Tuesday - Joshua 3 - Crossing the Jordan

Although our God is unchanging, He does seem to make it a habit of doing things in new ways. But, whether it was the Red Sea for Moses or the Jordan for Joshua, Elijah or Elisha, it always seems like there is something special and unique about each of God's manifestations of Himself and of His power. Here He used the priests and the Ark of the Covenant to part the river Jordan. How special it must have been for the people to pass over on dry ground during the season of floods... walking past the covered shape of that most hallowed article. To say the least, it would have been an unforgettable experience.

Obviously there was a simple and practical reason for parting the waters of the Jordan. The people needed to get across to the other side. However, if that was the only reason, then it would have been unnecessary. The nation could have simply journeyed north and went into Canaan around the Sea of Galilee or they could have gone south and circumvented the Dead Sea.

God wanted to reveal Himself to the people. This is always an underlying purpose in God's actions and interventions in history. Joshua 3:5 doesn't state this explicitly, but it is most certainly implied that He chose to do something mighty in order to show the people who He is, that He was with them and how reliable He would be for them if they would but willingly trust and obey.  He wanted to instill confidence in the hearts of His people and fear in the hearts of the heathen.

There was another purpose though, and that was to confirm the legitimacy of Joshua's authority in his new leadership position (Joshua 3:7). Truly God watches out for His chosen leaders. Some of the strongest passages of Scripture are written in relation to God's defense of human leadership (Romans 13:1-2, I Samuel 8:7 & Luke 10:16).  God was with Joshua and He wanted the people to know it plainly.