14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Basically this is saying, these people are trying to cross over the Jordan. When they reach the waters edge the water rose up very far away, meaning now there is dry land for them to pass over. The scripture even makes an extra point to say that the banks we overflowing. It wasn't some dry riverbed, it was a full flowing river.
4:1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
Now God tells Joshua to pick 12 mean in each tribe, tell them to go to the middle of the dry river and pick 12 stones and take these stones home with them. My favorite part of this whole passage is the reason God told Joshua to tell these men to take the stones home with them. In verse 6 "That this may be a sign among you." God wants them to keep these stones because of the meaning they have to these men. So they can tell the story of crossing the Jordan to their children. And remember it forever. I think it is important for us to keep things in our sight that remind us of miracles, or of prayers we are believing for. God could have told Joshua to not tell those men anything, but it was important to God that these men would have a sign and a reminder of what happened that day.
I am believing for healing. I can picture the sight of the Jordan, the waters being completely cut off and it becoming dry land. Man can't do that, God did it. There is absolutely nothing impossible with God. My most recent visit to the doctor I was told that there was nothing any doctor can do for me. To fix the pain, or the PVNS. I am so glad that I do not, in any way, depend on doctors to heal me. Some people might see an "incurable" health problem as impossible, well I'm so blessed that nothing is impossible with God.
The Jordan River....
No comments:
Post a Comment