in New Testament theology, suggests the need of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and His control for consecrated living. This command suggests this because of the prevalence of anointing mentioned in connection with consecration of the priests, etc. (cf. Ex. 40 also). It stresses the need of the filling of the Holy Spirit as God’s enabling agent for dealing with the forces arrayed against us—the flesh, the devil, and the world (Acts 1:8; Eph. 3:16; 5:18; Gal. 5:16f and 6:1).

The message of the Lord to Joshua (vv. 7-8).

(Joshua 3:7-8 NIV)  And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. {8} Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'"

First of all (in vv. 7 and 8), the revelation made by God to Joshua, that He would begin this day to make him great, i.e., to glorify him before the Israelites, and the command to the priests who bore the ark of the covenant to stand still in the river, when they came to the water of the Jordan; then (vv. 9-13) the publication of this promise and command to the people; and lastly (vv. 14-17), the carrying out of the command.

ìç�S, I will begin to make thee great. By making him the instrument in this miraculous passage, he did him honor and gave him high credit in the sight of the people: hence his authority was established, and obedience to him as their leader fully secured. What must have confirmed this authority was, his circumstantially foretelling how the waters should be cut off as soon as the feet of the priests had touched them, Joshua 3:13. This demonstrated that the secret of the Lord was with him.

The miraculous guidance of the people through the Jordan was only the beginning of the whole series of miracles by which the Lord put His people in possession of the promised land, and glorifies Joshua in the sight of Israel in the fulfilment of his office, as He had glorified Moses before. Just as Moses was accredited in the sight of the people, as the servant of the Lord in whom they could trust, by the miraculous division of the Red Sea (Ex 14:31), so Joshua was accredited as the leader of Israel, whom the Almighty God acknowledged as He had His servant Moses, by the similar miracle, the division of the waters of Jordan. Only the most important points in the command of God to the priests are given in v. 8. The command itself is communicated more fully afterwards in the address to the
people, in v. 13.

When they came with the ark to the end of the waters of Jordan- i.e., not to the opposite side, but to the nearest bank; that is to say, as soon as they reached the water in the bed of the river-they were to stand still (vid., v. 15, and Josh 4:11), in order, as we see from what follows, to form a dam as it were against the force of the water, which was miraculously arrested in its course, and piled up in a heap.

Moses divided the waters of the Red Sea with his rod; Joshua was to do the same to the Jordan with the ark of the covenant, the appointed symbol and vehicle of the presence of the Almighty God since the conclusion of the covenant. Wherever the ordinary means of grace are at hand, God attaches the operations of His grace to them; for He is a God of order, who does not act in an arbitrary manner in the selection of His means.

The priests proceeded first with the ark, and entered into the bed of the river the course of which was immediately arrested, the waters collecting above the place where the priests stood, while the stream fell off towards the Dead Sea; so that the whole channel below where the priests were standing became dry. The whole camp, therefore, passed over below where the priests were standing, keeping at the distance of two thousand cubits from the ark; this they would readily do, as the whole bed of the river was dry for many miles below the place where the priests entered.

These verses in essence reinforce the concept of grace. They show that crossing the Jordan and dispossessing the enemies (as in all aspects of our salvation and sanctification) is the work of God. The things we do in consecration are not works of righteousness that merit God’s favor or overcome the enemies. Rather, the acts of consecration, like confession, remove the barriers to God’s power, to fellowship, and so prepare our hearts to receive God’s grace: they build our faith so we will put our feet in the water, cross over, and go up against the enemy.

When Moses led the nation through the Red Sea, this miracle magnified Moses before the people; and they recognized that he was indeed the servant of the Lord (Ex. 14:31). God would do the same thing for Joshua at the Jordan; and in so doing, He would remind the people that He was with Joshua just as He had been with Moses (Josh. 4:14; see 1:5, 9). Both Moses and Joshua had received their authority from the Lord before these miracles occurred, but the miracles gave them stature before the people. It takes both authority and stature to exercise effective leadership.

The Promise to Joshua (vs. 7)

To be effective, leaders need the right credentials, namely, solid biblical training under men of God who truly know God and His word and the obvious hand of God on a leader’s life. So it was time that God establish Joshua as His representative to guide the nation.

Note Joshua 4:14. It is significant that it was God who did the exalting. Our tendency is to exalt ourselves, but Joshua, in reporting God’s communication to him, said nothing about this promise of being exalted. Rather, when reporting the words of God to Israel, he focused their attention on the fact that it was the living God who was among them and that it was He and He alone who would dispossess the enemies of the land (vs. 10).

The Commands for the Priests (vs. 8)

Since it was the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant, and since it was the ark that represented God’s person and power, they alone were to take the Ark to the edge of the water and stand still in the water. What do we gather from this? It reminds us of our part in the plan of God. We must learn to step out in faith and obedience to the principles and promises of Scripture. It reminds us of the need to rest in God’s promises. They were not to run down into the waters. This is just like the words of Moses in Exodus 14:13-14 when they were hemmed in with the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh and his chariots behind them.

But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by[4] and see the salvation (Hebrew, yeshu‚àa‚) of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” (Exodus 14:13-14).

I am reminded of Isaiah 30:15: “For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you shall be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.’ But you were not willing, …”

Joshua’s message to the people (vv. 9-13).

(Joshua 3:9-13 NIV)  Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. {10} This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. {11} See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. {12} Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. {13} And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD--the Lord of all the earth--set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

The focus in verse 9 is on hearing the “words of the Lord your God.” In this we see the concept of Romans 10:17, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.” What can we learn from this for leadership? The authority of leaders among God’s people needs to be the Scripture rather than their personality, charisma, or whatever happens to appeal to people.

To what do the words, “By this” in verse 10 refer? To the Ark of the Covenant. Note verse 11. This focused them on the truth that “the battle is the Lord’s,” or, as Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, …” (3:10). It is God’s presence as the one and only living God that sustains believers regardless of what life might bring. The key is staying focused on His presence and resting in Him.

The Israelites were apt to be discouraged, and to faint at even the appearance of danger; it was necessary, therefore, that they should have the fullest assurance of the presence and assistance of God in the important enterprise on which they were now entering. They are to combat idolaters, who have nothing to trust in and help them but gods of wood, stone, and metal: whereas they are to have the living God in the midst of them—He who is the author of life and of being—who can give, or take it away, at his pleasure; and who by this miracle proved that he had undertaken to guide and defend them: and Joshua makes this manifestation of God the proof that he will drive out the Hittites, Hivites, etc, before them.

The miraculous events that follow not only brought the Israelites across the Jordan; they also attested to the fact that the living God was with them (4:24). These wonderful acts testified to God’s glorious presence among His people; God Himself was working on their behalf. Canaanites … Jebusites: This text mentions seven people groups. Canaanites sometimes denoted anyone living in Canaan, regardless of their ethnic identity (Gen. 36:2, 3; Judg. 5:19). Yet the present text distinguishes a specific group as Canaanites. In this case the Canaanites were probably the peoples living near the sea (5:1) who were known later as the Phoenicians. Their largest cities were Tyre and Sidon. As for the Perizzites, we know little about them. They appear to have lived in the forested areas of central Palestine (Gen. 13:7). Amorites is sometimes a synonym for Canaanites in its broader usage (Gen. 15:16; Judg. 1:34, 35). Sometimes the name refers to the peoples living in the cities in the central hill country of Canaan (Num. 13:29; Deut. 1:7), or to kingdoms east of the Jordan (13:10, 21). Here the name probably refers to inhabitants of the central hill country. The Jebusites lived in Jerusalem (15:8; 18:28).^[5]

With regard to the situation of each of these nations in the land of Canaan, Calmet remarks, that those called Canaanites chiefly inhabited what is called Phoenicia, the environs of Tyre and Sidon: the Hittites occupied the mountains, southward of the promised land: the Hivites dwelt by Ebal and Gerizim, Sichem and Gibeon, towards the mountains of Hermon: the Perizzites were probably not a distinct nation or tribe, but rather villagers, scattered through the country in general: the Girgashites possessed the country beyond the Jordan, towards the lake of Gennesareth: the Jebusites possessed Jerusalem: and the Amorites occupied the mountainous country in the vicinity of the western part of the Dead Sea, and also that part of the land of Moab which the Israelites conquered from Sihon and Og.

They stood in the mid channel, and shifted not their position till the camp, consisting of nearly 600,000 effective men, besides women, children, etc., had passed over.

1.   Is it not surprising that the Canaanites did not dispute this passage with the Israelites? It is likely they would, had they had any expectation that such a passage would have been attempted. They must have known that the Israelitish camp was on the other side of the Jordan, but could they have supposed that a passage for such a host was possible when the banks of the Jordan were quite overflowed? It was not merely because they were panic struck that they did not dispute this passage, but because they must have supposed it impossible; and when they found the attempt was made, the passage was effected before they could prepare to prevent it.

2.   God now appears in such a way, and works in such a manner, as to leave no doubt concerning his presence or his power, or of his love to Israel. After this, was it possible for this people ever to doubt his being or his bounty? This, with the miraculous passage of the Red Sea, were well calculated to have established their faith for ever; and those who did not yield to the evidence afforded by these two miracles were incapable of rational conviction.

3.   In some respects the passage of the Jordan was more strikingly miraculous than that even of the Red Sea. In the latter God was pleased to employ an agent; the sea went back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, Exodus 14:21. Nothing of this kind appeared in the passage of the Jordan; a very rapid river (for so all travelers allow it to be) went back to its source without any kind of agency but the invisible hand of the invisible God.

4.   Through the whole period of the Jewish history these miracles, so circumstantially related, were never denied by any, but on the contrary conscientiously believed by all. Nor did any of them in their revolts from God, which were both foul and frequent, ever call these great facts in question, when even so full of enmity against God as to blaspheme his name, and give his glory to dumb idols! Is not this a manifest proof that these facts were incontestable? and that Jehovah had so done his marvellous works that they should be had in everlasting remembrance? Reader, the same God who is over all is rich in mercy to all that call upon him. He changes not, neither is he weary: trust in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength; and He ever saves his followers out of the hands of all their enemies, and, having guided them by his counsel, will receive them into his glory.

3:15 The parenthetical statement for the Jordan overflows is significant because it makes the point that a great miracle was involved. God did not merely slow the Jordan to a trickle during a time of drought; rather, He stopped the waters when the river was high. during the whole time of harvest: This phrase refers to the early summer harvest. At this time, the river was still swollen from the spring melting and rains. The Israelites crossed on the tenth day of the first month (4:19), which corresponds to March-April.

3:16 Adam: A city about eighteen miles north of Jericho, near where the Jordan and Jabbok Rivers converge. The Jordan flows between high limestone cliffs near Jericho. Sometimes parts of these cliffs collapse into the river causing the waters to back up. God could have miraculously caused such a slide to occur at precisely the moment when the Israelites needed to cross over. The Sea of the Arabah is the Dead Sea, into which the Jordan flows from the north. The Arabah itself is the region of the Jordan valley, running from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth, 1,286 feet below sea level. The phrase Salt Sea is added to the name because the sea has no outlet; it loses its water by evaporation. The concentration of salt and other minerals is so high that nothing can live in it.

3:17 A synonym for the term translated dry ground is found in 4:22, as well as in Ex. 14:16, 22, 29 where it refers to the dry ground of the bottom of the Red Sea. This crossing of the Jordan was similar to the crossing of the Red Sea. The miracle was so effective in both cases that the Israelites crossed on dry ground, not mud or shallow water. ^[6]

During the Civil War, the town of Moresfield, West Virginia was on the dividing line, and seesawed back and forth between Federal and Confederate troops. In one old house which still stands today, an elderly woman lived alone. One morning Yankee troops stomped up on her porch. Though at their mercy, she remained calm and invited them to be seated at her table.

When breakfast was set before them, she said, “It is a custom of long standing in this house to have prayers before meals. I hope you won’t mind.” With that, she picked up the Bible, opened it at random and began to read from Psalm 27 (KJV):

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. … 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

When she finished, she murmured quietly, “Let us pray.” As she prayed, she heard stealthy sounds of shuffling shoes. When she ended with “Amen,” she opened her eyes. The soldiers were gone! Her lack of fear had made them fearful of lingering any longer![7]

After breaking camp, as instructed, the priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, led the way and walked to the Jordan which was swollen over its banks. This must have been a fearful sight, but resting in the presence of the living God they stepped into the waters. Immediately, a miracle occurred.

In the Bible Knowledge Commentary, Campbell writes:

Though the place named “Adam” is found only here it is usually identified with Tell ed-Damiyeh, about 16 miles north of the ford opposite Jericho. A wide stretch of riverbed therefore was dried up, allowing the people with their animals and baggage to hurry across (cf. Josh. 4:10).

How could this sensational event occur? Many insist that this was no miracle since the event can be explained as a natural phenomenon. They point out that on December 8,1267 an earthquake caused the high banks of the Jordan to collapse near Tell ed-Damiyeh, damming the river for about 10 hours. On July 11,1927 another earthquake near the same location blocked the river for 21 hours. Of course these stoppages did not occur during flood season. Admittedly God could have employed natural causes such as an earthquake and a landslide and the timing would have still made it a miraculous intervention. But does the biblical text allow for such an interpretation of this event?

Considering all the factors involved it seems best to view this occurrence as a special act of God brought about in a way unknown to man. Many supernatural elements were brought together:

(1) The event came to pass as predicted (3:13, 15).

(2) The timing was exact (v. 15).

(3) The event took place when the river was at flood stage (v. 15).

(4) The wall of water was held in place for many hours, possibly an entire day (v. 16).

(5) The soft, wet river bottom became dry at once (v. 17).

(6) The water returned immediately as soon as the people had crossed over and the priests came up out of the river (4:18).[8]

As one studies this third chapter and marvels at the miraculous work of God displayed here, there is an important principle that should not be missed. Crossing the Jordan at flood stage with two million people had several immediate results: God was magnified, Joshua was exalted (3:5), the people were surely energized and motivated, and the people of the land, the Canaanites, were terrorized (cf. 1:9; 5:1).

God was giving them the land. Indeed, He had already done so, providentially speaking (1:2-6; 2:9), but the people of the land were not going to simply lie down. The inhabitants of the land would resist with all the resources at their disposal.

Crossing the Jordan and possessing their possession was not going to be a piece of cake. It would entail battle after battle. Crossing the Jordan, then, meant two things for Israel.  First, they must be totally committed to going against armies, chariots, and fortified cities. But then, if they were to be successful, they must also be committed to a focused walk of faith in Yahweh, the only true and living God rather than, as they had done in the wilderness, a walk according to the flesh and their own resources.

For believers today, crossing the Jordan represents passing from one level of the Christian life to another. (It is not a picture of a believer dying and entering heaven. For the Israelites Canaan was hardly heaven!) It is a picture of entering into spiritual warfare to claim what God has promised. This should mean the end of a life lived by human effort and the beginning of a life of faith and obedience.[9]

Having instructed the priests bearing the ark, Joshua then shared the words of the Lord with the people. He didn’t magnify himself; He magnified the Lord and His gracious blessings to the nation. True spiritual leadership focuses the eyes of God’s people on the Lord and His greatness. Much of what Joshua said in this brief speech was recalled from Moses’ last speech to Joshua (Deut. 31:1-8), as well as the Lord’s words to Joshua when he took Moses’ place (Josh. 1:1-9). Joshua didn’t give the people a “religious pep talk.” He simply reminded them of the promises of God—the Word of faith—and encouraged them to trust and obey.

But Joshua’s God was more than just the God of Israel. He was “the living God” (3:10) and “the Lord of all the earth” (vv. 11, 13). Because He is “the living God,” He can defeat the dead idols of the heathen nations that then inhabited the land (Ps. 115). Because He is “the Lord of all the earth,” He can go where He pleases and do what He wishes with every land and nation. “You shall be a special treasure to Me above all people,” God had told them at Sinai, “for all the earth is Mine” (Ex. 19:5, nkjv). “The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth” (Ps. 97:5).

Joshua explained to the people that God would open the river as soon as the priests bearing the ark put their feet into the waters of the Jordan. He also ordered each tribe to appoint a man to perform a special task that was explained later (Josh. 4:2-8). God was going before His people, and He would open the way!

As you review these five messages, you can see that the Lord gave them all the information they needed to accomplish what He wanted them to do. You find conditions that the people had to fulfill, orders they had to obey, and promises they had to believe. God always gives His “Word of faith” to His people whenever He asks them to follow Him into new areas of conflict and conquest.

God’s commandments are still His enablements, and God’s promises do not fail. The counsel of King Jehoshaphat centuries later is still applicable today: “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (2 Chron. 20:20, nkjv). “There has not failed one word of all His good promise” (1 Kings 8:56, nkjv).