LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF THE LORD

Joshua 3:1-17 / Keywords 3:9-10

Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. 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.

 

Crossing the Jordan

3:1 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 Levitical priests 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 two thousand cubits[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

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.

7 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.’”

9 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.”

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Footnotes

a. Joshua 3:4 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters

1. The people of Israel came to the Jordan river and lodged there. How would they ever cross this great river and take possession of the land of Canaan? Today, the Jordan River can reach up to a mile in width during the flood season. We often face what seem to be insurmountable obstacles as well. What do we do when we face these trials of life? Do we despair? We learn from Joshua and the Israelites that we are to allow God to lead us through them. The ark represented the presence of God, and the people were to follow it and cross the Jordan. Joshua commanded the people to consecrate themselves and be ready to see the wonders that God would do among them. Is this our first instinct? In difficult times, do we renew our dedication to the Lord and wait on him?

 

2. Joshua said to the people, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” By listening to the word of God, we can know that the living God is among us and that he is leading us to our inheritance. As Christians, our inheritance is eternal life in the kingdom of God. We must allow God to lead us there and bring us home. He is the one who halts the river and brings us safely across. The people of Israel arrived safely on the other side of the Jordan when they trusted and obeyed the word of the Lord. Their feet didn’t even get muddy.

 

Prayer Father, give us a faith that trusts and obeys.

One Word Know that the living God is among you