Joshua 3 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Joshua 3 Summary - A Quick Overview
WHEN:
The Israelites were in the wilderness from approximately 1490-1450 B.C., which places the events recorded in Joshua 3 at approximately 1450 B.C.
CHARACTERS:
Joshua - Moses’ assistant while he led the people in the wilderness. God selected Joshua to lead the Israelites after Moses’ death.
The Levitical Priests – The specific priests mentioned in Joshua 3 were from the family of Kohath and they were responsible for transporting the Ark of the Covenant.
WHERE:
The Israelites broke camp at Shittim and moved to the banks of the Jordan River across from Jericho.
The waters of the Jordan River were stopped-up near the city of Adam when God miraculously dried out the riverbed to allow the Israelites to cross.
OUTLINE:
ISRAEL’S MIRACULOUS CROSSING OF THE JORDAN RIVER (3:1-17):
Joshua led Israel from Shittim to the banks of the Jordan River where they made camp.
After three days, the officers told the Israelites to follow the Ark of the Covenant when they saw it passing through the camp.
They were to follow the Ark at a distance of 2,000 cubits (3,000 ft/915 m) and it would guide them to the location of the river crossing.
Before they crossed the river, Joshua told the people to “consecrate” themselves because the Lord was going to work miracles amongst them.
When the time for the crossing arrived, Joshua, at the Lord’s instruction, told the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River.
As soon as the priest’s feet touched the water, the water upstream from them “stood and rose up in a heap.”
The water downstream continued flowing until the riverbed was dry.
Joshua told the people this miracle was to be a sign to them that the living God was among them and He would not fail to give them the Promised Land.
All Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground.
The priests remained in the river with the Ark of the Covenant until the entire congregation was on the west bank of the river.
APPLICATION:
In a metaphorical sense, we all must cross over Jordan.
In a metaphorical sense, we are all headed for a promised land.
In our case, the Jordan represents the things that must be overcome in order for us to enter heaven (our promised land)
We can’t reach the promised land on our own, we need God’s help to do it, and us getting there will be a result of an act of God, not an achievement of personal will.
As you study through the Old Testament, try to remember stories like this one in Joshua 3, because God wrote the Bible with a lot of intentional parallels, a lot of similar themes that reappear in later books, that I believe were meant to illustrate the experiences and needs of all human beings throughout history, even those living up to the modern day.
