JOSHUA - CHAPTER 3
Leaving Shittim
v1 Early in the morning, Joshua and all the Israelites left the city of Shittim. They put their tents by the river Jordan. Then they waited to cross the river. v2 Three days later, their leaders went to every tent. v3 ‘You will see the priests as they carry the ark of God’s promise’, they said to the people. ‘Then you must follow them. v4 They will show you the way to go because you have never been here before. But stay about 1000 metres behind the ark. Do not go near it.’
Commentary
Verses 1-4
So far, we have looked at the faith of Joshua and Rahab. We now read about the faith of groups of people. Joshua believed that God would help the Israelites to cross over the river Jordan. Rahab believed that God would give the land to the Israelites. Now the Israelites had to show their own faith in God.
The leaders of the people had faith in God. They knew that God would lead them. The people had to follow the ark of God’s promise. This was a sign that God was leading the way. The people could show their faith in God if they followed the ark.
About the Ark
The ark is also called
---1. the ark of the Lord
---2. the ark of God
---3. the ark of God’s promise
---4. the ark of promise of the Lord of all the earth
---5. the ark of the Covenant
In Exodus chapters 25-27, God gave Moses instructions to build a Tent of Meeting. This is where God would meet with his people. The Tent of Meeting was a large tent with a large area of land round it. A cloth fence surrounded this.
There were two rooms in the tent. The ark was inside the inner room. The ark was a wooden box with gold all over the outside and inside. Only the high priest could see it. He could only see it on one day in the year.
When the Israelites moved to another place, they carried the ark on poles. A cloth covered the ark so that no one could see it. The ark was a very holy object. The leaders told the Israelites not to go too close to the ark. It was too holy. And they were sinful.
Joshua's Instruction to the People
v5 Joshua told the people to make themselves holy and ready for the Lord. ‘Tomorrow the Lord will do great things that will surprise you completely’, he said. v6 ‘Take up the ark, and go in front of the people’, Joshua said to the priests. So, they picked it up, and they went on before the people. v7 And the Lord spoke to Joshua. ‘Today I will begin to show the Israelites that you are important’, he said. ‘I was with Moses. And they will know that I am with you too.’
Commentary
Verse 5
The people had to make themselves holy and ready for the Lord. They would have to wash themselves and all their clothes. They might also offer a sacrifice to God. This was to show that they were sorry for their sins. They wanted God to forgive them. God was intending to do something great for them. They had to be ready. God wants people to be holy and ready for him. We cannot work for God if we are sinful.
Verse 6
The ark went ahead of the people. This was to show that God was leading the way.
Verse 7
God had chosen Joshua to replace Moses. God needed to show the people that he had chosen Joshua. God would show the people how important Joshua was. The people would see the miracle that God performed by Joshua.
God Continued with Instructions to Joshua
v8 The Lord continued, ‘The priests that are carrying the ark will reach the edge of the river Jordan. Tell them, "Go and stand in the river."’v9 Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. v10 Your God is alive. He will show you that he is with you. He will show you how powerful he is. He will certainly remove these nations from this land: the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. v11 See the ark of the Lord of all the earth go into the Jordan in front of you. v12 Now choose 12 men. Choose one from each tribe of Israel. v13 The priests are carrying the ark of promise of the Lord of all the earth. As soon as they step into the water of the river, the Lord will stop the water. The water will not come towards them. Instead, the water will rise up like a wall.’
v14 So the priests that were carrying the ark went in front of the people towards the river. v15 There was a lot of water coming down the river at that time of the year. But as soon as the priests went into the river, v16 the water stopped coming. It stopped a long way up the river. The water stopped at a town called Adam near Zarethan. The water that was going down to the Salt Sea stopped completely. So, the people crossed the river near Jericho. v17 While the people walked across on dry ground, the priests stood still in the middle of the Jordan. The priests were carrying the ark. They stood there until all the people had crossed.
Commentary
Verses 8, 13 The priests had to show their faith. They had to stand in the river. It was possible to cross the river Jordan in some places. Earlier Joshua had sent two men in secret to see what the land was like. They crossed the river easily. Now it was different. There was a lot of water in the river at this time (verse 15). They did not know what would happen. They had to trust that God would do something special.
Verse 9
Joshua told the Israelites that God was giving the instructions. Joshua did not want the honour for himself. Joshua could not do this miracle by his own power. God was telling them what to do.
Verse 10
God was alive. He was not like the gods of the Canaanites. They could not do anything to help. God would help the Israelites to possess the land.
The Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites all lived in the land of Canaan. They were the enemies of Israel. They were evil people. The Israelites had to defeat them.
Moses had told the Israelites, ‘The people are strong and tall. God will go ahead of you. He will kill them. God will kill them because they are so evil. It is not because you are good. It is because they are bad.’ (See Deuteronomy 9:2-4.)
Verses 11-13
Joshua told the people what would happen. He did not say, ‘Let us see what happens!’ He knew what God had decided to do. Joshua trusted God. He expected the people to show the same faith.
Verse 14-16
The miracle happened! Joshua was right about every event that happened. There have been other occasions when this particular river has become dry. But these other occasions were not miracles. Usually, an earthquake (when the earth shakes) has caused this river to become dry.
On this occasion, a miracle happened:
---1. The miracle happened when a lot of water was coming down the river (verse 15).
---2. The miracle happened just when the priests walked into the river (verses 15-16).
---3. The miracle stopped as soon as the priests came out of the river (Joshua 4:18).
---4. The people in Canaan also knew that it was a miracle (Joshua 5:1).
God made everything. He can use anything for his purposes. Here are three examples.
---1. God used a strong east wind to divide the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21).
---2. God sent hail stones to kill the enemies of Israel (Joshua 10:11).
---3. God made the sun stand still to help Israel (Joshua 10:13, 14).
Commentary
Verse 17
This was another act of faith. The priests did not go across the river as quickly as possible. They waited in the middle. They waited until everybody had gone across. This was further proof that it was a miracle.
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