The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 4:18,
"And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before."
The Lord had done an amazing thing. When it was time for the Israelites to take possession of the promised land, they had to cross the Jordan River to enter into it. To accomplish this, the Lord caused the Jordan, at flood stage because of the time of year, to stop flowing and pile up so the Israelites could pass through. It is reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea when Moses led Israel out of Egypt.
In the previous chapter we read that when the feet of the priests, who were carrying the ark of the covenant and leading the Israelites, touched the Jordan, the river stopped flowing, "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." Joshua 3:15-17.
After Israel had crossed over, we read the above passage, that as soon as the priests carrying the ark came up out of the dry river bed, now following the Israelites, that as soon as their feet came up onto the other side, out of the river bed, the Jordan returned to flowing at flood stage as before.
The point of the miracle was to enable Israel to cross the Jordan. Also, the miracle let all know the Lord was with his people and would provide for them as they took the land from the Canaanites. I'm also convinced a further purpose was to insure all the peoples in the area would realize that the God who devastated Egypt forty years earlier and parted the Red Sea for his people was again afoot, providing a demoralizing picture for the Canaanites. The Canaanites were well aware of what had happened in Egypt, and this particular miracle might have helped them make that connection.
Another thought strikes me about this miracle. Please indulge me on this as it may just be my own fanciful imagination - but I throw it out there for whatever it is worth:
The flow of humanity is at times pictured as waters. Sometimes when strife and conflict, rebellion against God and dissension are in view. Such a passage might be Psalm 69 where David calls out to God for help as he faces, "Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me." Verse 4. In verses 14-15, he says, "Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me."
Another possible example is Psalm 18:16-18 where David recounts how the Lord delivered him from his foes, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before."
The Lord had done an amazing thing. When it was time for the Israelites to take possession of the promised land, they had to cross the Jordan River to enter into it. To accomplish this, the Lord caused the Jordan, at flood stage because of the time of year, to stop flowing and pile up so the Israelites could pass through. It is reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea when Moses led Israel out of Egypt.
In the previous chapter we read that when the feet of the priests, who were carrying the ark of the covenant and leading the Israelites, touched the Jordan, the river stopped flowing, "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." Joshua 3:15-17.
After Israel had crossed over, we read the above passage, that as soon as the priests carrying the ark came up out of the dry river bed, now following the Israelites, that as soon as their feet came up onto the other side, out of the river bed, the Jordan returned to flowing at flood stage as before.
The point of the miracle was to enable Israel to cross the Jordan. Also, the miracle let all know the Lord was with his people and would provide for them as they took the land from the Canaanites. I'm also convinced a further purpose was to insure all the peoples in the area would realize that the God who devastated Egypt forty years earlier and parted the Red Sea for his people was again afoot, providing a demoralizing picture for the Canaanites. The Canaanites were well aware of what had happened in Egypt, and this particular miracle might have helped them make that connection.
Another thought strikes me about this miracle. Please indulge me on this as it may just be my own fanciful imagination - but I throw it out there for whatever it is worth:
The flow of humanity is at times pictured as waters. Sometimes when strife and conflict, rebellion against God and dissension are in view. Such a passage might be Psalm 69 where David calls out to God for help as he faces, "Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me." Verse 4. In verses 14-15, he says, "Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me."
Another possible example is Psalm 18:16-18 where David recounts how the Lord delivered him from his foes, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support."
In any event, the ark the priests carried into the Jordan contained the law. When their feet touched the water, the river was stopped in its tracks. The flow stopped until the priests, carrying the ark with the law, came up out of the river bed. I'm not sure why, but I have this thought that since the law of God represents his judgment, forming the basis of the indictment against lost and fallen mankind, it will, certainly in that day of judgment, stop mankind in its tracks - just like the Jordan was stopped in its tracks.
Don't press my figurative thoughts too far though, as it wouldn't pass the scrutiny of examining all the particulars that could be raised. I'm just thinking out loud this morning.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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