CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN TO THE LAND OF PROMISE

Pastor Jerry Rockwell

 

CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN TO THE LAND OF PROMISE

 

Joshua 3:1-17

Introduction: The nation of Israel stands at the place of entrance to the land promised them by God. They have been traversing a hostile wilderness environment for 40 years. The trip could have been eleven days (Deut. 1:2), had there been confidence and faith in what God wanted them to do. They saw a miraculous supply of “manna” for their nourishment. Moses reminded them that their clothes and shoes did not wear out the entire trip (Deut. 29:5). God sheltered them with the “pilar of a cloud” by day and a “pillar of fire” by night (Exod. 13:22). The “pillar of a cloud” was used by God to lead them through the wilderness (Exod. 13:21). The entire trip was a miracle. Despite the forty years being a time of discipline for those who refused to believe God, they were guided and supervised by God Almighty (Exod. 6:3). Now, the younger generation who survived the wilderness trip, are at the precipice of two major miracles to demonstrate God’s power and care for the people.  

  1. The Instructions for the Trip Across the River Jordan, Joshua 3:1-6. The two spies have returned to the camp and given Joshua an account of their findings (Josh. 2:23-24). They report that God had delivered the people into their hands. The reason being is in Joshua 2:24 (KJV) And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. They traveled from Shittim to the banks of the River Jordan, which would be about 12 miles. 
  1. Early in the Morning, Joshua 3:1. Joshua demonstrated to God some characteristics of a leader such as Joshua 3:1 (KJV) And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. [Emphasis added.] This was a part of Joshua’s character. Rising early was evidently a habit as is evidenced in Joshua 7:16; 8:10. God’s choice of a leader was not without observation of his lifestyle. This brought about God’s confirmation of Joshua as a leader when replacing Moses. Many fail as leaders due to a lack of character and discipline. Joshua was not a failure and took on a task that even the strongest would back away from. He had learned a great deal as Moses’ assistant for all the 40 years. Joshua was 40 years old when Moses sent the twelve spies into the land to “espy out the land” (Josh. 14:7). After the forty years in the wilderness, he would be 80 years old when he took the leadership of Israel. 
  2. Three Days, Joshua 3:2. The phrase, “after three days,” has a significant meaning: We live after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and should know the significance of “three days.” The phrase occurs 34 times in the Old Testament (OT) and 20 in the New Testament (NT). The first occurrence of the words is found in Genesis 40:12, within the context of Joseph’s time in the Egyptian prison, where the baker and butler each had dreams that included the element of “three days.” Joseph interpreted the dreams for the two. The butler’s dream had “three branches” of the vine, and Joseph interpreted them as “three days” the butler would be restored to his position. The baker inquired about Joseph’s interpretation of the dream, since the butler’s dream had been interpreted with a positive meaning. His dream included “three baskets,” but the outcome was different. After “three days,” the butler would be dead. There are two ingredients in “three days,” life and death. The Lord Jesus Christ, after the crucifixion, was placed in a grave, dead. Three days later, He rose from the dead and is alive today. It helps to take note of “three days” in your Bible. Israel was going to cross the river and be in the new land of promise. This is a picture of moving from the “old life” to the “new life” in the place God wanted them to be, and wants every believer to be. When you come to the New Testament, you find the phrase is changed to “new man.” That is because your relationship with God is now different since Jesus died for our sins and we now have “new life” (Rom. 6:4), which is usually designated as “eternal life.” “Three days” is just as significant today as it was in the first century.
  3. The Ark of the Covenant, Joshua 3:3-6. This part of the Tabernacle was introduced in Exodus as the center of the nation as they camped. It was designated as the “ark of the covenant” (Josh. 3:3; Num. 10:33; 14:44; Deut. 10:8) and was also called the “ark of the testimony” (Exod. 25:22; 26:33-34; 30:6 et al). God indicated this was where He would “meet with thee” (Exod. 25:22; 30:6). This was the place of God’s presence while traveling through the wilderness. Things are about to change for the people of Israel as they make the transition from the wilderness to the land of promise, described in Deuteronomy 6:10-13; 8:6-10. This was designed to be a dramatic change from the life of the wilderness to the life of the new land. Believers today have a change as well from the old sinful life to the life in the Spirit. God will no longer lead them by the “pillar of cloud” but the “ark of the covenant.” This item was the presence of the Lord, and the people were to “go after it” (vs. 3). God was going to lead them into the new land. The people were instructed to stay back “two thousand cubits,” which would be about 3,000 feet. The people were being taught that God was to be respected and given reverence. One writer makes a statement that fits here because there has been a notable absence of reverence among Christians over the past hundred years. Culture has developed a way of referring to God that could be considered irreverent like “the man upstairs” or at one time the phrase “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6) and this began to be used at one time as “Daddy O” which is grossly irreverent. Donald Campbell has a good statement about this. He said, “They were to have no casual or careless intimacy with God but a profound spirit of respect and reverence. God was to be considered not ‘the Man upstairs’ but the sovereign and only God of all the earth.” Our reverence for God needs to be reestablished. God’s presence today is by His Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer (Rom 8:11; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 3:16).
  4. The Initiation of Joshua to the People as Their Leader, Joshua 3:7-8.  Joshua is assured that he would have God’s presence just as Moses. Early in the trip out of Egypt, Joshua was given assignments by Moses that primarily involved military activities (Exod. 17:9). Joshua had the opportunity to observe Moses as God gave him instructions and guidance. He was aware of Moses’s relationship with God. Joshua had been told earlier that God would be with him, as stated in Joshua 1:5, 9. The highlight of this promise to Joshua is seen after the miraculous crossing of the River Jordan. It says in Joshua 4:14 (KJV) On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. In vs. 8, Joshua is given the responsibility to oversee the priests who carry the ark of the covenant. This would be the sons of Kohath, one of the sons of Aaron (Gen. 46:11). A. W. Pink observes that, “The minister of the Gospel is to be no slacker and shirker, but rather “a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” God does not overlook these characteristics. In Joshua 3:8, God gives instructions to Joshua concerning the priests who will carry the Ark of the Covenant. The phrase “ye shall stand still in Jordan” will be understood later in Joshua 3:16-17.  
  5. The Involvement of the “Ark of the Covenant” in Their Crossing the River, Joshua 3:9-13. At this point the “pillar of a cloud” (Exod. 13:21) evidently ended and there was a new way of God leading them, the “ark of the covenant” (Josh. 3:3). This “ark of the covenant” will become prominent in the life of Israel later in the story, not only in Joshua but in Judges. Joshua will inform the people in Joshua 3:10. The “ark of the covenant” This is a type of the New Testament believer understanding what Paul told the church at Rome in Romans 8:9 (KJV) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. [Emphasis added.] Joshua now gathered the people together and instructed them in what was about to transpire. 
  6. Hear the Words of the Lord, vs. 9. Joshua summons the people to come to where he was and “hear the words of the Lord your God.” At this point, we can assume that Israel had the law of God in written form. How much of the Pentateuch was in written form, we do not know. Joshua wants the people to hear what God has to say. We do know the “ten commandments” written on the two tables of stone by the hand of God were in the “ark of the covenant” (Exod. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 10:4-5). The “ark of the covenant” also had another designation, the “ark of the testimony” (Exo. 26:33, 34, et al). This is because it contained the “tables of stone” with the ten Commandments engraved on them by the hand of God and were called “the tables of testimony” (Exo. 31:18). Thus, there are two important things related to this requirement. The ark of the covenant was representative of God’s presence and, in the case of Joshua 3:6, God’s leadership. The people were to “hear the words of the Lord” and follow His leadership as represented by the “ark of the covenant.” There is a great need, even today, for the hearing of the word of the Lord. The Prophet Amos made an interesting statement in Amos 8:11 (KJV) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. This passage from Amos characterizes the world in which we live today. There is a major famine for hearing the word of the Lord.
  7. God will fight for you, vs. 10. The “ark of the covenant” was a manifestation of the presence of God among the people. In addition, God will help the people of Israel by driving out the current occupants of the land, which are comprised of the seven nations listed in verse 10. Note that there are seven nations listed. It is worth noting that God is identified in this verse as “the living God,” which contrasts with the false gods the people of Canaan worshiped, made of stone, who could not see, speak, or walk. Paul told the church in 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (KJV) For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Do not overlook the statement by Joshua to the people when he said in Joshua 3:10 (KJV) 

. . .Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. This should confirm for the people what God would do. 

  1. God will lead you, vs. 11. Not only will God drive the occupants of Canaan out, He will go before you. The miracle the people see when they cross the River Jordan will confirm fore them that God is with them and leading them. Israel’s obedience to the instructions given them is vital for their possessing the land. They had the “ark of the covenant” leading them and they knew this was the presence of the Lord. What could go wrong? You and I must have the same attitude. 
  2. Twelve men and the “Lord of all the earth,” vss. 12-13. Here is the climax of the instructions Joshua had been giving the people, now there was to be a demonstration that what God had said would take place, actually occurred. These two verses give us the things the people were told would take place, which actually happened the way God described them. The twelve men of the Priests, who bore the ark, were told that when their feet touched the water of the river, a miracle would occur as stated in Joshua 3:13 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. The priests bearing the ark were instructed to go into the river and stand on “dry ground in the midst of Jordan” (Josh. 3:17). The priests would have “the Lord of all the earth” standing with them in the “ark of the covenant.”
  3. The Demonstration of God’s Word to the People, Joshua 3:14-17. The people would experience the supernatural work of the Lord as an incredible miracle of crossing the River Jordan. It is hard to imagine what the people thought as they saw the supernatural demonstration of God doing what He said would take place. The priests acted on their instructions (vs. 14). For our sakes God wanted us to know the River Jordan was in “flood stage” and overflowing its banks (vs. 15). Then we are told how far the water was stopped in vs. 16, all the way from where they were across from Jericho all the way to “Adam, which is beside Zaretan” (vs. 16). That would be approximately 81 miles (130 kilometers). It would take an automobile one hour and 40 minutes to travel there. God stopped the water, not a “mud slide.” Look at the last statement about this event in Joshua 3:13 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. This should convince any skeptic who doubted God’s power and did not believe in God.