Joshua 4:10-18

The Crossing Completed Joshua 4:10-18

10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.
12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:
13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
14 And that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
15And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.
17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests-' feet were lifted up onto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.

8.

In what way was Joshua commanded by Moses? Joshua 4:10

These words do not refer to any special instructions which Moses had given to Joshua with reference to the crossing, for no such instructions are to be found in the Pentateuch. Such directives cannot be inferred from Numbers 27:23; Deuteronomy 3:28; or Deuteronomy 31:23. The words simply affirm that Joshua carried out all the commands which the Lord had given him, in accordance with the charge which he received from Moses at the time when he was first called. Of course, Moses himself was not present for the crossing of the Jordan, but all of Joshua's work was done in fulfillment of Moses-' appointment of Joshua as his successor. It was Moses-' wish for Joshua to succeed him as the leader of God's people. God had sealed this appointment by his marvelous encouragement to Joshua. The fact that Joshua was walking in faithfulness which was typified by Moses had been demonstrated and verified by the miracle of the stopping of the Jordan's waters.

9.

Why is reference made to both the Ark and the priests? Joshua 4:11

The priests were subordinate to the Ark, because, it was through the medium of the Ark of the Lord that the miracle of drying up the river had been effected. It was not by the priests but by Jehovah, the Almighty God, who was enthroned upon the Ark, that the waters were commanded to stand still. The Ark did not move by its own power. It was carried by the priests, and so both the priests and the Ark are mentioned as passing over the Jordan River.

10.

In what way did the eastern tribes pass over as Moses spoke to them? Joshua 4:12

Once again the reader of the Scripture is not to be confused by the mentioning of Moses-' speaking to the eastern tribes. He was not present when the crossing occurred, but he had given specific instructions to the three tribes who wanted to settle east of the Jordan River. His conversation with them is recorded in Numbers 32:20; Numbers 32:27-28. They had agreed to go over with the other tribes and engage in the battles of conquest. When the conquest had been completed they were granted permission to return to Gilead and to settle there.

11.

Did all the armed men of the eastern tribes cross the Jordan River? Joshua 4:13

Only about one-third of the armed men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh crossed over to the plains of Jericho. The remaining seventy thousand men who were twenty years of age or older stayed behind to take care of the women and children who were not required to cross over into the western part of Canaan. The total of men in these three tribes can be calculated from the census which was recorded in the twenty-sixth chapter of the book of Numbers.

12.

In what way did the people fear ?Joshua 4:14

The people of Israel were not afraid of Joshua. They had not been afraid of Moses, They had respected him. Josephus says when Moses died the people wept bitterly. The old men knew what a great leader he had been, and they knew that they would miss his helpful leadership. The younger people wept because they were to be deprived of the privilege of being closely associated with a great leader. The people had this same kind of respect for Joshua as God magnified him by directing the crossing in such a magnificent way.

13.

Was Joshua in charge of the priests? Joshua 4:16

When Moses selected Joshua to be his successor, God told Moses that Joshua would stand before Eleazar, the priest, who would ask counsel for him after the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. God said that Joshua would go out and come in at the word of the high priest. Moses himself had never been required to make such inquiries of Aaron, his brother. Joshua was in this way subordinate to Eleazar, the son of Aaron. The specific command for the priests to come out of the Jordan, however, was an unusual request and Joshua was so ordered by God.

14.

How far did the flood waters reach? Joshua 4:18

The Jordan flows through a bed known as the Ghor. It would be eight miles wide at some points. This region is normally covered with trees and reeds, and the greenery presents a striking contrast to the sandy slopes which bound it on both sides. In many places this strip of vegetation occupies a deeper portion of the lower valley. As a result, one might distinguish three different banksthe upper or outer banks which form the first slope of the great valley, the lower of middle banks embracing the strip of land which is covered with vegetation, and the true banks of the river's bed. The floods seldom reach beyond the lower line which is covered with vegetation. On some occasions the flood may reach out beyond this line of vegetation. One traveler did find the river so swollen when he visited it that it filled the bed to the very brim and covered all the ground where the bushes grew. The rise of water takes place at the time of harvest in April and at the close of the rainy season after the snow has been melted upon Mount Hermon. These melting snows fill the Sea of Galilee until it reaches its greatest height and then the excess water flows off into the Jordan to make it a full stream as it plummets down to the Dead Sea. At such a time, the river can not be waded even at its shallowest fords; whereas this is possible in the dry season when the water is low. Only by swimming could one cross it, and then hardly at all. The spies may have crossed the Jordan and returned in this manner, but the thousands of Israelites with their women and children could not cross in this fashion. For this reason, God cut off the water and allowed them to cross over on the rocky, dry river bed. After the people crossed, He allowed the water to flow out over its usual normal banks, out across the green Ghor and perhaps even to the farthest extents of the sandy slopes which may have been eight miles in width in places.