Courageous Steps

It is generally a bad idea to go near a river at flood stage. Yet, that is what God instructed Joshua and the priests in Joshua 3. 40 years of wandering, 400 years of slavery. Many moons had come and gone since God made that promise to Abraham that He would give this land to his descendants. And now, the Jordan River at flood stage stood between God’s people and God’s promise.

The instructions were clear. “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God… you shall set off from your place and follow it” (Josh 3.3).

The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. So, the people were to follow God into the flooded river. Joshua gave the command, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Josh 3.5). God assured Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all the people of Israel,…as I was with Moses so I will be with you” (Josh. 3.7).

The priests’ orders were to take the ark of the covenant, this golden box that had the tablets 10 commandments, and to stand still in the Jordan River that was at flood stage.

I had the opportunity to touch the Jordan River a few years ago. It was not at flood stage and was not all that impressive when you compare it to the Mississippi River. However, the Jordan River is the life blood of the Holy Land. And any river, small or large, at flood stage still carries its fair share of water.

Joshua 3:13–17 NIV

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.” So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 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, 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. 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.

The leaders had to take the first steps of faith to walk into the flooded river. The people had the responsibility to follow. At the end of the day, it was God who gets the credit for the miracle. The water was piled up in a heap at a town called Adam that is about 18 miles upstream. This miracle is no small feat.

The miracle stopped the flowing of the water and dried up the ground. The children of God did not even get their feet muddy. They walked across the river on dry ground.

As they pass through on dry ground, Joshua instructed 12 men, one from each of the tribes to take a stone from the place where the priests stood and place it on their shoulders and carry to the place where they spend the night. Joshua also makes a pile of stones to stay there in the middle of the river, too.

The men carry the stones and place them in a pile. Joshua said, “When your children ask what do these stones mean to you? 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 were cut off” (Josh 4.6-7).

Sounds like a good advice to fathers to provide opportunities to tell their children the mighty actions of God. Much like these stones were physical reminders of God’s power, like Rahab’s scarlet cord out her window reminded her of God’s power and promise, we have physical reminders today of God’s faithfulness.

When your children see you reading your Bible, that is an opportunity to tell them about how God is working in your life. Wedding rings tell stories. Books tell stories. Scars tell stories. What physical reminders do you have around you that provide teachable moments for you to pass on to your children or grandchildren about the mighty power of God?

Again near the end of Joshua 4, Joshua instructed the people again, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?” Then you shall let your children know, “Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground” (Josh. 4.21-22).

Then, we come to the summary statement for the entire story of Joshua 3-4. At this time, I’d like one person in your group to read Joshua 4.23-24, how Joshua summarizes this miraculous journey across the Jordan River.

Joshua 4:23–24 NIV

For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

1) God wants all people on the earth to know His power.

2) God wants His people to always fear him.

To put it another way, we have a response and a responsibility to the works of God. Our response is to know, to learn about God’s power. Our responsibility is what we do with that knowledge. If you know that God is strong and powerful, then our responsibility is to fear Him all our days.

Dominant Thought: Knowing God’s power results in fearing Him.

1) God wants all people on the earth to know His power.

God wants all people on earth to know or to learn some things about Him. Specifically, he wants all peoples on the earth t know that He is strong.

As they pile up those stones, and as the fathers tell their children the story of their crossing, the lesson to learn was to know the power of God’s mighty hand. The same hand the brought the plagues on Egypt, dried up the Red Sea, provided 40 years of wear on the same pair of sandals, is the same strong hand that just led them through the flooded Jordan on dry ground.

Rupert Higgins tells a story of when He endured an army assault course (“Crossing Over” at All Souls Church on 01-18-04). It went well until he got to the end when he encountered an underground tunnel filled with water. Fear set in. He was not ready to go in. Then, this angry sergeant major type. You ‘re going to go through this. I always get people through this tunnel. Higgins replied, “I’d rather not go.” Some called it a watery grave. The sergeant promised, “Don’t worry, I will get you through this tunnel.” As I started, I got worried and panic set in. As I got in the tunnel from the other end of the tunnel, I felt this great big burly hand grab a hold of me sweeping me through.” It was no problem. Early on it was hard until that hand grabbed me.

2) God wants His people to always fear him.

The purpose clause says that “you all may fear the Lord your God all the days” (Josh 4.24). It is challenging to think about fearing God. We don’t do fear very well. Generally, when we are afraid of something or someone we avoid it don’t we?

And yet, there are healthy fears. We are afraid of the fire so we are careful around the campfire when we roast our smore’s. We are afraid of the water so we don’t go swimming alone. Fear is healthy. There was another time that God provided a way for His children to walk through on dry ground when He parted the read Sea. Listen to their song after they came through the Red Sea.

Exodus 14:31 NIV

And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Rupert Higgins in a sermon on this text pointed out something interesting about the location where the children of God crossed the Jordan River on dry ground between two specific places. To the north is the town of Adam and to the south is the Dead Sea. Adam was the name of the first person God created from the dust of the ground. The Dead Sea is viewed as a place of judgment. Between the first living being and the place of judgment, God’s people crossed on dry ground into the promised land.

The presence of God in the ark of the covenant, opened the way and brought His people into the promised land. The Lord Jesus performed many miracles while on the earth. He turned water into wine, calmed the storm, and walked on water. Those miracles were a preview of what life would be like in the new creation, the promised land.

The very presence of God stood between the first Adam and the place of judgment when he took up His cross toward Calvary. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, we are able to escape the judgment and enter into God’s promised land.

Conclusion: The same God who brought His children through the Jordan River on dry ground brought His Son out of the grave. Why? So, we would never forget His power and respond with fear or awe. Knowing God’s power results in fearing Him.

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