The miraculous event of the waters of the Jordan River being divided is a significant moment in the biblical narrative, showcasing God's power and faithfulness through His servant Joshua. This event is recorded in the Book of Joshua, specifically in chapters 3 and 4, and serves as a testament to God's continued guidance and provision for the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land.

Context and Background

Following the death of Moses, Joshua was appointed as the leader of the Israelites. As they stood on the brink of entering Canaan, the Promised Land, they faced the formidable barrier of the Jordan River. At this time, the river was at flood stage, making it impassable by natural means. The crossing of the Jordan was not only a physical challenge but also a spiritual test of faith and obedience for the Israelites.

The Miracle Described

God instructed Joshua to have the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of the people. The Ark, representing God's presence among His people, was central to the miracle that was about to unfold. Joshua conveyed God's command to the people, emphasizing the need for sanctification and preparation for the wonders God would perform.

As recorded in Joshua 3:13 , God promised, "And when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap." This divine assurance set the stage for the miraculous event.

When the priests carrying the Ark stepped into the river, the waters from upstream stopped flowing and piled up in a heap a great distance away, near a town called Adam. The waters flowing down to the Dead Sea were completely cut off, allowing the entire nation of Israel to cross on dry ground. This miraculous event is detailed in Joshua 3:16-17 : "The waters flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a heap very far away at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The waters flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) were completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until the entire nation had completed the crossing."

Significance and Theological Implications

The division of the Jordan River served multiple purposes in God's divine plan. It was a powerful demonstration of God's sovereignty over nature, affirming His authority and ability to fulfill His promises. This miracle paralleled the earlier crossing of the Red Sea under Moses, reinforcing the continuity of God's covenantal relationship with His people.

Furthermore, the event solidified Joshua's leadership in the eyes of the Israelites. As God had been with Moses, so He was with Joshua, confirming Joshua's role as the divinely appointed leader. Joshua 4:14 states, "On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses."

The crossing of the Jordan also served as a spiritual marker for the Israelites, symbolizing a transition from the wilderness wanderings to the inheritance of the Promised Land. It was a call to faith and obedience, reminding the people of God's faithfulness and their need to trust in His guidance.

Memorialization of the Miracle

To commemorate this miraculous event, God instructed Joshua to have twelve stones taken from the middle of the Jordan, where the priests stood, and set up as a memorial at Gilgal. This act was to serve as a lasting reminder for future generations of God's mighty works and His faithfulness to His promises. Joshua 4:6-7 explains, "In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever."

The division of the Jordan River stands as a testament to God's miraculous intervention through His servant Joshua, underscoring themes of faith, obedience, and divine providence that resonate throughout the biblical narrative.Joshua 3:10-17
And Joshua said, Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

On the Baptism of Christ.
... grace of the Resurrection which was wrought in three ... Baptism, as that fornicator
was thrust through by the ... one of the earliest references to miracles worked by ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/on the baptism of christ.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... it dwells in the laws, legends and miracles of Antichrist ... now they are dead: yea,
as they wrought mischiefs, and ... And this will come to pass through the increase ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... Secondly, These stones, as they were thus wrought within and ... and immortality is brought
to light through this ... of God; as so, they are but servants, though these ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... he putteth no trust in his servants, and chargeth ... the centurion was found worthy
through alms-giving ... who, while he was fasting, had wrought miracles, no sooner ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Scriptural Predictions of an Apostasy.
... lose not those things which we have wrought, but that ... through the lust of the flesh,
through much wantonness ... the earth by the means of those miracles which he ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter ii scriptural predictions of.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
... poor carpenter's son, who, notwithstanding his miracles of wisdom ... by the effects
which these things have wrought. ... for our learning, that we through patience and ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... followed in the wake of the Hebrews through all the ... who thereupon commanded silence,
and ordered his servants to leave ... said, I have a message from God unto thee ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

Answer to Eunomius' Second Book .
... of the Son of God not by the miracles alone which ... hand; when we speak of Him as God,
we so ... overlooking and surveying all things, and seeing through the things ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/answer to eunomius second book.htm

Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ;
... seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ... But this shall not fail to
be wrought in them ... He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/come and welcome to jesus.htm

What does it mean that God is a God of miracles? | GotQuestions.org

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