“Crossing the Jordan” Joshua 3:1-4, 14-17, 4:14

There are mixed feelings when we start a new “adventure.” Whether it was moving into your own place, getting married, starting college or a new job. Almost every time we start our new phase of our lives, we are faced with the emotions of excitement, uncertainty and just a touch of fear.

The new adventure or phase can be the beginning of something wonderful, or it can turn out completely opposite. Sometimes, what seems to be a good fit turns out horribly bad, and sometimes what seems to be a major mistake turns out to be a blessing in disguise.

Life is always filled with adventures and phases of life. How we approach them says a lot about us, and it can also say a lot about our relationship with God. When we seek God’s direction in the phases of life, we can find guidance and victory regardless of the circumstances of the new part of our lives.

Joshua and the people of Israel were about to embark on one of the greatest adventures of their lives as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Throughout this phase of their lives, they can see God’s hand in every step they are making.

Background

God had promised this land to Abraham back before Isaac was born. The land of Canaan promised to be a good place to settle. Nonetheless, Abraham never possessed much of the land. Neither did Isaac nor did Jacob, both they all lived there. When Jacob was summoned to Egypt by his long-lost son, Joseph, a new chapter was beginning for Israel. They settled in the land that was good for grazing, in the area known as Gaza. There they grew in numbers and prosperity.

Then a new pharaoh came upon the scene, one that had no knowledge of Joseph or the things he had done to save Egypt from destruction. This new pharaoh had no allegiance to Israel. Rather than seeing them as an asset, he saw this vast nation of people as a threat. So he enslaved the nation of Israel.

We have no idea how long they were enslaved, but the Bible says God told Abraham that Israel would be slaves for 400 years, but that He would deliver them and bring them into the Promised Land (cf. Genesis 15:12-16). God had a reason for His timing and His plan.

Four hundred and thirty years later, God used Moses to guide Israel to the edge of the land of Canaan. There, the people rebelled against God and Moses, and as a result they were condemned to wander the wilderness for 40 more years. Once that generation had died out, God would bring them to the land He had first promised to Abraham so many years ago.

During that time of wilderness wandering, Moses disobeyed God and paid the heavy price of not being allowed to enter the Promised Land. He was allowed to see it from the top of a mountain, but then he died, and Joshua became the leader of the nation.

Now the time was right. Things were ready, and God was going to lead His people to claim the promise first given to Abraham. Today’s passage has the people entering Canaan for the first time since they left Egypt.

Central Truth: God overcomes the barriers that might hinder our calling.

God’s hand is seen:

Preparing us for the next step (3:1-4)

The Bible says Israel came to the banks of the Jordan and camped there for three days. When God was ready, the leaders of the tribes went to the people and told them to be ready to move. There are three things the leaders tell them.

The first is they are to look for the Ark of the Covenant. This will be their focal point for the entire journey through the Promised Land. It is the visible symbol of God’s presence with His people. As long as the people keep the ark within sight, they will know whether it is time to move or to stay. Once the ark began to move, that would signal to them that they, too, were to move forward.

This is not to say that the ark becomes an idol for the people. Rather, it represents God’s presence with them because the ark contains the mercy seat, situated between the two angels at the top of the ark. When Moses died, God’s glory would appear to the High Priest on the Day of Atonement, seated on the mercy seat. It was there that Israel would receive mercy and forgiveness for their sins. At no time were the people called upon to worship the ark; rather worship the One who claimed it for Himself.

Second, they were told that the ark would always be their guide. “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before” (v. 4a). The people were going to places they had never seen before and it would be easy to get lost. They needed guidance, and they would find that guidance in the ark.

Third, they were told to keep their distance. The instructions were very clear that no one was to touch the ark. To do so was to invite certain death from God Himself. Instead, the designated men would insert poles specifically designated for the task into the loops at the base of the ark, and then they would lift the ark and carry it. In this way, they would be able to follow the ark wherever it went, but they must keep a respectful distance from the ark.

When God calls us to a task, He wants us to focus on Him throughout the task. As long as we keep in touch with Him, we will find success. That was the reason for reminding Joshua to keep the law in his heart and mouth, so that he could meditate on God’s words and instructions continually. We need to also focus on God as we are about His business.

We also need to trust God to lead us, because we are often going in places we are unfamiliar with, places where it would be easy to become lost and distracted from the task at hand. If we will trust God, keeping close to Him, then we will know what path to follow and what steps to take. That’s what a walk of faith is all about.

And we need to have a reverent respect for God. It is foolish to assume too close a relationship with Him. While He is Father, He is also Holy God, Creator and Righteous Judge. God is so much more than we can ever fully imagine. When Job continued to request an audience with God, God’s response was to ask Job a series of questions, each question reminding Job that God is so much more than Job could ever comprehend.

If we will focus on God, following His lead and respecting His Lordship, we will find success in whatever task He has called us to.

In taking away the obstacle (3:14-17)

In every life, there are difficulties, mostly unexpected and unplanned for. That’s what makes life so interesting. Those who are able to overcome the obstacles become stronger, wiser, more able to better cope with life’s other hardships.

In this instance, the obstacle is one that Israel knew they would have to cross. The Jordan River separated Israel from the Promised Land. To begin their conquest, they first had to cross the river.

God spoke to Joshua and told him that God was going to begin exalting Joshua in the eyes of Israel. Joshua then conveyed God’s wishes to the people regarding the crossing of the river. “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will certainly drive out before you [your enemies]” (3:10). The ark was to enter the river before Israel would cross over.

Please note here that the Bible says the Jordan was in its flood state. It was much broader, much deeper and more rapid than it would normally be. Facing the raging river, it must have seemed a daunting thing to consider how they were to cross. Joshua had said the ark would enter the river first. Imagine being one of the Levites holding an end of the pole lifting the ark. There must have been a dozen questions rattling through their heads at the time. What if they lose their footing? What if the ark topples over? What if they’re about to drown? These are a few of the questions that I would have been wondering.

God had an answer for all their questions, doubts and fears. As soon as the first priest stepped into the river, the water stopped flowing. It backed up to a place called Adam near a town called Zarethan. Much as God had done at the Red Sea, so now God is also parting the waters to enable Israel to cross on dry land.

The priests held the ark in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed over into the Promised Land. The greatest obstacle to their entering the land was now behind them, and it was God who had overcome the obstacle.

A lot of times, we find ourselves facing a hardship, a problem, an obstacle, and we don’t know just how to get our heads around it. It’s not unusual for such a thing to become our preoccupation, consuming more and more of our thoughts. God is showing us here and throughout His Word that the answer to all obstacles is to give them over to God. That doesn’t mean pray a quick prayer and then resume thinking about it. It means laying the burden before the Lord, giving it to Him completely and proceeding toward the obstacle with complete confidence in Him. Do you imagine the priests holding the ark had any idea of what was about to happen? Until they took that first step of faith, they had no clue as to how God was going to see them through. All they could do was trust in the Lord and let Him deal with the matter.

That’s what we have to do. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

God takes away the obstacles.

Exalts us (4:14)

When Israel faced a crisis at the edge of the Red Sea, God spread the waters and allowed the nation to cross on dry land, only to bring the waters together to completely destroy the Egyptian army that had been pursuing them. It was one of the moments that stood out among all the things God had done for Israel from the time He first sent Moses to Pharaoh until the moment they stood at the banks of the Jordan, looking into the land that would be theirs. As a result of the Red Sea incident, Moses was reaffirmed as God’s man to lead Israel.

It’s a new day, and it’s a new leader. Joshua had been proclaimed as Moses’ successor by Moses himself, and God had reaffirmed that calling in Joshua 1. Still, with all that, there was still some question about Joshua. He had been Moses’ faithful aide for the years of wandering in the desert, from Sinai on. But history shows that just because a person worked closely with a revered leader doesn’t guarantee that the successor will be as good.

One of the reasons God wanted to begin the conquest with the parting of the Jordan River in flood stage was to exalt Joshua before the people. By duplicating the Red Sea experience, God exalted Joshua before the people and they responded with a deep respect that lasted for the remainder of his lifetime.

It is the faithful servant, the one who hears God’s calling, who responds to God’s calling and who follows God’s will, that becomes an exalted person in the eyes of those he or she serves. Granted, such leaders do not seek exaltation for anyone but God. Nonetheless, the person who walks humbly with the Lord is someone that others recognize and respect.

The short verse tells us a great deal about what God did for Joshua in this one event. We have no real idea how Joshua felt about being called to lead God’s people, but we know from just these first few chapters, as well as Joshua’s faithfulness to God in the wilderness that he was a man who earnestly sought God and trusted Him. Now God shows Israel that Joshua is His man to lead them, and all Israel now knows beyond a doubt who their new leader is.

It helps when the people are behind the leader. Moses had that respect to some degree, but always there were those who grumbled against him. That’s not unusual. Joshua will face those who oppose him, both from without and within, but there is no question that God has chosen Joshua. With that confidence in him, Israel is ready to follow and learn from Joshua and from God.

Conclusion

Anyone who has ever said life was easy never really lived in the real world. Life is hard, filled with challenges and obstacles. There are always unexpected hardships. These are opportunities to grow and learn if we will let them.

The key to overcoming any obstacle is to realize God is bigger than any hardship. When we look to Him and trust Him to see us through the hard times, we will find success on the other side. As we walk with Him and talk with Him and learn from Him, we grow in Him and, like Joshua, we can become exalted.

If you’re facing a Jordan River in your life, how are you going to respond? Will you take the step into the river, just as God calls us to do?