Remembering God’s Works • Joshua 3:14–4:9
By Roland L. McMillan
The author of Joshua could have told the story of the crossing of the Jordan in a few lines. Instead, he told the story in a way that encourages people to ponder it. The events are simple, but the author took time to describe them. Descriptions of events repeat with details added as the story develops. For example, God told Joshua to choose twelve men in 3:12 and in 4:2. Another example is the way Joshua 4:9 and 4:20 describe setting up the stones as a memorial. A pattern of command and obedience develops as God commands Joshua and Joshua obeys. Joshua issues commands, and priests and people obey. The word for “stood” is repeated many times, when the priests stood and the water stood still. The ark of the covenant itself, mentioned seventeen times in chapters three and four, is full of symbolic importance. The stones from the middle of the river, the way that they become a memorial, and the locations of the ark are also full of symbolic importance. Instead of writing a thriller, the author slows down the action. He has produced a story that encourages reflection.
The story may be simple, but its main event is a spectacular miracle. Miraculous water crossings are like bookends, with one on each side of the exodus journey. At the beginning of the exodus, the people crossed the Red Sea on dry land as they were going out of Egypt. At the end of the exodus, the people crossed the flooded Jordan River on dry land as they were going into the promised land. God acted supernaturally in both cases. Skeptics may point to the fact that rivers at flood stage do not stop flowing. They may say that nature does not work that way. Of course, nature does not work that way. That is the point. The Creator made the way that nature works. In this instance, he changed the way nature works. This is not natural. This is supernatural. In Joshua 3:10, he is the “living” God. Not only is he alive as opposed to dead, but also he is active instead of being idle.
The ark of the covenant symbolizes God’s supernatural presence throughout the story. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire led them through the wilderness. Now the symbol of God’s presence in the ark leads them into the promised land. God had promised the land to Abraham’s descendants. His symbolic throne led those descendants into the land, holding back the Jordan River in the process. The nation had to follow the ark at a distance because it was both wonderful and weighty. The distance equaled respect. The Bible balances God’s presence with his people and his people’s awe and reverence for him. The way that the nation followed the ark made this something more than the mere movement of a nation from one place to another. The ritual preparations (3:5) and following the ark made it a worship procession.
The twelve stones from the middle of the river are a focus of the story. One representative from each of the twelve tribes chose a stone from the middle of the river. The stones came from dry ground where the priests carrying the ark stood. They were large enough that each man had to carry his stone on his shoulder. The men set the stones up as a memorial where they camped for the night at Gilgal, which means “circle of stones.” In Joshua 4:6–7, the stones are there to remind Israel’s future generations of God’s great action. In Joshua 4:20–24, they are a reminder to Israel, but also exist as a witness to the power of God for everyone on earth. The memorial stones are more than some spiritualized devotional thought. The stones say that God himself led all twelve tribes into the promised land, and that God cleared the way for them as they went.
Objects often bring memories to mind. That is one reason these stones were such a powerful memorial. Church sanctuaries hold memories. An old photo album or a well-worn Bible can work the same way. All kinds of things can encourage memories. No one alive today has crossed the Jordan on dry ground, but we still can have reminders of God’s actions. Those reminders can be for us, for future generations, and for people everywhere who need to know the one true God personally.
McMillan is senior pastor of Roseland Park Baptist Church, Picayune.
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