Joshua 3:14–16 (ESV) — 14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass
over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the
people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far
as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the
brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time
of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up
in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those
flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut
off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
NOTE: Normally, the
Jordan is not very wide (150-180 feet), but during the harvest, it can easily
double to 300-360 feet. Also, getting 2+ million people through that area in a
day must have taken nearly a mile of width. If it was muddy, the whole operation
would have ground to a halt moving carts and animals. God initiates a miracle,
not on the same scale, but similar to the one Moses was a part of when they
crossed the Red Sea. Not surprisingly, God does it differently, using the
priests and the ark as the initiating force. God shows the people through this
miracle that he is with them, as he was when Moses led them, so he will be with
them as Joshua leads them. There are no issues of disobedience or grumbling at
this point, and yet a huge task is before them. They should be the ones who are
scared, but as the story from chapter two suggests, it is the people of the
land whose hearts melt when they hear of Israel and their God. Rahab even uses
the language of the culture of Israel. At this point, Israel just obeys. God
does everything. And that will be the lesson of Jericho. Obey, and I (God) will
take care of you and your concerns--just do your part, obey.
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