Joshua 4:17-24
Jos 4:17
Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye
up out of Jordan.
Then Joshua relayed the command of the LORD to the
priests that they were now to step out of the Jordan and come on to the land
since all the people have now passed over.
Jos 4:18
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 unto the dry land, that the waters
of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they
did before.
Then as soon as the priests had come out of the midst of
Jordan and stepped upon dry land, the waters of the Jordan river began to flow
again and with much rage as the banks of the Jordan did overflow since it was
the harvest time. The river going
back to normal was also a point of no return.
In the time of Moses, the people wanted to go back to Egypt but here
after the crossing and the river was raging, no one could return, once they were
in the land of promise, there was no turning back.
Just like in the Christian life, once you are saved, God keeps you with
his power and there is no going back into the world.
Once you cross the Jordan of salvation it is permanent.
Jos 4:19
And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day
of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
After the people had come out of Jordan, it was the tenth
day of Nisan which would correspond to our March 25th.
They encamped in the plains of Jericho which is otherwise known as Gilgal
which was located about 1 mile (2 KM) east of Jericho.
So they had camped right on the doorstep of Jericho and I am sure the
king of Jericho was nervous about that and was no doubt waiting for an imminent
attack.
Jos 4:20
And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan,
did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.
Then the twelve stones which was in the midst of Jordan
to mark the place where the children of Israel crossed over, Joshua now took the
stones and pitched them in Gilgal.
The word “pitch” carries with it the meaning of “erect, form, raise.”
So it seems that Joshua had taken those twelve stones and made them into
some type of memorial on dry land.
Jos 4:21
And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When
your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean
these stones?
Then he instructs the people for the purpose of handing
down the meaning for generations concerning the meaning of the twelve stones.
It is believed by some that the twelve stones were still around in the
time of John the Baptizer.
And think not to say within yourselves,
We have Abraham to our father:
for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto
Abraham. (Matthew 3:9) Some
believe that where John was baptizing people in Bethabara, which means “the
house of passage” that he was physically pointing to the twelve stones when he
made his declaration in Matthew 3:9 concerning “these stones.”
Jos 4:22
Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came
over this Jordan on dry land.
Then the parents of the children are to tell them that
the twelve stones means that the entire nation of Israel had passed through the
Jordan river on dry ground to claim the promise of the land promised by God to
Abraham. This way when the children
grow up, they can tell their children about the meaning of the twelve stones.
And thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou
risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)
Jos 4:23
For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from
before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea,
which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:
Then they are to not only tell the story about how the
LORD dried up the Jordan river to allow Israel to pass through but in connection
with the story, they are to also tell the story of how the LORD dried up the Red
Sea and allowed Israel to cross over on dry land in that situation also.
The sea saw
it, and fled: Jordan was driven
back. (Psalm 114:3) The reason
they needed to connect both stories is to show that God is faithful whether it
be things in the past, present, or the future.
Jos 4:24
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of
the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for
ever.
The result of knowing and understanding what the LORD did
for Israel both times will instill in them the understanding that the hand of
the LORD is mighty and even has authority over the natural laws which he himself
had created. In this way, if they
see and know the mighty hand of the LORD, they would realize that his strength
can be used to both protect them and to chastise them when needed.
This knowledge was not just for Israel but was to be told so it goes
throughout the entire earth. By
knowing the power of the true God, it should restrain them from ever going after
false gods which are really just the works of men’s hands and do not exist.
18 What profiteth the graven image that the
maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the
maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? 19 Woe unto
him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach!
Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no
breath at all in the midst of it. (Habakkuk 2:18-19)