God Parts the Waters Again [Joshua 3]

7Now the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.  8"You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'"

 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God." 10Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11"Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12"Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13"It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap."


Some of the people would have remembered the first time  God dramatically parted the waters of the Red Sea as they were leaving Egypt. But they would have been the ones that were 20 and younger.  The rest would have been born during the 40 years of wondering in the wilderness and now God displayed His power for them to see first hand.  Even though this is a river, the passage says that if was harvest season and that "the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest."   The back up of water was huge as God stopped the river from flowing down and gave dry land for the people to walk over.  God wanted the people to know "know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you (Joshua)." 

Joshua's concern was that the people would know God as the powerful God that He is. Joshua words to the people were, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. "Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan."  As they stepped into the river with a mass of water being held back I am sure they were amazed at God's power.

We praise You God for Your amazing power.  You are the living God.  You are Lord of all the earth.  As we step on the path You have for us today, cause us to be aware of the waters You have stopped up for us.  Cause us to worship You in the midst of Your power and then not forget what You have done.

Verna McCrillis, 11/11/2010