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Joshua

Chapter 3
{Crossing of the Jordan River}
{Verses 1-17: Preparation for Crossing the Jordan
  Principal: Preparation Precedes Success in Life}
1~~And Joshua rose early in the morning;
and they kept on setting out from Shittim
  {from the meadow of the Acacias trees},
and came to Jordan {the Jordan River},
he and all the children of Israel,
and lodged there before they passed over
  {going from the East bank to the West bank of the Jordan}.

{Note: The Jordan has a very steep flow. The drop from its source of the base of Mount Herman to the Dead Sea is a drop of 2000 feet usually from North to South. And the flow will be stopped at one end so the water just stacked up high for maybe 30 miles back. So only one side of the Jordan was stopped by God this time.}

{Note: On the other side of the Jordan River is the 'Promised Land' of Canaan. It is a place of fighting. It is NOT a 'type' of 'heaven'. Canaan is a 'type' of 'salvation IN TIME' - when the battle continues. It is beautiful but not perfect. It is a beautiful place to be however for mature believers.}

2~~And it came to pass after three days,
that the officers went through the army/host.

{Israel was Organized}
3-4~~And they commanded the people, saying,
"When you see the Ark of the Covenant
  {speaks of manifest member of the Godhead - Jesus Christ}
of Jehovah/God your 'Elohiym/Godhead,
and the priests the Levites bearing it,
then you shall move out from your place,
and go after it
  {illustration of faith in Christ}. 4~~
Yet there shall be a space between you and it,
about two thousand cubits by measure
  {a cubit is about 18 inches 1000 yards or 1.6 miles -
  the distance is because no one can help
  the parting of the water - Christ does
  the work independent of man's help}.
Come not near unto it,
that you may know the way
by which you must go.
For you have not passed this way heretofore."

{Note: In Exodus at the Red Sea, God lead the way personally. Now the Ark is to lead the way. The concept is that in Phase II (Phase I being salvation - Phase II salvation 'in time') we must realize we are in union with Christ and rely on Him to guide us. See also Psalm 114 for comparison of crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan River.}

{Importance of Temporal Fellowship}
5~~And Joshua said unto the people,
" 'Sanctify yourselves'/'Set yourselves apart'
  {I John 1:9 - confess your sins to God - get IN fellowship first - always}.
For tomorrow, the Jehovah/God
will do/'manufacture {'asah - from something else}
wonders among you."

6~~And Joshua spoke unto the priests, saying,
"Take up the ark of the covenant,
and pass around among the people
  {idiom: literally 'over before the people'}."
And they took up the Ark of the Covenant,
and went before/'in front of' the people.

{Note: Everyone had to know exactly what the Ark looked like first. Principal: you must KNOW Christ before you can rely on Him. How do you get to know Christ? Study His Mind. The bible is the Mind of Christ. When the command GO was given, they would be occupied with the Ark/Christ and follow it/Him.}

7~~ And Jehovah/God said unto Joshua,
"This day 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."

{Note: 'This day will I begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel' is very important. Only from this day forward will Joshua be their leader. Can only be one top leader at any time. And, you are not promoted unless God promotes you! Joshua did not earn this privilege or deserve it - it was a gift to a believer positive to Him.}

8~~And you shall command the priests
who bear the ark of the covenant, saying,
"When you are come to the brink of the water of Jordan,
you shall stand still in {the waters of the} Jordan."

{Note: This is April and the banks of the Jordan would be flooded and overflowing. All of this water rushing violently down hill to the Dead sea is going to be stacked up by God, so Israel can pass through safely. Principal: they do what they can do - move to the banks. But, then 'stand still' - 'rest/trust' in the Lord. And, He will do what you are not able to do for yourself.}

9~~And Joshua said unto the children of Israel,
"Come here, and hear the words/'doctrinal communication' {dabar}
of Jehovah/God your 'Elohiym/Godhead.

{Note: Joshua makes it clear this is NOT his idea, this is God's Word. And, God's Word must be obeyed. Before we move, we must know doctrine.}

10~~And Joshua said,
"Hereby you shall know
  {it is knowing it that makes the difference}
that the living 'Elohiym/Godhead is among you
  {God is REAL to Joshua - to KNOW the living God
  you learn through God's Word},
and that He will without fail
  {absolute confidence in the results of God's promises being Truth}
drive out from before you
the Canaanites, and the Hittites,
and the Hivites, and the Perizzites,
and the Girgashites, and the Amorites,
and the Jebusites.

{Note: These are the last of these people in the land. They were mad dogs. They engaged in bestiality, the Phallic Cult, and child sacrifice - now the iniquity of the Amorites was full and it was time for them to be removed off the earth to protect the rest of the human race.}

11~~"Behold, the Ark of the Covenant
of the Jehovah/God of all the earth {referring to Jesus Christ}
passed over before you into Jordan {Christ must lead you}."

{A Strange Command is Given}
12~~"Now therefore
take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel,
out of every tribe a man."

{Note: The reason for this selection is not given in this chapter. Why? A Principal is involved. It is because when God gives a person a task, the person does not have to immediately know what God's plan is for him. These men are set aside for a special job but they do not know what it is. (The reason is given in Chapter 4).}

{Joshua Announces A Miracle will be Performed by God}
13~~"And it shall come to pass,
as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests
who bear the Ark of the Jehovah/God . . .
the Jehovah/God of all the earth . . .
shall rest in the waters of Jordan,
that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off
from the waters that come down from above
and they {the waters} shall be stacked up
  {idiom: literally: 'stand upon an heap'}."

{Note: God parted the Red Sea. But here, He will cut off the flow upstream coming down from the North - from the Sea of Galilee and it will stack up for 30 miles back to the city of Adam (coming up).}

14-16~~And it came to pass,
when the people removed from their tents,
to pass over Jordan,
and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant
before the people; 15~~
and as they who bare the Ark
were come unto Jordan,
and the feet of the priests who bare the ark
were dipped in the brim of the water,
(for Jordan overflowed all his banks all the time of harvest) 16~~
that the waters which came down from above stood
and rose up upon an heap
very far from the city Adam
  { 'Adam - name means 'red' it is a town of red clay}
  {Jericho is about 30 miles downriver from Adam},
that is beside Zaretan
  {a city a little distance from the Jordan banks 30 miles up stream}.
And those that came down
toward the sea of the plain,
even the salt sea, failed
  {the water on the other side continued flowing but was abruptly stopped}, and were cut off.
And the people {the army} passed over right against Jericho
  {this is over 2 MILLION people passing over!
  The army, the cattle, the supplies - everything
  except the wives and children
  who were left on the East side of the Jordan}.

17~~And the priests
who bare the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah/God
stood firm on dry ground in the middle of Jordan
  {it was not even WET! It was not even damp! It was dry! A Miracle.},
and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground,
until all the people were passed {clean} over Jordan.