THE WATER BECOMES A WALL
[Joshua:3:1-17 [1] And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. [2] And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; [3] And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. [4] Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. [5] And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. [6] And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. [7] And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. [8] And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. [9] And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. [10] And Joshua said, Hereby ye 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 passeth over before you into Jordan. [12] Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. [13] And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. [14] And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; [15] And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) [16] That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. [17] And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. ]; [Joshua:4:1-24 [1] And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, [2] Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, [3] And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. [4] Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: [5] And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: [6] That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? [7] Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. [8] And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. [9] And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. [10] For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. [11] And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. [12] And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: [13] About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. [14] On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. [15] And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, [16] Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. [17] Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. [18] And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. [19] And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. [20] And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. [21] And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? [22] Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. [23] For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: [24] That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. ].
“With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
The Good Spies
The two spies did not come back as some of the others had done, afraid of the high walls they saw, an the big men there. When the people heard those things, it made them all afraid, too. But the good spies said that although there were high walls and big men, they believed the people could, with God’s great help, take the city.
A Path Through the River
After spending three days in getting ready to cross the river, Joshua told the people what they should do. He said they should pray, and sanctify themselves, so that God would help them. Then he said that when they saw the priests go, the people should follow at a short distance. When they reached the edge of the river the priests should step into the water. They had to have much faith in God to do that.
They did as Joshua told them to do. God made the water stand up like a great wall and the people walked across on dry land.
Remember His Kindness
Joshua told twelve men to take twelve stones out of the middle of the river; from the place the priests had stood until the people crossed over. The twelve stones were taken to the place the people camped, and were left there as a mark of what God had done for them. When their children would ask what that pile of stones meant, then they could tell them what God had done for them and how He had brought them across the Jordan on dry land. God expects parents to tell their children about Him.
God wants all people to remember His kindness to them, and to be thankful. He wants them to know that He is willing and able to help them no matter how hard it may seem to them to do the thing God tells them to do. Nothing is too hard for God to do. If they remember what He has done and are thankful to Him, they will believe Him and trust Him and have His help all the time. God is love; and he is glad to help all who obey Him and look to Him for help. He has promised it in His Holy Bible.
1. Who led the way when the people cross the Jordan? [Joshua:3:14And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
].
2. What happened when the feet of the priests touched the water? [Joshua:3:16That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
].
3. Was the riverbed dry, where they crossed over? [Joshua:3:17And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
].
4. What did the twelve men take out of the middle of the river? [Joshua:4:8And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
].
5. What happened to the waters of Jordan after the people had crossed over? [Joshua:4:18And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
].
- Login to post comments
