July 21 20-19 Crossing Your Jordan

Joshua 3 ESV

1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today 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 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” 14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Joshua 1:1–6 ESV

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

Right now, the people of Israel are at a very vulnerable time. They have just lost their leader, Moses who for 40 years has been with them. He was God’s servant and there was no doubt that he was God’s servant.

But now Moses has died. Everyone dies at some point and now Moses is gone.

So what happens now? The people need a leader and God knows this and God calls Joshua as the new leader of Israel. Joshua has been faithful to Moses all throughout the wilderness journey. Joshua has also been faithful to God as one of two spies who actually believed what God said about being able to take the land.

And we also know that Joshua was chosen to secede Moses from..

Deuteronomy 31:23 ESV

23 And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”

So God says that Josh will be the new leader but it seems like he isn’t confident or he needs to be told.. But they need a leader.

This can potentially be a crisis for Israel. Never been here before. We have always had Moses.

Moses was God’s mouthpiece for God while we were in the wilderness. Moses always told us what to do. God spoke to Moses, God worked through Moses, God worked miracles through Moses. God used Moses to part the Red Sea...

Hey, even Joshua always had Moses. Now Moses is gone and they have to trust God in order to move into freedom. Freedom requires movement. When God freed them from Egypt they physically had to grab onto that freedom and walk out. There is a part they have to play to get the freedom, the blessing.

They are getting ready to pass over into the promised land but,,, but that might even be a little bit scary.

They are used to the wandering. That has been their lives for the last 40 years. That was where they were supposed to be. Some of the group, maybe even most of the group have only ever known wandering in the wilderness. This can be intimidating. We don’t do new very well with change.

Used to the wandering

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.

They are used to the wilderness, it feels safe but if they continue to hold to the familiar they will never get to the promised land.

There is an unknown factor here. Would the people be willing? Because, there is a promised land on the other side and unless they move they will miss out and continue to wander.

But there is a promised land on the other side and unless we move we will miss out and continue to wander.

That is why it is so important for the people to know that they have someone to lead them. They understand that they have gotten here because of God and they aren’t going to be taking any chances unless they are convinced of it.

God knows this too. God knows they need assurance. God knows they need a leader.

This first boundary is the most important boundary for them to cross. The gateway to the promised land.

If God doesn’t lead them, it’s not gonna happen. So God gives them instructions through Joshua. God does amazing things to bring His people from slavery to freedom

This is the most important and the first boundary for them to cross. The gateway to the promised land.

And the first thing God instructs the people to do is to consecrate, or clean themselves. v 5

It is a physical and symbolic cleansing to prepare people for being in the presence of the Lord. You would think that It would make sense if He said, sharpen your swords and get your shields ready, but this battle belongs to God and the people are to prepare themselves to follow the Lord. Prepare to meet the Lord.

v5 It was required that the people consecrate themselves. (Joshua’s first command) Prepare yourself to worship the Lord. It would make sense if He said, sharpen your swords and get your shields ready, but this battle belongs to God and the people are to prepare themselves to follow the Lord.

Side note:

V4 Stay 2000 cubits away so that you know where you are going. They haven’t been this way before/(God can lead us on a new journey) Also, possibly the holiness of God’s presence just like we saw at Mt Sianai in Exodus. They now would not be led by the pillar of cloud or the pillar of fire but by God Himself and you cannot get too close. God is intimate but He is also so Holy that you have to be careful around Him

The New American Commentary: Joshua (1) Instructions for Crossing: Stage One (3:1–6)

These two aspects of God’s nature—his close, comforting presence and his awesome, fearsome glory—are kept in a healthy balance in the Bible, but the latter is in danger of being forgotten in some wings of the church today.

v5 It was required that the people consecrate themselves. (Joshua’s first command) Prepare yourself to worship the Lord. It would make sense if He said, sharpen your swords and get your shields ready, but this battle belongs to God and the people are to prepare themselves to follow the Lord.

Imagine meeting the person you most admire. Would you take a shower? Would you clean up your house? They are preparing for God’s presence in their situation. This is God!

I believe that when we come together that God is in our midst and that we need to be prepared, to be prepared for worship. Think about how we come here on Sunday mornings. I am guilty, I don’t always prepare the way I should. We need to prepare to meet God in worship. Don’t we expect to meet God when we gather? We should. Here is an exercise...

Come here expectant. Maybe sit in your chair even for a couple of minutes and pray that God would fill you up and that He would speak to you during the service. That God would be glorified through your life. Preparing for His presence.

His presence is what we need. He desires to be close but is still too Holy for us to be too close. Verse 4 says that they need to stay 1000 yards back from the ark. God is a holy God. But again, they need to trust that Joshua is God’s chosen spokesman just like Moses was.

Joshua 3:7–13 ESV

7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today 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 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

7-13

Joshua 3:6–13 ESV

6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today 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 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

v7-8 The Lord exalts Joshua just as He was with Moses (Seals the new leadership)

v7-8 The Lord exalts Joshua just as He was with Moses (Seals the new leadership)

Also, if God is with Joshua the people will be convinced that God is with them.

8 The Lord exalts Joshua just as He was with Moses (Seals the new leadership) Joshua commands the priests to stop in the water holding the ark and then God performs a miracle just as they went out of Egypt it is a replay of God’s blessing.

Joshua speaks for God.. commands the priests to stop in the water holding the ark and then tells everyone what is going to happen (prophecy)

This is all part of God sealing Joshua’s leadership. God will part the waters for the people to cross into the promised land. It is a miracle and the Jordan is actually flooded at this point meaning that the outside circumstances are even more difficult, more unlikely but God will prevail. God performed a miracle just as they went out of Egypt and He is getting ready to do the same thing. It is a replay of God’s blessing. (Do they believe?)

Joshua 3:14–17 ESV

14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

14-17

Joshua predicted what would happen. He predicts that the waters will part for them to enter into the promised land. They will walk across the Jordan (during the flood stage) on dry ground. That takes faith on the part of Joshua

And this miracle sounds familiar doesn’t it? Israel was backed up against the Red Sea and Moses stood up with his staff and God parted the waters?

I love what God is doing here. He is reminding them, reminding them of who He is. He is preforming the same miracle for this group that He did for the original group. His plan still prevails!

He said, Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of the people, for what purpose? So that they will think Joshua is great? That Joshua is special? No, so that the people will know that God is with Joshua the same way He was with Moses. And that means as long as Joshua follows God, God will pave the way for them.

v14 They listened and did as Joshua said. As soon as the priests feet hit the water the water rose up in a heap very far away.

The people crossed while the priests stood holding the ark.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 3:15b–17

By this great miracle, the crossing of the Jordan River at flood stage by a nation of about 2 million people, God was glorified, Joshua was exalted, Israel was encouraged, and the Canaanites were terrorized.

Something happened when they crossed. They were in. They were committed.

This says something about the Christian life. We can take something from this today. When you cross the river you are committed to the cause.

When you cross over to God’s will for your life there is no going back. You are committed.

The Christian life is not just about dying and going to Heaven. The Christian life is about leaving one aspect of your Christian life to another.

For Israel crossing over the Jordan wasn’t heaven, it was the promised land flowing with milk and honey, but it was also a time of war. Army after army, fight after fight, but But. God led them and when they trusted in God and obeyed God’s commands the fight wasn’t the least bit difficult.

When you trust God in what He says, all you have to do is walk it out and let God do the impossible.

Every one of us is standing on the banks of the Jordan, or A Jordon. We have to cross over into the new.

For some, it may be crossing into a relationship with Jesus for the very first time. For others, it might be crossing over into a new season of life of obedience and reliance on God.

For others it may be giving up something that has been in your life for a very long time. It could be a sin. It could be a habit. It could even be a negative attitude that is so deep. For someone else it could be holding on to unforgiveness.

The list goes on and on but but you and I are standing on the edge of the Jordan this morning. Do you have courage, or actually, do you have the faith to cross it? You have to do your part and God does His part. No pun intended.

But it’s not just about crossing. Yes, crossing into the new is intimidating and difficult and scary but God provides a path; (He parts the waters) and you wALK through

Again, what is the first thing that happens when they cross over? They are to expect war, they are to expect difficulties, they are to expect adversity. Troubles right?

But remember that God brought you here… and if God brought you here you can be confident He will keep leading you. But you need to remember… how do they remember?

Remembering is important.

Joshua 4:1–7 ESV

1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

12 men, one from each tribe are to put up a physical reminder of God’s faithfulness. A physical reminder that God did had a plan for them and had something great for them and when they get scared, when they get worried, when they turn back and run, there is something there for them to see so that they will be reminded about how God did the miraculous.

Stones there, That they can tell their kids about how God parted the waters of the Jordan for them to pass even at flood stage. That pile of rocks is a physical reminder, not to be worshipped, but to be looked at as a symbol of God’s promise to them.

I would say to us this morning. If God has done something amazing in your life you can memorialize it. Again, not to worship but to remind us of God’s faithfulness. God’s plan.

There is a particular song that will always remind me of something God taught me.

My whole life was wrapped up in the question: What is God’s will for my life? I was all stressed out about it, always wondering what God’s will is for me.

And I remember coming to a place where I planned to worship God in the way I thought He wanted me to worship, uninhibited, I raised my hands, in front of people. I didn’t care what anyone around me thought. It’s just me and God.

And God said to me as clear as if you were to talk to me here and now. He said “All I want you to do is worship me”. 20 years later it still brings me to tears. And I won’t forget listening to Third Day’s song, consuming fire because whenever I hear that song, I am reminded.

Maybe for you it is a book you read, or a card you received. Maybe an item that you bought Something that will remind you of that special thing God did in your life. Not to make a shrine, or an object of worship, that wouldn’t be right. But a reminder of the promise God has for you.

A symbol that reminds you of how God is with you. A symbol that something special happened with you and God that is personal.

You and I are standing on the edge of our own Jordan river and God is calling you to cross into His will for your life. Maybe you have never been baptized and you need to be obedient in that. Maybe you have never given your future over to God. Maybe you have never trusted God in this or that part of your life. Today you stand on the banks of the only thing that keeps you from receiving God’s best in your life.

I want to give you the opportunity this morning to move forward. I want to give you the opportunity to receive something new from God. I don’t know what it is. I don’t need to know what it is, it’s just between you and God.

Those men were told to pick up stones to have a memorial forever.

I have a bag of stones here this morning and I would like to give you the opportunity it take one. Take one as a memorial to what God is doing in your life. Put it next to your bed, or next to your tooth brush or in the shower, to always remember making a decision in your life to put your faith in God in whatever thing that is in your life and then set it there so that you can constantly see it to remind you that God has cleared your path and that He brought you through.