TEXT [Commentary]

5.   Resumption of the Jordan’s flow (4:10-18)

10 The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the LORD’s commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed. 11 And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the LORD as the people watched.

12 The armed warriors from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh led the Israelites across the Jordan, just as Moses had directed. 13 These armed men—about 40,000 strong—were ready for battle, and the LORD was with them as they crossed over to the plains of Jericho.

14 That day the LORD made Joshua a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites, and for the rest of his life they revered him as much as they had revered Moses.

15 The LORD had said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant[*] to come up out of the riverbed.” 17 So Joshua gave the command. 18 As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant came up out of the riverbed and their feet were on high ground, the water of the Jordan returned and overflowed its banks as before.

NOTES

4:10 commands that Moses had given. This is the first intimation that some of Joshua’s instruction for this day’s events had come from Moses, rather than directly to Joshua from God.

4:12 Reuben, Gad, and . . . Manasseh. Israel had conquered the territories of Sihon and Og east of the Jordan (Num 21:21-35). Moses had given these tribes permission to settle those eastern territories if they would help the rest of Israel on the west of the Jordan when the time came (Num 32:20-33). Now they began to keep their promise to Moses.

4:13 about 40,000 strong. According to the tribal tallies of the second census (Num 26), as they stand now in the Hebrew text, the total number of warriors for Reuben, Gad, and the half of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan was about 110,000. For a variety of weighty reasons, most scholars view these numbers, as they stand, as too large (see Mendenhall 1958 and J. Wenham 1973 for two different solutions). Whatever the numbers, these tribes committed a strong contingent to the task of occupying the land west of the Jordan, though many men remained at home to defend their own families and lands.

the plains of Jericho. This relatively level and open ground between Jericho and the point where Israel crossed the Jordan River extended about six miles west of the Jordan, approaching the beginning of the slopes of the Benjaminite (Judean) hill country. As noted, Israel did nothing to hide their crossing and their approach from the view of Jericho’s defenders. Quite the opposite; intimidation was part of Joshua’s preparation for battle.

4:14 they revered him. This is the typical Hebrew verb often translated “fear,” “feared,” when used of human attitude toward God. Here it applies to attitudes toward Joshua. Today, “revere” is the better choice for translation, even if the object of our reverence is God. “Fear” usually connotes an inchoate anxiety inimical to faith, or even craven, abject terror, whereas God invites us to revere him as our loving Father. Using “revere” and ­“reverence” is better (and easier!) than continually explaining the “real” meaning of “fear.”

COMMENTARY [Text]

This paragraph is the summarizing report (with an added detail or two) that the ancient listener or reader would have expected following chapter 3. Verses 10 and 11 bring closure to the gathering of the stones for the memorial from the bed of the Jordan (“until all of the LORD’s commands . . . were carried out”) and to the people’s crossing (“the people hurried across”).

The author’s emphasis is on Joshua’s and Israel’s detailed obedience to God’s instructions. In crossing the Jordan River when it was in flood, Israel undertook a dangerous endeavor on faith. They could not see the stoppage of the Jordan’s floodwaters before the priests actually stepped into the water, but the priests did step into the water, the waters stopped, and Israel crossed. Israel did all this on the strength of their faith in God, and their willingness to obey God’s instruction in all details. Israel’s crossing of the Jordan has stood as an example to people of faith ever since.

The expression “hurried across” is the only note of urgency in the entire account. It is enough to remind us that while God’s timing is perfect, we are to act on the opportunities God provides while they remain available. Just as the bed of the Jordan was not dry forever, the various doors of opportunity that stand before us will not remain open indefinitely. If and when God’s direction is clear, the time to move is now.

Verses 12 and 13 provide the “added detail” to this account of the crossing. In 1:12-18, Joshua had reminded the leaders of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh of their pledge to Moses to aid in the conquest of the land west of the Jordan. Here, they are recorded, not just “present,” but leading the people across the first great obstacle, ready for battle “before Yahweh” and in full view of confident Israel and cowering Jericho alike.

The day before, Joshua had announced God’s intended “wonders” for this day (3:13). Now that God had brought the people across the Jordan in the face of human impossibility, Israel “revered [Joshua] as much as they had revered Moses” (4:14). In the years ahead, Israel’s confidence in Joshua would be crucial. God’s confidence in Joshua made Israel’s confidence in him possible. God’s glory is not diminished when God works in and through a faithful believer in ways that bring greatness, honor, and human renown to that believer. In a faithful believer, all those things are reflective of God’s own glory, and are reflected back to God’s own glory and praise. So it was with Joshua, and so it is with any believer today who follows God with faithfulness and integrity.

This scene had opened dramatically; it was only as the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant actually touched the water that the Jordan’s flow was stopped (3:15-16). Now that all the people had crossed, the scene closed with equal drama. Using parallel language, the author carefully pointed out again that all still proceeded according to God’s direction. God gave the word and Joshua relayed it to the priests; it was time for them to come up from the riverbed (4:15-17).

Twenty times in Joshua 3:1–4:18 (about 60 lines of Hebrew text), the author referenced the Ark of the Covenant and the priests carrying the Ark. In the earlier crossing of the Red Sea, God’s presence was manifested by a pillar of fire and cloud (Exod 14:19-24). Here, in the crossing of the Jordan, it was manifested in the Ark’s opening of the way through the Jordan. Yet neither the pillar nor the Ark was magic. It is not that they “were” God, or even “contained” God. They symbolized and manifested God’s presence, an accommodation in the very first steps of God’s people learning to walk by faith with the unseen God. We ought not judge young Israel, for although we have less reason than they to need such accommodation, we often seek it. God sometimes grants it to us, but with the caution that we must not treat objects or “signs” as having magical powers. The real point of mentioning the Ark 20 times in this narrative is to report God’s crossing of the Jordan, both to fulfill God’s ancient promise to Abraham, and to render upon Canaan the justice long delayed in mercy (Gen 15:16). God brought Israel along as his people in whom he delighted, and as his agents in fulfilling these two purposes, but the crossing of the Jordan was God’s crossing.

When the priests stepped foot on the ground the floodwaters had not reached, the Jordan reverted to its harvesttime, flood-stage level (4:18). The author stressed this so as to form a climactic conclusion to the entire episode. The problem had been for Israel to cross the Jordan in flood, and God had solved the problem. By noting that the Jordan overflowed its banks as before, the author reminds the reader of the magnitude of the problem, which in turn highlights the miraculous nature of God’s provision. Extraordinary problems do not stop the extraordinary demonstrations of the grace of “the Lord of all the earth” (3:13).