Joshua 3:1-8

God's Instructions to Joshua 3:1-8

And Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;
3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.
6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
7 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

1. Where was Shittim? Joshua 3:1

Shittim was Israel's last camping place east of Jordan before entering Palestine. The camp is described as being in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan by Jericho (Numbers 22:1). Here Israel stayed, and the people were ensnared. They began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. As they called to them to sacrifice to their gods, the people ate of the abominable sacrifices and bowed down to their gods (Numbers 25:1-2). The camp itself must have been quite extensive, for it is described as being by the Jordan from Beth-jesimoth even to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab (Numbers 33:49). The word Shittim is an abbreviation of Abel-shittim. It has been identified as Tell el-shamman in the plains of Moab opposite Jericho. Trees still fringe the upper terraces of the Jordan with a green border. It was near Mount Peor, and the heathen god which was worshiped here was known as Baal-peor (Numbers 25:3). As soon as the spies who had been sent out from Shittim returned to the camp, Joshua lost no time in making the final preparations to cross Jordan. He rose early on the next morning and commanded the Israelites to move to the banks of the Jordan, At this point they paused before they passed over into Canaan.

2.

Why did the Israelites stay three days at the side of Jordan? Joshua 3:2

In the first place, Israel was preparing to pass into an enemy's country. They not only had an army to prepare, but there were all the people (including wives and children) and all their possessions to move. The river had first of all to be crossed. Hence, it must have been necessary to make many preparations. This would easily occupy two or three days. Moreover, at this time Jordan was high and was seen to overflow its banks, so it was impossible to cross the fords. They were obliged to wait until this obstruction was removed. These three days were in addition to the three days which they had spent in waiting for the return of the spies.

3.

Who were the priests, the Levites? Joshua 3:3

We are not to understand these as ordinary Levites, but the Levitical priests who were entrusted with the Ark. According to Numbers 4:4, the Kohathites were appointed to carry the holy vessels, which included the Ark of the Covenant, on the journey through the desert. It was the priests, however, and not the Levites who were the true bearers and guardians of the holy things. We may see this from the fact that the priests had first of all to wrap up these holy things in a careful manner before they handed them over to the Kohathites. Thus, they might not touch the holy things and die. On solemn occasions, when the Ark was to be brought out in all its full significance and glory, it was not the Levites but the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant. All priests were Levites but not all Levites were priests. Priests were the direct descendants of Aaron. Aaron was the son of Kohath, who was one of three sons of Levi. The Levites were descendants of Levi and might have been from the family of Gershon or Merari as well as the family of Kohath. To identify these Levites as being full priests would be a mistake. We might call them priestly Levites inasmuch as they had the responsibility to carry the holy vessels which were under the direct care of the priests. The distance between the people and the Ark was set at two thousand cubits. Two thousand cubits would be equivalent to three thousand feet, making the distance something like three-fifths of a mile. During the wilderness wandering it was customary for the standard of the tribe of Judah to be carried at the forefront-of the band. Those who marched with him were in this first group and then followed along the sons of Gershon and Merari who carried the curtains, boards, and Other parts of the Tabernacle itself. Behind these Levites came the standard of Reuben and with him were those who marched in his contingent. It was only at this point that the Kohathites moved forward bearing thel vessels of the sanctuary. They in turn were followed by the standard of the camp of Ephraim and those with him. In the final group in the normal order of march were those associated with the camp of Dan. This crossing of the Jordan was an unusual march, and the Ark was set far in the forefront.

4. Why did the Ark go before the people? Joshua 3:4

The Ark was carried at a distance before the people not so much to show them the road as to make a road for them. In dividing the Jordan, God was leading them to Canaan by a way which they had never traversed before, i.e. by a miraculous way. The Ark was kept in the sanctuary, the Tabernacle, their holy meeting place. The chamber housing the Ark was called the Holy of Holies. The Ark itself was the holiest of all the holy furniture in the holy place. As such, it signified the very focal point of God's meeting place with the people of Israel. When it led them in crossing Jordan, it was thought God Himself was going before them,

5.

Of what did the people's sanctification consist? Joshua 3:5

This sanctification did not consist in their washing their clothing, for there was not time for this. Neither did it consist in merely changing their clothes, which might be a substitute for washing (Genesis 35:2). This consecration was more than the abstinence from connubial intercourse (Exodus 19:15), for this was only the outward side of sanctification. It consisted in spiritual purification also. This was turning the heart to God, in faith and trust in His promise, and in willing obedience to His commandments. Only in such a frame of heart and mind would Israel be prepared for God's leading them into the land of promise.

6.

How was God to magnify ?Joshua 3:7

Joshua was to be glorified before Israel. The miraculous guidance of the people through the Jordan was only the beginning of the whole series of miracles by which the Lord put His people in possession of the Promised Land and glorified Joshua in the sight of Israel in the fulfillment of his office as He had glorified Moses before. Moses was accredited in the sight of the people as the servant of the Lord in whom they could trust by the miraculous division of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:31). Joshua was accredited as the leader of Israel, whom the Almighty God acknowledged as He had His servant Moses, by the similar miracle, the division of the waters of Jordan.

7.

What was the Ark? Joshua 3:8

The Ark of the Covenant is described by several different titles. Some of these are listed here as follows:

1.

Ark of God (1 Samuel 3:3)

2.

Ark of the Testimony (Exodus 25:22)

3.

Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah your God (Joshua 3:3)

It was something like a chest. The dimensions were given as follows in Exodus 25:10 :

1.

2½ cubits long

2.

½ cubits high

3.

1½ cubits broad

Converting the cubit into feet and inches, we would find the Ark was three feet and nine inches long, two feet and three inches high, and two feet and three inches wide. The chest was constructed of acacia wood which was a fine grained, light and wear-resistant wood found in the Sinaitic area. All of it was overlaid with gold, and it was provided with rings at the four corners through which staves could be thrust enabling carriers to pick up the Ark and move it very handily. Across the top of the Ark was a mercy seat, evidently something like a lid since the dimensions given are the same as the width and length of the Ark. Above the mercy seat were two angelic forms whose wings reached out over the mercy seat and touched in the middle. This central piece of furniture of the Tabernacle symbolized the abiding presence of God among His people. As it was carried before the armies of Israel, it signified their God was leading them when they crossed over into Canaan.

8.

Where were the priests to stop with the Ark? Joshua 3:8

When the priests came to the bank of the Jordan, they were to stand still. They were to form a dam as it were against the force of the water which was miraculously arrested in its course and piled upon a heap. It took a great deal of faith for these men to step into the swirling waters of the flooded river, but their faith was rewarded by a miraculous intervention on the part of the triune God. As these priests stood there while the thousands of Israelites swarmed across the river, they stood as a symbol of God's abiding presence with His people. Only after men, women and children, flocks and herds had crossed over into Canaan were the priests themselves to come up out of the Jordan into the Promised Land.

9.

What significance was there in the use of the Ark? Joshua 3:8

Moses had divided the Red Sea by stretching over it his rod; Joshua was to do the same to the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark had been the appointed symbol and vehicle symbolizing the presence of the Almighty God since the conclusion of the covenant. Whenever the ordinary means of grace are at hand, God attaches the operations of His grace to them; for He is a God of order, who does not act in an arbitrary manner in the selection of His means.