Joshua 3
Joshua 3 describes Israel crossing the Jordan River into the land. The chapter includes preparation at the river (verses 1–6), God's confirmation of Joshua's leadership and promise concerning the waters (verses 7–13), and the actual crossing on dry ground while the priests stand with the ark in the riverbed (verses 14–17).
1verseJoshua got up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They camped there before they crossed over.
2verseAfter three days, the officers went through the middle of the camp;
3verseand they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, and the Levitical priests bearing it, then leave your place and follow it.
4verseYet there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measure—don’t come closer to it—that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way before.”
5verseJoshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
6verseJoshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and cross over before the people.” They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
7verseThe LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8verseYou shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
9verseJoshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”
10verseJoshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you.
11verseBehold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan.
12verseNow therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.
13verseIt shall be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of GOD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap.”
14verseWhen the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people,
15verseand when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest),
16versethe waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over near Jericho.
17verseThe priests who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan.
Following the Ark of the Covenant
The people are instructed to follow the ark, which represents the LORD's presence and covenant. They are also told to keep proper distance from it. The emphasis is that the people do not enter the land by their own direction alone; they follow God's presence ahead of them.
The Jordan Crossing
The Jordan is overflowing its banks during harvest season, yet when the priests carrying the ark step into the water, the river stops flowing and the people cross on dry ground. The event confirms Joshua's leadership and recalls the earlier crossing of the sea in the exodus story.
Points for Reflection
- What does it mean for the ark to go before the people?
- How does obedience appear before the path is fully visible?
- How do remembered acts of deliverance strengthen trust in a new generation?
Try Applying It to Yourself
- When facing an obstacle, reflect on what faithful preparation and the first step of obedience might look like.
- Consider how past guidance can help you trust through present uncertainty.
