THE CROSSOVER PEOPLE - JOSHUA 3:1–17

CHAPTER FOUR—THE CROSSOVER PEOPLE

JOSHUA 3:1–17

Scripture Outline

Those Crossover Times (3:1–4)

An Action Pattern for a Crossover People (3:5–17)

The spies have returned from Jericho, and their favorable report has been received. Joshua orders the Israelites to set out from Shittim to the edge of the Jordan River and wait for further instructions. After the people arrive at the Jordan, his instructions are given over a three-day period.

Some commentators make a major point of this three-day waiting period on the east bank of the Jordan. They identify this time mentioned in Joshua 3:2 with the three-day period mentioned in chapter 1, verse 11. The story of the spies and Rahab (2:1–24) is viewed as having happened during the same three-day interval as Joshua’s interaction with the people written in Joshua 1:10–18 happened chronologically after the Israelites’ move to the Jordan’s edge (3:1–2). Most of the commentators do not even try to harmonize these two references to a three-day period. They may be identical periods of time or two different three-day periods.

Several commentators emphasize the significance of this apparent delay in crossing the Jordan. They see it not only as a period of time during which the spies made their reconnaissance and Joshua briefed the people. They also see it as having some significance in terms of the events related in chapter 5, which deals with certain sacramental rights that were carried out after the crossing at Gilgal which involved the celebration of Passover. I will discuss this view in more detail in chapter 6.

At the end of this three-day period, the twelve Levitical priests carry the ark of the covenant down into the Jordan River. They stand still in the middle of the river where the waters have stopped, leaving the river bed dry. After the people sanctify themselves in preparation to cross the Jordan, they follow the priests into the river at a distance, not getting too near the ark. God restates His promise to be with His people and to give them the land.

While the twelve priests hold the ark high in the middle of the Jordan, the waters piled up on the north side, the Israelites pass over into Canaan. Twelve ceremonial rocks are then piled in the middle of the Jordan before the waters return, while twelve more rocks are carried to the west bank for a memorial ceremony at Gilgal. Now that the Israelites are safe on the west bank, the priests carry the ark forward to join the rest of the nation. The waters sweep back into the river bed flooding their way several miles southward into the Dead Sea.

Within this story, there are two very significant theological observations that must be made and applied to our Christian lives as lived today. One of these observations deals with the memorial stones and the subject of memories. I will develop this further in chapter 5. The other observation deals with the kind of people that God wanted the Israelites to be and also yearns for us to be.

This sovereign God, who can part the waters, is a God who called Israel then, and us today, to be a “crossover people.”

THOSE CROSSOVER TIMES

3:1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”

—Joshua 3:1–4

Every life has its crossover times. Some people call them the “peak” experiences, but they are times of transition—often fraught with potential disaster. They are the times in life so familiar to those of the people of Israel capsuled in the phrase “for you have not passed this way before” (v. 4).

This was a traumatic time for Israel. The Israelites had spent forty years wandering in the wilderness. They were accustomed to that way of life. It must have been unpleasant, for the few days I’ve spent in the Sinai Peninsula and in the Negev have convinced me that just about any place on earth would be a better place to live. One of the astronauts, who has both walked on the moon and been to the Sinai Peninsula, has observed that the most comparable place on earth to the lunar terrain is the Sinai Peninsula.

Not everyone would agree with this somewhat negative appraisal. The nomads who live in that desolate land, for example, know where the springs are and how to find those places of oasis. They would panic if they had to move to a more lush, habitable place. The human inclination is to get used to one’s natural and familiar habitat. Change doesn’t come easy to anyone. There’s always the resistance factor.

But the Israelites moved around frequently. Their journey began in Goshen near Rameses in Egypt and continued from the shore of the Red Sea, where the Hebrews were commanded to “go forward.” The verb nā̄sa˓ the Hebrew word for “journeyed”—is used (Ex. 14:15). Another translation of this word is “set out.” There was this constant “going onward” with the Israelites. The word nā̄sa˓ is used eighty-nine times in the Book of Numbers. In the Book of Joshua, however, this word occurs only three times—once when Joshua and the people “set out” from Shittim (3:1) and twice when they “set out” from the east bank to cross the Jordan (vv. 3, 14). Crossing the Jordan meant the arrival, toward which the Exodus departure and the wilderness experience of covenant and training had been the preparation. The crossing was the fulfillment of God’s promise to the patriarchs at the very beginning.

Now the word ˓ā̄bar—meaning to “cross over” or to “pass over”—is used twenty-one times in the story of the crossing (3:1–5:1). This verb emphasizes the decisive nature of this moment in the history of the Hebrew people and distinguishes it from everything that had gone before. The word was never used to describe the passage through the waters of the Red Sea. Other Hebrew words were used that meant “enter” or “walk.”

The word ˓ā̄bar connotes something with tremendous epic significance. To put it in the words of E. John Hamlin in his book Inheriting the Land:

The reason for this is that the verb ˓ā̄bar implies crossing over a boundary, whether physical like a river valley (Deut. 2:13–14), political like a nation’s border (Deut. 2:18) or moral, as to enter a covenant (Deut. 29:12) or transgress a commandment (Deut. 26:13; Joshua 7:11, 15).

While walking through the waters of the Red Sea was both an escape and a liberation, crossing over Jordan meant entering a new kind of life in the Promised Land. The physical boundary formed by the deep rift of the Jordan Valley and River had to be crossed. More than that, the crossing marked a decisive transition which involved inheriting (acquiring tenancy rights) and finding “rest.”

The land of Canaan was not an earthly paradise or a transcendent existence in which there would be no problems but a place where the whole nature of what it is to be God’s people would have to be worked out. There would be the pain of failure and the joy of success. Canaan represented a great improvement over the past four hundred years, but it was not utopia.

Our lives, along with those of the people with whom we are endeavoring to communicate, have those occasional ˓ā̄bar times—those crossover experiences which can be frightening. This biblical narrative gives us a magnificent opportunity to identify with these crisis moments that we share with others. One of the most exciting experiences I’ve ever had as a pastor was to preach on this text, challenging my congregation as a community and as individuals to be an ˓ā̄bar people—a crossover people. I challenged them to be willing not just to “set out” each day in a regular routine, but instead to face those dangerous moments of a new beginning, willing to “cross over” into whatever new faith experiences and faith “land” God has in store.

The crossing over to Canaan was a brand-new experience for all the Israelites, except Caleb and Joshua—the only ones who had experienced the escape from Egypt through the Red Sea. The rest of the Israelites stood at the banks of the Jordan River during the flood season. This was a terrifying experience. Most of us are familiar with long wilderness experiences to which we’ve become accustomed. There are moments in which we stand shuddering at the edge of the Jordan, knowing that before us are rushing waters, the fortress city of Jericho, chariots of iron, and even giants in the land. As leaders, we tend to be conservative, as do our people. We don’t have the natural openness that marked the life of Rahab. The nature of her business caused her to take risks. This doesn’t tend to be the nature of very many clergy and the majority of comfortable people who sit in comfortable pews. We are determined to hold on to the familiar. God wants to break through our constitutional conservatism and to help us become the ˓ā̄bar people—people who are willing to grow and expand, claiming new territory, inheriting the future He has in store.

List the ˓ā̄bar times, the crossover times in your life. Birth would be one. Some crisis in childhood may be another. Those important decisions we make in our teenage years have that quality. What college should I go to? What career should be mine? Should I marry? Whom should I marry? What Job should I accept? Then we tend to settle down, don’t we? A crisis may come. A painful divorce. A financial failure that seriously alters our lifestyle. Or perhaps a financial success that thrusts us into a potentially altered lifestyle. How do we handle a crossover experience and the fear of the unknown that it brings?

Some of us create an artificial crossover time. It may be at age forty or perhaps at fifty. We begin to think of old age. Frankly, there is no such thing. Try to tell that to the majority of the people in our culture, and they’ll laugh at you. The Bible has no theology of retirement. You and I have the privilege of looking into the mirror every morning and seeing not a young face or an old face but a human being created in the image of God who was never more alive and never will be more alive in this life than we are at the present moment. Live every day to the fullest. Don’t get locked in by your age. You are never too young. Don’t let anyone despise your youth. You are never too old. And you as a preacher have the privilege of challenging your people with some of these thoughts. Why not tell them some stories out of your own life and out of the lives of those close to you?

Disease is one of these very significant crossover times. At this moment, several of my dear friends are struggling with cancer. One man is in his thirties; another is in his forties. Another friend is in his fifties. It’s a frightening new pathway for them. Fear will not diminish the danger. But we are privileged to remind the people we serve that every pathway that is new for us is not new to our God. As we stand on the bank of that Jordan River in our lives, we all need to remember that our God is capable of making a way through that Jordan. He will walk through it with us, keeping our feet on dry ground. Even in the darkest hour of sickness, there can be a joy that is unspeakable. I love the way Charles Haddon Spurgeon stated it: “What if I must weep tomorrow, yet will I sing today, and mayhap my song will gather such force, that some of its stanzas will overleap tomorrow, and I may sweeten my sighs with my psalms.”

Death itself is another one of these ˓ā̄bar moments. Christ has assured us that He has taken the sting out of death. The victory is His. Christ walks through that Jordan with us.

Another crossover time is that moment of spiritual decision when we open our lives to Jesus Christ in repentance and receive His forgiveness and grace. It’s the moment in which we rededicate our lives to Him after days, months, or perhaps even years of wandering in our own spiritual wilderness. Once again, we’re crossing over into the Promised Land, inheriting the promises God has given to us. Our people need to be reminded of the importance of spiritual decisions, of the willingness to take risks, of new commitments to Jesus Christ, as threatening and even frightening as some of these may be.

This crossover lifestyle also has implications for a community. I am convinced that too much of our talk about the Christian life is individualistic. Not only Joshua claimed the peak moment, but also the people, the nation of Israel, claimed it. They had been a ragtag people in Egypt, growing in numbers but slipping deeper and deeper into slavery. They had maintained some limited tribal identity which was deepened during the Exodus and the wilderness experience.

Many congregations are at the bank of the Jordan River. We are privileged to confront and challenge our people with the frightening but thrilling opportunities available at such moments. It is fascinating to discover that the crossover times—the ˓ā̄bar times—are ones fraught with tremendous potential difficulties. But this makes it all the more possible for God to show His power.

Actually, the Jordan River is not too difficult to cross most of the year. Many picture the “mighty Jordan” to be something like the Mississippi or the Columbia Rivers. It’s actually a modest stream compared to those rivers. But it was a huge barrier to the Israelites camped along the east bank. For four hundred years, the Hebrew people had dreamed of the Promised Land. For forty years, they had fantasized about what lay beyond the river but also cultivated deep fears of the giants in the land. In addition to their fears, God brought them to the Jordan intentionally at the time of year when the river was swollen by the spring rains and the melting snows from the Lebanon mountains. The river could not be forded by the normal means, which for the boatless Hebrews would have been difficult yet possible. To cross during this floodtide was unthinkable with their resources.

It is in moments such as these that we are privileged to be the crossover people.

AN ACTION PATTERN FOR A CROSSOVER PEOPLE

5 And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.”

So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7 And the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’ ”

9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “By this you 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: 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”

14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

—Joshua 3:5–17

Three specific instructions are given to the Israelites waiting at the edge of the Jordan River. We could call these action-pattern orders which marked the lives of a crossover people who were open to God’s leading.

The first action-pattern order is: Follow the Lord. This is stated in a strange sort of way. Up until now, during their time in the wilderness, the people of Israel followed the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Now these two divinely instituted symbols have been removed. The ark of the covenant takes their place: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before” (vv. 3–4).

The ark is mentioned fifteen times in chapters 3 and 4. This religious object has fascinated many people through the last three thousand plus years, even inspiring movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark. A large box containing sacred objects, the ark was seen as the portable throne of the invisible God. The ark of the covenant contained the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai (Deut. 10:1–5) or even the whole book of the covenant teaching (Deut. 31:24–26). In this way, the ark symbolized the commands of the covenant that God had established with the people of Israel. This whole covenant relationship—an entire way of life—went with them as they crossed over the Jordan. Inside the ark was also a jar of manna, reminding the people of how God had taken care of them during the wilderness experience.

The ark symbolized the presence of the Lord with His people. They had to be certain of divine leadership, and the ark was the sign that God was leading them. They were not just a migratory people optimistically yet futilely thinking they could go into the land of Canaan. They were God’s people being led by God.

The ark also symbolized the specific teachings and direction that God had given to His people. They had the assurance of His direction over the untrodden and unfamiliar way ahead of them. God would teach them what they needed to know as they traveled into Canaan.

It’s also fascinating to note that the people were ordered to keep a specific distance of two thousand cubits (approximately one thousand yards) from the ark. Some would say that this was to keep a separateness between the people and the holy God. There is some precedence for this in the Scriptures for one was not to touch the ark, treating lightly the things of God. More significant, at this moment, was the importance of staying far enough away from the ark so that it could be seen as it was held up during the crossing of the Jordan. The ark was to lead the way into these untrodden paths. Then as the people crossed over the Jordan onto dry ground, they were able to look into the piled-up waters, trusting God to keep the path dry until all of them were across. It was by the power of God that they were able to cross into the land.

If we are to be a crossover people, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. Every time new members join the church I serve, I remind them that the pastors and elders of the church are given responsibilities to set a Godly example. But the church does not belong to the pastors and the elders; it belongs to Jesus Christ. Our feet are clay, and He is the only One who will not let them down. Only Christ is capable of leading us across the difficult waters, providing the ultimate direction. This is why we need to know His Word and why obedience is so critical. We are claiming the Promised Land. We are following the Leader. We are obedient to His Word. We live in relationship with Him, but we must not let the distinction blur between the creature and the Creator.

The second action-pattern order is: Sanctify yourselves.

God gave specific directions for ceremonial cleanliness in the Old Testament times. Building on this, Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you” (v. 5).

Whenever we face new opportunities, God’s voice tells us to “sanctify yourselves.” Then and now God calls His people to holiness, purity, and separation. For the Israelites on the edge of the Jordan, I imagine this meant that they would wash themselves with water and practice the ceremonial rites that would make them clean. For us today, this means that we should come afresh to claim the cleansing of the precious blood of Jesus Christ which washes away all sin, all uncleanness. It also means opening ourselves increasingly as the Holy Spirit enables us to be used by God.

It is so special to see men and women opening themselves increas– ingly to God’s presence in their lives. A number have sought me out individually as their pastor, confessing particular sins that have held them in tight clutches over a period of years, asking for prayers of release from that bondage, praying for Godcleansing from that uncleanliness. God has chosen not to work in all His fullness in the lives of people who are unwilling to open their hearts to His cleansing and to His leadership. I’m struck by the phrase in the opening prayer in the Presbyterian wedding ceremony that reads, “Sanctify them, making them fit for their new estate.” This simply describes an ˓ā̄bar moment, a crossover time of marriage, in which two people need a special cleansing as they inherit God’s promises.

The third action-pattern order is: Follow courageous leadership. Our leaders are to be the first ones to place their feet in the water.

“Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap” (vv. 12–13).

This is not the traditional custom of priests. We clergy do not usually lead the people in hazardous undertakings. Most of us are often more content with the status quo. But God instructs us to be in the vanguard of change. God will ask nothing of our people that He does not first ask of us. We must urge our people to hold us accountable to this principle.

We are to stay with the enterprise, to continue holding up the ark so that others can see it. They should look for and expect spiritual qualities in those who have been called to serve them. The clergy will never be perfect in this life, but we must hold each other accountable to disallow ambition, greed, and a desire for fame. These temptations are natural to those in positions of leadership. God calls us to faithfulness, though. We are to symbolize the bringing together of the divergent component parts of the community as did the twelve priests who held up the ark, symbolic of the twelve tribes who had become fused together as one nation. Don’t stay back on the east side of the Jordan. Be one of the crossover people, urging those with whom you communicate to also be crossover persons.

I love the final words of this chapter, which really do present the basic text for a sermon or lesson: “Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan” (v. 17).

God’s promises are now being fleshed out not only in the life of Israel but also in the life of each one of us who is willing to follow Him, to be sanctified, and to follow courageous human leadership. As I think of this text, the words of William Williams in his great hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah,” keep throbbing through my heart and mind:

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of death, and hell’s destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side;

Songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever give to Thee,

I will ever give to T

Jr. Huffman John A. and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Joshua, vol. 6, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 63–73.