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The Book of Joshua, Chapter Four <>< <>< ><> ><> 1. What did the LORD tell Joshua to do after the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, and what were they to do?
______________________________________________________________________________ The frequent repetition of the phrase "the Lord said to Joshua" emphasizes the fact that everything was done in obedience to God's commands. If the narrative followed a strict chronological order, it would mean that these men crossed all the way over and were then sent back into the riverbed. The command was actually given, however, before the people began to cross; and it is recorded here at the point in the narrative when the men actually picked up the stones on their way across the river. <>< <>< ><> ><>
<>< <>< ><> ><> Stones taken from the middle of the riverbed were remarkable evidence that the river had actually stopped flowing to allow Israel to cross over. 2. Why did Joshua say was the reason the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites were to go over before the ark of the LORD their God into the middle of the Jordan and each of them were to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites?
______________________________________________________________________________ The twelve men found their stones near the place where the priests carrying the ark were standing. The stones were "to serve as a sign" for future generations. 3. What did the Joshua tell the Israelites they should say to their children when they ask them, "What do these stones mean?', and what did the Israelites do?
______________________________________________________________________________ Raising stones as a memorial is common in the Old Testament (cross-reference 7:26; 24:26-27; Genesis 28:18-22; 31:45-47; 1st Samuel 7:12). These memorials were intended to provoke questioning so that the story of God's miraculous interventions might be told over and over. Remembering was a way for future generations to participate in the great acts that God had done for Israel. 4. How long did the priests who carried the ark remain standing in the middle of the Jordan?
______________________________________________________________________________ The statement "just as Moses had directed Joshua" reminds us again that Joshua's ministry was subservient to that of Moses. There is no record of Moses giving Joshua explicit instructions for crossing the Jordan, although such a crossing is implied in Deuteronomy 31:7. "The people hurried over" because the river was stopped for a limited time only. It is clear that the priests did not march out of the river until after the people had crossed over. 5. Who crossed over, armed, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them, and how many armed for battle crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for war?
______________________________________________________________________________ Again we see how important it was to our writer that the
Transjordanian tribes had a primary role in the conquest of the land of Canaan. 6. What did the LORD do that day to Joshua, and what did they do all the days of Joshua's life, just as they had Moses?
______________________________________________________________________________ "The Lord exalted Joshua" as he had promised (3:7). Joshua was now firmly established as leader in the place of Moses. <>< <>< ><> ><> ORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. <>< <>< ><> ><> 7. What did the LORD say to Joshua, and what happen when they set their feet on the dry ground?
______________________________________________________________________________ The following order is customary in Joshua: The Lord told Joshua, Joshua told the people, and the command was obeyed. Clearly obedience is the prerequisite for God's blessing. "Dry ground" here refers to the river bank as distinct from the riverbed. <>< <>< ><> ><> ORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. <>< <>< ><> ><> The miraculous element is heightened by stressing that the waters were cut off just long enough for Israel to cross over, and then they "returned to their place." 8. Where did the people go on the tenth day of the first month, and what did Joshua do when he got there?
______________________________________________________________________________ The parallels between Moses and Joshua are obvious (cross-reference: both crossed a body of water on dry ground, and both gave commands on "the tenth day" of the first month). <>< <>< ><> ><>
<>< <>< ><> ><> "Gilgal" was a strategically located town. The Jordan provided security on one side, and the open plain prevented any surprise attack from the other side. An abundant water supply was provided by the river. Joshua may have piled the stones in a heap or he may have placed them in a circle (Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew word for circle). <>< <>< ><> ><> ORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since. <>< <>< ><> ><> 9. What did Joshua tell the Israelites to say when their descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?', whom did Joshua say had dried up the Jordan before them until they had crossed over, and what did Joshua say the LORD their God had done?
______________________________________________________________________________ Joshua foresaw the importance of these stones for future generations, as a memorial to the miraculous crossing. Again the term "dry ground" is mentioned to emphasize the supernatural aspect of the crossing. The crossings of the Red Sea and the Jordan were mighty miracles that were to be celebrated by Israel forever. <>< <>< ><> ><>
<>< <>< ><> ><> They marked Israel's exodus from the land of bondage and entrance into the Land of Promise. They were a sign of Israel's transition from slavery to freedom. 10. Why did the LORD dry up the Red Sea and the Jordan?
______________________________________________________________________________ This verse gives two additional reasons for this great miracle:
to impress the power of Israel's God on the nations and to confirm Israel's
reverence for their God. <>< <>< ><> ><> ORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. (5)The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel. <>< <>< ><> ><> If an earthquake was responsible for stopping the Jordan River, it was still a miracle. The discovery of secondary causes only serves to explain how God did what he did, and only God's intervention can^account for the miraculous timing.
<>< <>< ><> ><> 1.
To choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe...take up twelve
stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to
carry them over with them and put them down at the place where they stayed that
night <>< <>< ><> ><> |