A text – Joshua 3:7-17
7 The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. 8 You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ” 9 Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: 11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. 12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”
14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16 the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.
A reflection:
Joshua is the new leader, as the Israelites cross over into Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses has died. Joshua has big shoes to fill. How has God in mind to accomplish this change of leadership? What action will cement Joshua into the role of Moses’s successor? There is a command, a promise, and a sign. The command? Be not afraid. The Promise? I will be with you. The sign? Lead the people across a mighty flooding river, like the Red Sea, on dry land. The waters will “stand in a single heap.” And it was so.
I don’t know about you, but I did not know this story, this significant repeat of water in a famous river coming to stand in a heap by God’s command while the children of Israel crossed over the dry riverbed. Surely this did cement in the Israelites’ imaginations Joshua’s place as leader of the former slaves of Egypt as they claimed their promised land.
It was no accident that the Ark of the Covenant led the procession and, when its bearers’ toes touched the river, the water stood still and then rose up in a heap. The Ark was a rectangular box containing the two tablets of stone that held God’s law, the 10 commandments. Only the priests could touch it, carry it. The people had to stay ¾ of a mile away from it to be safe. The priests carrying the ark touched the water, God stopped the river and piled it up upstream, and the people crossed on dry land. There could be no surer sign that God was with them (and with Joshua) than this repeat of the crossing of the Red Sea, which had convinced even the reluctant fleeing Hebrew slaves that God had made their freedom.
Signs and wonders. It’s no wonder that all the Israelites’ descendants wanted Jesus to do more signs and wonders. God had been extravagant with pivotal signs. I wonder what signs we bring into the lives of our friends, relatives, neighbors, and coworkers to let them see that God is with us every day. The Red River of the North does not stand still for me; I know that. But is God’s prompting me to call this person or that one today – does that not result in God showing up for him or for her, bringing recognition and comfort through my voice? Isn’t that sometimes a sign or wonder? I should pay more attention to promptings.
A prayer:
Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for the signs and wonders you did and you continue to do. Help us to be part of your work, your showing up for people every day. Amen.
