March 23 - Joshua 3:1-6:27

Good morning everyone,

Today’s reading is nothing short of amazing! I encourage you to get your minds eye working because the events  that we read about today are filled with visuals and even audios if you are willing to go there. So, as we begin it is a long awaited, thrilling day for the tribes of Israel. Imagine the excitement in the air, adults and children alike giddy with the anticipation of finally being abel to cross the Jordan into the land of milk and honey, but I am getting ahead of myself. (I am a little excited for them:-) ) Joshua goes through the camp and told everyone they had three days to get ready to go, when they saw the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to fall in line behind them but they were to keep a distance of 2000 cubits (about 3/5 of a mile) between them.

Now the priests were to be the first to set foot in the Jordan and when they did, we’re told vs. 13 “it’s waters will be cut off and stand up in a heap”, then they were to remain there until everyone had crossed over. The 40,000 armed fighting men, along with the women, children, priests and elderly would mean there were at least 2.5 million people shuffling across the river. To put things in perspective, Century Link Field, where the Seahawks play football, holds 67,000 people, you could fill the stadium 37 times and still have folks standing outside. Oh and about the Jordan … no one can say exactly how deep and wide it was on that day the Israelites crossed but we’re told it was at flood stage and so it is estimated to have been up to a mile wide, probably twelve-ish feet deep and very swift. Now you may be thinking “they’d seen that before”, but not these kids, they’d only heard the story of the Red Sea, now they too get a look at a wall of water. Awesome!! 

The People made camp at Gilgal, just east of Jericho where Joshua piled the twelve stones from the river, telling the Israelites that in the future when their descendants ask about the stones, tell them the story. Then God asks Joshua to make flint knives and reestablish the covenant ceremonies, that is to say the men because they had not been circumcised while in the desert would all have to be, and then on the evening of the fourteenth day the Israelites celebrated the Passover, ate from the land and the manna stopped.

In 5:13 Joshua while out, probably praying, and sizing up the enemy, experiences a Christophany, an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. Joshua looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand who identified himself as the commander of the Lord’s army and asked Joshua to “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” 

In chapter 6 Joshua gets his marching instructions and carries them out. There is so very much  to ponder on, to realize when reading of how the “ great wall of Jericho” came down. I mean after all this was not your run of the mill 6 foot high wobbly, chain link or cedar plank fence. It was even a bit more challenging than an 8 foot cinder block wall. 

TheBiblenet.org Says “ Now the city of Jericho was built upon a large mound of earth surrounded by an embankment with a stone retaining wall at its base. On top of this 12-15 foot high retaining wall was another mud brick wall that was 6 foot thick and about 25 feet tall. Also, at the crest of this embankment was another similarly sized wall whose base was about 45 feet above the ground level outside the retaining wall. So if you were standing in front of the retaining wall, it would appear to you that the wall was over 70 feet tall.” 

Arguably the best protected city in all of Canaan;  the soldiers must have thought that to be an immovable wall having an “Oh! No!! We’re going to die.” moment. It took incredible faith to carry out the instructions of the Lord with no explanation of when or how. 

So I ask, have you come up against a large, unmovable wall in your life? Are you standing there thinking about how there is no way to overcome this obstacle? By yourself there is not, but look up. See the Commander of the Lord’s Army standing there with His sword drawn and his legions of warriors eager to go to battle for you!  Put your faith in Jesus.

Don’t get caught up with how God is going to do it, just have faith that He will. 

I pray you all have a great day, to God be the glory.

God bless you …