Advance across the Jordan

 Joshua 3:1-17

When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

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.

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.

It was spring - the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Which is March/April approaching the time of the barley harvest. The river was swollen with Mt Hermon's melted snows, not the best time for crossing. Yet, as the priests stepped into the floodwater, a blockage at Adam, about 29 km upstream, dammed the river, leaving the rive-bed dry. In 1927 earth tremors caused a collapse of the high clay river banks at the same spot, and the Jordan was banned for over 21 hours. As with the Red Sea crossing. 40 years earlier natural forces are employed to clear the way in a miracle of timing.

Why?

The miracle happened again like Moses led Israelites across the Red Sea. The difference is the priest with the ark stood in the Jordan River, the river stop flow.

This time Israelite consecrated themselves first. And Joshua knew the Lord will do the great thing.

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. The key point is the priest step into the water them the water stopped flowing. This is the step of the faith.

How?

Follow the covenant instead of following Joshua for the Lord is the real leader. And the Lord let Joshua be leader before his people.