Joshua 3:1-17

Come in, and receive God’s promises!

Joshua

Brian Rowlands

Maps to help you to study this book are on the Internet at www.easyenglish.info.

Chapter 3

The people cross the river Jordan – Joshua 3:1-5

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.’

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

• the *ark of the *Lord,

• the *ark of God,

• the *ark of God’s promise,

• the *ark of promise of the *Lord of all the earth,

• the *ark of the *Covenant (or agreement).

In Exodus Chapter s 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.

Hebrews 4:16 says that we can have confidence to approach God. Jesus died to make this possible. We do not have to stay at a distance.

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.’

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.

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.

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.

There are times when we have to step out with *faith. We may not know what will happen.

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.

Our God is still alive today. Jesus is alive. He will help us in our daily lives. He will help us to do good things.

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.

We have enemies in our lives. These are more *spiritual than physical enemies. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul tells us about this. He writes, ‘We are not fighting against men and women but against the rulers and authorities of the dark world. They are the powerful leaders of the evil *spirits who live in the sky.’

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.)

We do not deserve all the good things that God does for us. God helps us to overcome the bad things in our lives. This is because he hates evil things.

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:

• The *miracle happened when a lot of water was coming down the river (verse 15).

• The *miracle happened just when the priests walked into the river (verses 15-16).

• The *miracle stopped as soon as the priests came out of the river (Joshua 4:18).

• 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.

• God used a strong east wind to divide the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21).

• God sent *hail stones to kill the enemies of *Israel (Joshua 10:11).

• God made the sun stand still to help *Israel (Joshua 10:13; Joshua 10:14).

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.

Israelites ~ people from Israel. They are also called Hebrews and Jews.

Israel ~ all the people born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; the people that God chose; or, the land that the Israelites lived in.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for one of the Israelites.
ark ~ the ark of the Lord, the ark of God or the ark of God’s promise; the Bible also calls it the ark of the Covenant (or agreement). It was a wooden box with gold all over the outside and inside. The Israelites kept the ark in the house of the Lord and only the high priest could see it. It is also called the ark of promise of the Lord of all the earth.

Lord ~ a name for God in the Bible. The original language of the Old Testament is called Hebrew. In the Hebrew language, there are two words that we translate as ‘Lord’. The Hebrew word ‘ADONAI’ means that God rules. God is our master. The Hebrew word ‘YHWH’ means that God never changes. God is always God.
covenant ~ an agreement between two people; or, an agreement between God and a person or people; or, an agreement between groups of people.
Israelites ~ people from Israel. They are also called Hebrews and Jews.

high priest ~ the most important priest.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
Israel ~ all the people born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; the people that God chose; or, the land that the Israelites lived in.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for one of the Israelites.
faith ~ trust, trust in God, belief.
Lord ~ a name for God in the Bible. The original language of the Old Testament is called Hebrew. In the Hebrew language, there are two words that we translate as ‘Lord’. The Hebrew word ‘ADONAI’ means that God rules. God is our master. The Hebrew word ‘YHWH’ means that God never changes. God is always God.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
covenant ~ an agreement between two people; or, an agreement between God and a person or people; or, an agreement between groups of people.'Tent of Meeting ~ a special tent where God met with his people.'high priest ~ the most important priest.
holy ~ description of God, God’s character; set apart, perfect, wonderful; completely good, with nothing bad in it. People can be holy if they belong to God. And, they should refuse to do evil things.
sinful ~ evil and wrong; when people do things against God or other people; when we do not obey the commands of God; when we do not do what God wants us to do.
sacrifice ~ a gift to God to ask him to forgive sins. The Israelites would often give an animal or bird to God when they asked God to forgive their sins. Jesus gave himself to die as a sacrifice for our sins.

sin ~ when we do not obey the rule of God; when we do not do what God wants us to do.
Israelites ~ people from Israel. They are also called Hebrews and Jews.
Israel ~ all the people born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; the people that God chose; or, the land that the Israelites lived in.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for one of the Israelites.
sin ~ when we do not obey the rule of God; when we do not do what God wants us to do.
miracle ~ a wonderful work that God does by his power.
Canaanites ~ the people who used to live in Canaan, the promised land.

Canaan ~ another name for the promised land.

promised land ~ the land that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
tribe ~ the whole family of one of Jacob’s 12 sons.
Israel ~ all the people born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; the people that God chose; or, the land that the Israelites lived in.

Israelites ~ people from Israel. They are also called Hebrews and Jews.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for one of the Israelites.
Canaan ~ another name for the promised land.

promised land ~ the land that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
spiritual ~ something that belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things. Or, a holy thing.

spirit ~ part of a living person that we cannot see. Our spirit can speak to God and God can speak to our spirit. There are good spirits, like God’s Holy Spirit and his servants, called ‘angels’. And there are bad spirits like the devil and his servants.
holy ~ description of God, God’s character; set apart, perfect, wonderful; completely good, with nothing bad in it. People can be holy if they belong to God. And, they should refuse to do evil things.
spirit ~ part of a living person that we cannot see. Our spirit can speak to God and God can speak to our spirit. There are good spirits, like God’s Holy Spirit and his servants, called ‘angels’. And there are bad spirits like the devil and his servants.
hail ~ ice in rain. Rain can freeze, so that it falls like stones.