different ways

Joshua 3

1 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.

2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp,3 giving these instructions to the people:

"When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God, move out from your positions and follow them.

4 Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you.

Stay about a half mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark.

Make sure you don't come any closer."

  5 Then Joshua told the people,

"Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do great wonders among you."

  6 In the morning Joshua said to the priests,

"Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river."

And so they started out and went ahead of the people.

  7 The LORD told Joshua,

"Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites.

They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.

8 Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant:

'When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.'"

  9 So Joshua told the Israelites,

"Come and listen to what the LORD your God says.

10 Today you will know that the living God is among you.

He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you.

11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River!

12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.

13 The priests will carry the Ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth.

As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall."

  14 So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.

15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks.

But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river's edge,

16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan.

And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry.

Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

  17 Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the LORD's Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by.

They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

I have always found it curious that the water didn't start to part until the priests stepped into the water.

Then it started to pile up further up stream, & the rest that was already there flowed on down to the Dead Sea, after which the riverbed became dry.

It wasn't like the first time they'd seen this kind of miracle.

Soon after they escaped Egypt, Pharaoh came after them with his whole army.

The Jews backs were to the Red Sea.

God told Moses to hold his staff out over the water & it would part.

Moses did that & the Red Sea parted & the riverbed became dry – BEFORE the Jews set foot in the Red Sea.

I've wondered why it happened differently & not the same.

I don't remember who offered this thought about the situation in a sermon I heard once.

It may have been John Wood at Christ Chapel Macon in Macon, GA.

Or it may have been Steven Furtick at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.

Or it could have been someone else.

At any rate, here's what he offered:

Sometimes God chooses to move in a miraculous way by simply making it happen, without us moving a muscle.

Like the parting of the Red Sea.

And sometimes He lets us step out in faith, trusting Him to come through, before the miracle happens.

Like the parting of the River Jordan.

Let's think about that, & see which applies to our particular situations.