13And 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. 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; 15And 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,) 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. 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 (Joshua 3: 13-17).
God as creator commands all of creation. God is in control. And as Creator, He has intervened dramatically at certain times in human history. In Joshua, as the people of Israel are about to cross into the land promised to them by God, God acts to part the waters of the Jordon River-at flood stage I might add. There are several reasons God may have chosen to miraculously act on behalf of Israel. One possible reason is to remind Israel that it is God that delivers his people when they are in need; no action by the people would be effective in certain situations. Another possible reason was to show God’s might and power before the people of Jordon River Valley. A third, and I think perhaps the most intriguing reason may have been to simply provide a path for His people to follow Him. The Ark of the Covenant was the presence of God; God provided a path for His people to follow His presence. This too was a foreshadowing of the Creator God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ. Christ is the very presence of God in our midst, and He parts the troubled waters of our lives so we can follow Him. Remember when you face a raging river in life, that seems too difficult to cross on your own, your Creator is also a mighty deliverer-follow Him wherever He leads.
God as creator commands all of creation. God is in control. And as Creator, He has intervened dramatically at certain times in human history. In Joshua, as the people of Israel are about to cross into the land promised to them by God, God acts to part the waters of the Jordon River-at flood stage I might add. There are several reasons God may have chosen to miraculously act on behalf of Israel. One possible reason is to remind Israel that it is God that delivers his people when they are in need; no action by the people would be effective in certain situations. Another possible reason was to show God’s might and power before the people of Jordon River Valley. A third, and I think perhaps the most intriguing reason may have been to simply provide a path for His people to follow Him. The Ark of the Covenant was the presence of God; God provided a path for His people to follow His presence. This too was a foreshadowing of the Creator God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ. Christ is the very presence of God in our midst, and He parts the troubled waters of our lives so we can follow Him. Remember when you face a raging river in life, that seems too difficult to cross on your own, your Creator is also a mighty deliverer-follow Him wherever He leads.
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