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Bro. Otis Fisher
Turn to Joshua the third chapter, please verse 1
By the way, I have a question I want to leave with you But I don't want to give it to you now because you'd be thinking about it all the time that wouldn't pay attention to the lesson and Joshua rose up early in the morning and And they removed from Chiton and came to Jordan and all the children of Israel and lodged there before they passed over Now we're getting ready to cross the
River Jordan the
Hebrews Say that this was in March which it was
They didn't have Our calendar but March and is on Wednesday the 29th at 530 a .m
About 40 days after the death of Moses we find that they who are earnest and diligent and persevering in the discharge of their appropriate duties
May expect to be rendered greatly useful and advanced to distinguished honor and glory
You cannot have honor and glory and not Do your work
Second verse and it came to pass after three days that the officers went through the host
After three days Either at the end of them or upon the last of them
They went through the host the second time They're preparing the people and they repeat the instructions three and they commanded the people saying
When you see the Ark of Covenant of the Lord your God and The priests and the
Levites burying it Then you shall remove from your place and go after it yet.
There Shall be a space between you and it about two thousand cubits by measure or 3 ,500 feet
Come not near unto it that you may know the way By which you must go for you have not passed this way before Now God commanded
Joshua, you know in our study in our reading We go from One book to another and one verse to another
But why do you suppose it is? Mm -hmm. Joshua has come into power now he was under Moses and He has now leading the people
Dennis why is it that the people just fall in and follow him? Why why don't they argue?
They they knew that God was with him now That's The key to it
When they crossed the Red Sea Moses went down to the water. You remember and they smoked the water and it
Created well, God created a strong wind that blew the water back
But when they crossed the Jordan River, it was actually a greater miracle
Why is this greater? David Well, let's see if we can find out
First of all the rivers at flood stage and their crossing
Caused a holding back of the water That were rushing down to the
Dead Sea. Now. He didn't part the waters. He stopped the waters and the down part drained off To the
Dead Sea also something new has been added the Ark To go down Now they did not have the
Ark in the first in the Red Sea But they were instructed
To stay away from the Ark by at least three -quarters of a mile or five eights or whatever two thousand cubits
And It's be carried by the priests who are who will come down to the edge of Jordan To follow the directions of God is indicated by his word
How else are we going to know? except through communication with him
Then you shall go after it yet. There shall be a space between you and it these instructions
Refer exclusively to the advance into the river now picture in your mind as we are going
The distance which the people were to keep to the rear of the Ark was three -quarters of a mile
What would have happened John if they had all crowded up around the Ark Dennis That's it
You wouldn't want to crowd the Ark anyhow you'd be struck dead but Besides that it's out away from you where everybody can see it now
Russell how is that like Jesus Christ today? Yes, that's it.
We can all see He's not blocked by someone else
Five and Joshua said unto the people Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow.
The Lord will do wonders among you Now sanctify yourself, what does that mean
David? Okay back in Exodus 19
It's Given by Moses to the people They were to wash themselves and their garments and abstain from everything that would occupy their mind there to be pure holy and single -mindedness
Six and Joshua spake unto the priests now this is a private conversation if you will he gathered the priests together and Instructing them take up the
Ark of the Covenant and Pass over before the people and they took up the Ark of the
Covenant and went before the people Take up namely upon your shoulders
Or so they were to carry it Before the people not in the middle of them as You're used to but before it's going before now
This order to the priests would have been given privately as I said in involving As it did the important change in the established order of March in the former order of March when
When they would camp at night the Ark was where in relation to the people in us
In the center of the camp so we're not going to To do that we're going to change the order here
As soon as the priest stepped into the waters of Jordan They were
Standing they were to stand still the Ark was to accomplish what had been done by the rod of Moses Moses struck the water
The Ark now is to stand still or come down to the lip of the river
And just as they put their feet in We'll see what happens and the
Lord said unto Joshua this day Will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all
Israel that they may know That as I was with Moses So will
I be with thee? By making him the instrument in this miraculous passage
He did him honor and gave him high credit in the sight of the people Now David, why why did
God do this and was it necessary? That's right.
And He was the next leader His authority was established
In obedience to him as their leader fully secured What must have confirmed this authority was?
His foretelling how the waters should be cut off as soon as the feet of the priests had touched them eight and Thou shalt command the priests that bear the
Ark of the Covenant Saying when you are come to the brink of the water of Jordan You shall stand still in Jordan Now we've marched down their
Three quarters of a mile ahead. I can't see that far but those around me are going and I'd go
So when they come to the I Don't know which bank it is.
Which way are we traveling David? Well, the river runs north and south
East or west I think it's west The priest proceeded first with the
Ark and entered into the bed of the river The course of which was immediately arrested
When they got there it immediately was stopped And by immediate
I mean right now The water shut off. It was as though you had a dam across the river and the water began to pile up The waters below began to dry up Mine and Joshua said unto the children of Israel Come hither and hear the words of the
Lord your God. You shall stand still in Jordan the whole camp Therefore passed over below the priests where the priests were standing keeping at a distance of 2 ,000 cubits
So they didn't pass where they were they went down below and passed and They would readily do so in a hurry.
He he hastens them up Put yourself
John in that position here's The Ark and the waters are stopped and now your command to go across would you?
lally -gag around I don't think you would either Why why would you hurry?
Because that's it The river was dry for many miles below the place where the priest entered
But no one knew but what it would Fill up again 10 and Joshua said hereby
You shall know that the Living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the
Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the
Presetites and the Good Girgashites and the
Amorites and the Jebusites and any other heights you can think of However However dark your path is before you
Who is it that can show you the way? Dennis Lord And however, great the difficulties in the way of duty he can remove them and Cause us in them to obey him in triumph 11 behold the ark of the covenant by the
Lord of all of the earth Passes over before you into Jordan now, it doesn't really do that But it's coming the
Priests were ordered to move to the center of the river first they came down and as they touched the
Where the water would be it stopped, but then they walked on up halfway
Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel and every tribe a man and It shall come to pass as Soon as the souls of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the
Lord the Lord 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 shall stand upon a heap
Multitude of things here And we find that a multitude things of God which men are
With men, it's impossible to do certain things Dennis could you have shut that water off?
Well, you could have if you had a big enough contract and enough machinery you could have built a dam
No Way what?
Yes That's right
It's therefore reasonable and a duty of to believe whatever he declares and Show that belief by our conduct now.
Do we do that? I hope so And it came to pass when the people removed removed from their tents to Passover Jordan and The priests bearing the
Ark of the Covenant went before the people Now to understand this the scene that's described to us.
We must imagine That the band of priests with the Ark of their on their shoulders standing on the edge of the river while the mass of the people were
At a miles distance suddenly the whole bed of the river was dried up a
Spectacle the more extraordinary in that it took place in the harvest time or at flood stage
Corresponding to our March or April or May When the Jordan overflowed all its banks the original words may be more properly understood rendered fills all its banks
It's a channel snow fed from Lebanon Was that the greatest height?
it was brimful a Translation well the modern -day travelers
The Jordan River was a little different than other rivers in that country in that it originated in Mount Lebanon and Mount Lebanon always received a lot of snow now back in the early early early days
There were lots of trees and that would hold a lot of snow
But when the spring when the snow melted then the river expanded and That was that harvest time now look at the things that God has set in place
First of all, he asks the priests To go down to the river and it stops second
If you were living on the other side of the river You would laugh to see these people coming down and expect to get across But little did they know there was a bridge there
It was on dry ground By the way bridges hadn't been named
Hadn't been Invented yet. We'll say So he has them cross at flood stage
Now you're on this side and They're over there and the river is possibly
Half a mile wide And there's no danger on your part.
At least you think we'll have several weeks before they come over But lo and behold they come over in one day now the question is
Why Why did God Bring everything together
In this way at this time joy Well, that's true, but the people
In the land didn't know that David give us some reasons of why
God did it this way. Yes That's right, all right, can we?
He did it if we sum it all up so that he would get the glory.
You cannot put man into this. Man could not do it. So we learned that We're brought up against impossible problems in our life
It is show you that the Lord is the only way Fifteen and as they that bear the ark were coming to Jordan And the feet of the priests that bear the ark were dipped in the brim of the water for Jordan overflowed all its banks at this time of harvest
When the priest came to the edge of the Jordan River The flow of water was restrained as if a dam had been built across it
The waters that were this side of it passed down and before long there was a dry passage
This is one of the greatest miracles recorded in Scripture actually that the people walked over on dry land
This was the spring of the year That Land had two rainy seasons in the fall and in the spring the spring rains were most abundant the
Jordan Jordan was at full flood stage it's entirely possible the people on the west side of the
Jordan felt that they had several days or maybe several weeks before they could get over here
Israelites They didn't know different they just were doing what
God had for them they the People probably felt that there was no immediate danger
Some of them however may have had a hidden fear now some of them had heard and perhaps knew of the sea of The Red Sea incident and they knew that they crossed that somehow
It has been often held and remarked That there was no need for a miracle at the crossing of the
Jordan Well as I started to say while ago the Jordan was fed from the
Mount Lebanon and in the spring When the thaw comes if the river really is flooded
Some different than other rivers in that day and time And as easily
They would say well, it's easily crossed not 20 yards across there But the circumstances marked here by the sacred historian proves that there was a time of the year
That is in the harvest that said river overflowed its banks and It's mentioned once again in 1st
Chronicles 12 15 as the miracle Reported here took place about the beginning of April the time of In which rivers in general were less than in winter
It may be asked how there could be such an increase of waters at this time
The simple fact is that the Jordan as we have already seen has its origin and the foot of Mount Lebanon Which mountain is always covered with snow and it is melting
Let's skip over here
Sixteen that the waters which came down from above Stood and rose up Upon and heap very far from the city
Adam That is beside Zeriton and those that came down toward The sea of the plain even the salt sea
Failed and were cut off and the people passed over right against Jericho Whatever difficulties may be in your way
First of all believe in God living and Strong faith will overcome them and those who exercise it will be
In due time See the complete fulfillment of his declaration.
The river was thus dried up as far as they could see This was a stupendous miracle
Jordan takes its name from the descender Jordan is known for a rapid Flow of water
Remember It's way above the Dead Sea and it has to drop at least a thousand feet to get down to the level of the
Dead Sea So it's really Forcing the current along There is all 27
I think Rapids horrible rapids
Besides a great many Through the fall of that thousand feet 17 and The priest that bear the ark of the covenant of the
Lord stood firm on dry ground In the midst of Jordan and all of the
Israelites passed over on dry ground Until all the people were passed clean over Jordan the word clean is
Rather odd we would have said They all got over or something
But clean means finished. It means complete So they were completely over Now the priests have moved to the center that's that's going to show us something
And they stood there holding the ark until all the cheap people had passed over This city
Adam, I looked on the map and I couldn't find it Does anybody know where it is?
Well, you won't find it on the map It was a city at that time
And I wondered why why was it Adam? Everything in the
Bible has a meaning And the Old Testament is spelled out for us in the physical sense
David what could you get from? Adam I think it does
Yes, that's right, that's right
Well Looking for a reason for Adam It's a city from which we all came
In a sense because Adam was the first of the human race
And by Adam came death That was taking place that Jordan River represented the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ And his work on the cross
It's not only reached forward over 1 ,900 years Where you and I are but it's also reached back to Adam And the beginning of the human family
Now that's the picture we have here now. We know that they didn't
Now the Ark is one of the finest types of the Lord Jesus Christ Given in the
Old Testament Although there are several and they're very conspicuous
Christ goes before us as the Ark did the
Lord entered death He goes with us in life, but he entered death first He is with us
But he went before us in death and when our Lord Entered death
He entered first to please the Heavenly Father and Second for you and me
It's not only surprising that the Canaanites did not dispute the passage nobody has
Found that this is not true of those closest to it but some later
Were more civilized now When we we can find fault with it the
Lord now appears in such a way and works in such a manner as to leave no doubt concerning his
Presence or his power or his love to Israel Next week we will
I Think it's next week. We find out a solution to the twelve stones.
You know that we're taking Out of the bed of the river and carried to the other side
I think that's all of the scripture.
Now. Is there anything from anybody? Yes That's right
Is there anything else did you see anything as as we heard they went through it
Yes And that's the same as today you may wonder why things work like they do
It's the providence of God the providence is
The human term is just showing the working out of God's will
Well, let me get to my question I Don't quite know how to phrase this but You have something in fact every person in the world has this
And You cannot see it you cannot touch it
Yet everybody possesses it And I want you not to answer this week, but either next week or the one following It is as As holy as God is holy
That's not like you taking a bucket of water, which is holy and you pouring it on this and Saying that I have that water
Because they came from this bucket. It's more holy than the water poured out so You study on it bank on it and see what it is, baby
It's just as holy as God It's hard to imagine but it is