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The Jordan

             And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. (Joshua 3:7-8 & 15-17)

Another repeat. This time, instead of a pillar of cloud and fire, they had the ark of the covenant. This time, instead of fleeing a battle, they were preparing to start one. And this time, we’re told specifically that the Jordan was at flood stage. With the Red Sea, the wind blew throughout the night, and it took them most of the night to cross. With the Jordan, we don’t know the time frame, but  what we do know is that it’s a repeat event, and it’s a repeat of one of three events that Rahab mentioned as striking fear into the people of the land. In fact, it's the one event (of the three) that could not be attributed to the Israelites. God was letting the people of the land know that the same God who was with the Israelites in Egypt was with them at Jericho.

At the same time, the Red Sea had taken place more than forty years earlier, and those who still lived would have been very young. Some hadn’t been born. While they had heard about it, it wasn’t really a repetition for them. It did, however, link the two events and the God who caused them. He was letting the people know that the same God who had been with Moses (and them) was the God who was with Joshua. However, there is a not-so-subtle shift. While God was exalting Joshua, Joshua wasn’t carrying the ark as Moses had carried the staff. There’s a little distance involved, and I think Joshua accepted that.

That leads us to the question of the day. When you or I think God isn’t doing for us what He did for Moses, or Joshua, or any other Biblical person we choose, or what we think He should do, are we right? Gideon complained along these lines when an angel greeted him. If they were God’s chosen people, why were they in these difficult times? Perhaps more importantly, while what God was using Joshua to do in the land was impressive, could it be that what God is doing in us and through us is more so, but we can’t see it? Are we waiting for a crossing the Jordan moment rather than the still, small voice?

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