Joshua 3:7-17 “The Living God is with us.”

Today, we’re diving into Joshua 3:7-17, where the Israelites are gearing up for a real adventure – crossing the Jordan River. But before we wade into this tale, let’s set the scene. Now, these folks had quite the journey on their hands. You see, they’d been wandering in the wilderness since leaving Egypt forty years earlier. That’s right, forty years! It’s like wandering around the Australian Outback with a broken compass. They left Egypt, where they’d lived as a minority for nearly three hundred years, and now, they’re on the brink of their dream home, Canaan.

The journey from Egypt to Canaan would have taken the Israelites two or three months, no matter how slow they travelled, but more than a generation had passed. Everyone who was over twenty years old when they left Egypt had died in the wilderness. We can imagine the excitement in the hearts of the ones alive after all those years of waiting.

The Israelites had to cross the Jordan River to get into Canaan, but they had a particular strategy to avoid the Jebusites, who lived in Canaan because they were the most powerful tribe, so they needed to figure out a way to cross the Jordan River without having to battle them directly. This plan started when Moses was still alive as a leader, but he died with Canaan in view, and the leadership was passed onto Joshua. Joshua now had to lead the people across the river Jordan. The Jordan River is in flood. It is dangerous. The Israelites were a large group of people, from children to the elderly, so there were many things to consider when travelling.

In this challenging situation, Joshua received a Word from the Lord God, who instructed him to lead the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant forward. When they dipped their feet into the waters of the Jordan, the river would stop flowing, allowing the Israelites to cross. Incredibly, the river bottomed out, and the people were unharmed during the crossing – a miracle that has been told for generations. By crossing the Jordan in this way, the Israelites experienced God’s guidance and help, and their faith was strengthened under Joshua’s spiritual leadership.

“When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant dipped their toes into the Jordan, the river stopped.”

What is the key message the story in today’s text is trying to tell? Things that appear miraculous, like the parting of the Red Sea or the water stopped flowing of the river Jordan, are not crucially important in our lives.

We can see this in the history of the Israelites. Immediately after crossing the Red Sea, they praised God, but after a while, they complained. After crossing the Jordan River and winning their first battle against the inhabitants of Jericho, they praised God, but when they settled in Canaan, they worshipped Baal, the indigenous religion of Canaan. It’s clear that no matter how many miracles we experience from God, they alone do not bring us into the right faith.

 “God will be with you.”

God encourages Joshua and gives him a promise of hope – “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses”. These supernatural miracle stories are not an end in themselves; they are meant to let people know that “God is with you”. In today’s text, where do we experience God’s presence? Are we still only interested in the miracle of stopping the river Jordan? Does it seem like there is more evidence that God is not with us than evidence that He is with us?

Brothers and sisters, do you experience the kingdom of God that Jesus Christ brought as a reality and the life of the cross that he chose to live? Are you actually drawn to the resurrection life that happened to him? Does this faith open your heart to your neighbour, all other living creatures, and the world? If these experiences have been given to you, then you have a relationship with the living God.

 “The Living God, the words of the Lord your God.”

Joshua was a humble leader who knew how to rely on the Lord and ask for wisdom. He trusted that God would be with him. Joshua had a clear statement of faith that God is the living God. Interestingly, he just doesn’t say the God of the Israelites, he describes God as “the Lord of all the earth”. This is a much bigger faith. God rules over all peoples and over the earth. Joshua’s statement that “God is living and is with us” is based on the Word. Joshua hears the Word of God, and he passes on the instructions to the priests, and we see that they follow the Word of God as it came from Joshua. When do miracles happen? When the priests stepped into the river. That is when the river stopped flowing when they obeyed God’s Word.

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, they had a big challenge ahead of them. Think about it: a huge barrier called the Jordan River, and they had to go through an arduous process before they could make it over.

In a way, life often comes with many “obstacles”. Sometimes, when problems bump into things, it feels like we are playing a “Bumper Car Race”. Unexpected problems appear in front of us as if they randomly hit us all around us. However, what’s crucial to remember is that we have God’s guidance and help. It’s like having a GPS that leads us and helps us overcome each “obstacle” in life. We can always trust and follow God’s guidance, turning any challenging “bumper car ride” into a miraculous journey.

Dear Saints, take heart: God is alive and is with you, beside you, behind you, and in front of you. Amen.