JOSHUA 3 - POWER AND PROVISION IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
Joshua 3
The people of Israel had just, by faith, participated in the great miracle of bringing down the walls of Jericho. Now, all that stood between them and the Promised Land was the River Jordan. This was a mighty river whose banks were overflowing according to v. 15, which meant that it was at flood stage. With its deep, wide and fast moving waters, it presented a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to them being able to reach the other side. Yet, God was with them, and He gave them a visible sign of His presence to reassure them, and lead them across the River. In v. 10, the people were told that “the living God was among them”, and in v. 11 that the visible sign of His presence was the Ark of the Covenant. Yet, just as with bringing down the walls of Jericho, faith would still be necessary on their part.
Hebrews 9:4 tells us that The Ark of the Covenant contained the original stone tablets on which the 10 Commandments were given, which formed the basis of God’s Law, as well as a golden pot containing remnants of the Manna that God had given the people for food in the wilderness, and Aaron’s rod which had been used to bring about many miracles and in Numbers 17 to confirm the authority of Aaron and his fellow Levites as the spiritual leaders of the people when it alone, out of rods from each tribe, was the only one that budded.
The tablets represented God’s guidance through His Word. The Manna represented His provision for the needs of His people, and the rod represented His authority and power. By the means of these three things, God was going to safely and miraculously get His people to the other side of the Jordan River.
In order to avail themselves of the guidance, provision, and power of the Lord, the people had to do two things. First, we see in v. 3 that they were to follow the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God’s presence among them, so that they would know the way to go across the river. Then we see in v. 5 that they had to consecrate themselves. This means that they were to set themselves apart as belonging to God, and to dedicate themselves to His service. They were also promised in v. 5 that if they would do these things, then the Lord would do wonders among them.
In addition, like the people had done at Jericho, they were to respond to God in faith. First, the priests were told in v. 8 to by faith step out into the river with the Ark of the Covenant, and then the people were to follow them. God then worked a miracle by causing this mighty rushing river to stop flowing so that everyone was able to actually walk across to the other side on dry land. This was possibly a greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea, because that was a still body of water, but this was a massive fast moving river, and v. 16 tells us that God actually caused all of that water to actually pile up in a heap very far away and stay there until the people, possibly numbering as many as 3 million, were all able to safely cross to the other side. As Jesus would later say in Matthew 19:26, with God all things are possible.
There are many River Jordans in our lives, the most significant one being death, where we must cross from this life to the next life in eternity.
God, through Christ makes that possible for those who have received Jesus by faith, and who follow Him as their Lord, and He will take every single one of His people there safely. He promised in John 14:3 that He would go to Heaven, after He went to the cross, to prepare a place for us there, and to return to take us there to be with Him in eternity. In all of the other obstacles, challenges, or difficulties we face in this life, those who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord can be sure that He is with them and goes before them, and that He will guide them through His Word, provide for them, and protect them though His power and authority.