Israel Crosses the Jordan on Dry GroundBible World
4:16Joshua 4:16
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.
The order was issued only after the entire host of Israel had completed the passage over the Jordan, while the priests bearing the ark were still standing in the bed of the river. That ark held the law of God and was the symbol of the divine presence. The priests had held their place in the river throughout the crossing and while twelve men took stones from the riverbed. The moment the priests came up out of the river and stood on dry land on the western side, God withdrew His restraining power and the Jordan at once rolled on as before, rushing powerfully like a mighty cataract down its own channel and overflowing all its banks. The stones taken from the riverbed were to stand as a lasting witness, so that future generations would hear how God had delivered Israel and would learn that His hand is mighty and that they should revere Him. The miraculous stopping of the waters and their release greatly increased the faith of Israel.
The order was issued only after the entire host of Israel had completed the passage over the Jordan, while the priests bearing the ark were still standing in the bed of the river. That ark held the law of God and was the symbol of the divine presence. The priests had held their place in the river throughout the crossing and while twelve men took stones from the riverbed. The moment the priests came up out of the river and stood on dry land on the western side, God withdrew His restraining power and the Jordan at once rolled on as before, rushing powerfully like a mighty cataract down its own channel and overflowing all its banks. The stones taken from the riverbed were to stand as a lasting witness, so that future generations would hear how God had delivered Israel and would learn that His hand is mighty and that they should revere Him. The miraculous stopping of the waters and their release greatly increased the faith of Israel.