Read: Joshua 3

Here are some questions to ask as you work through this text. You can also find some background information and additional comments a little further down.

Joshua 3:1-6

1. What were the Israelites supposed to follow on their trip to and through the Jordan? Why?
2. What did it mean for the Ark to go before the people? Who was leading them?
3. What were the people supposed to do to get ready to go?
4. What did it mean for the people to consecrate themselves in preparation for the Lord to do “wonders” among them?
5. What does it reveal about us if we are unconcerned with personal holiness?

Joshua 3:7-17

1. What does God tell Joshua He is preparing to do?
2. What does Joshua tell the people God is getting ready to do?
3. What is significant about the season in which the people cross over the Jordan?
4. What is significant about the presence of the Ark in the middle of the river while the people crossed over?
5. In Joshua 3, God exalts Joshua by displaying that He was with him as he had been with Moses before all of Israel. In what way(s) does this narrative point forward to Jesus?
6. What proof has God given that Jesus is His exalted Son?
7. How should this affect the way we think about worship services?

For additional resources, check out Tom’s weekly blog post: This Week in Family Worship

Commentary

At the end of Joshua 2, the two spies Joshua sent into the land return with a positive report. The people of the land are afraid after having heard the report of the Israelites journey out of Egypt. The spies are certain that the Lord is giving them the land!

Joshua 3 then picks up with Joshua getting the people ready to cross the Jordan River into Canaan. What we see in this text is the certainty of God's presence and promise is confirmed through the drying up of the Jordan River. You have two things happening in this passage:

1. The Lord has told Joshua that he will be with him just as He was with Moses (1:1-9). He restates this (V. 7) but this time, he will exalt Joshua before the people, giving clear evidence to the fact that he is God’s chosen leader.

2. That the Lord is giving the land to the people will be confirmed by the drying up of the Jordan (V. 10-13). However, all around the miracle pertaining to the river is the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark signified the presence of God with His people. Therefore, they waited on the Ark to move and stayed behind the Ark on their journey because it was God who was leading them into the land. They dare not go unless He is leading them.

This narrative calls us back to the parting of the Red Sea. The parting of the Red Sea served to confirm the presence and power of Yahweh. It also confirmed that the Lord was with Moses, specifically highlighting that the Lord had chosen him to lead the Israelites. The parting of the Jordan River would confirm the same for a new generation of Israelites as the Lord readied them to take possession of the land.

However, we need to remember what happened with the Israelites shortly after crossing through the Red Sea. Within three days, they were complaining, already forgetting what God had done and failing to trust Him.

Something similar will happen here. After they cross the river and the Lord miraculously delivers Jericho into their hands, Achan sins by defying the command of God (he took items the Lord had said to devote to destruction). Later, there is the failure to consult the Lord when approached by the Gibeonites and, ultimately, there is the failure to completely drive the people out of the land.

What we learn is that what the Israelites truly needed was to have their hearts made new. Despite the miraculous things they saw God do over and over again, their unbelief showed itself time and time again.

Thankfully, the Lord would eventually provide a leader who would turn the hearts of God's people back to Him. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has been exalted by God, who has bestowed “on him the name above every name” (Philippians 2:9). It is in Jesus that all the promises of God find their yes (2 Corinthians 1:20). Through faith in Jesus, God transforms our sinful hearts, filling us with brand new affections for Him and His glory. Through faith in Jesus, we receive His righteousness, are declared holy, and are able to live holy lives that are consistent with the will and desires of God. It is by faith that we become citizens of the Kingdom of God and come under the rule of Christ as our King. Being citizens in His Kingdom, we eagerly anticipate the day we will dwell with Him on the New Earth. All of this is confirmed by a far greater sign than an empty river bed: an empty tomb.

If you want to read more, here is the source I am using to study Joshua:

Dale Ralph Davis – Joshua: No Falling Words