Then Joshua rose early in the morning (Joshua 3:1)
Joshua was an early riser who spent the first hours of the day in communion with God. He imitated our Lord Jesus Christ. (Mark 1:35, Isaiah 50:4)
and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. (Joshua 3:1)
Joshua ordered the camp to move ten miles from the Acacia Grove (Shittim) to the Jordan
2So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” (Joshua 3:2-4)
God is our companion as we go through life, but we dare not treat Him casually or with disrespect.
I thank God for the blood of Jesus, today there is no distance between us and God. “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)
And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5)
The children of Israel were on the verge of one of their greatest victories. It was at this moment that Joshua told the people of Israel. This was not a new principle for Joshua. He had seen this principle being implemented by Moses the man of God who was his mentor.
Every time God was getting ready to do something in the midst of His people, the Lord would tell them to sanctify themselves.
10Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (Exodus 19:10-11)
Joshua knew that if they had to see the wonders of God in their midst, they had to be spiritually ready
Anytime God wants to visit us, do wonders amongst us, we must sanctify ourselves. To sanctify means to set apart ourselves by getting in the presence of God so that He can wash us and do what He wants in us and through us.
A word of spiritual advice for pastors and leaders. Don’t prepare on the day of the service. Prepare at least a day in advance.
Sanctification is not so that we can earn God’s blessing, but this is so that we can position ourselves to be ready to receive His blessings.
Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” (Joshua 3:6)
The priests had the responsibility of bearing the ark of the covenant and going before the people as they marched. It was the priests who had to get their feet wet before God would open the waters. The priests would also have to stand in the middle of the riverbed until all the people had passed over. When the priests arrived on the other side, the waters would return to their original condition. It took faith and courage for these priests to do their job, but they trusted God and relied on the faithfulness of His Word.
And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. (Joshua 3:7)
When Moses led the nation through the Red Sea, this miracle magnified Moses before the people, and they recognized that he was indeed the servant of the Lord (Exodus 14:31). God would do the same thing for Joshua at the Jordan, and in so doing, He would remind the people that He was with Joshua just as He had been with Moses.
God’s presence with a leader will exalt him in the sight of the people. The followers should know that God is with a leader. “So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.” (Joshua 6:27)
Significance of the Jordan crossing
Their miraculous crossing affirmed God’s presence with them and His promise to remove their enemies from the land.
“By this you shall know that the living God is among you, (Joshua 3:10)
People want evidence that the LORD is among them
City Adam Tel ed-Damiyeh. A city on the Jordan River beside Zarethan mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 3:16 with the parting of the Jordan. It is also mentioned in and Hosea 6:7. The city has been identified by many with Tel ed-Damiyeh on the western bank of the river, just below the mouth of the Jabbok and about 18 miles north of Jericho.
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