Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
Joshua commanded the priests carrying the ark to come up out of the Jordan after Israel had passed over into the promised land. They had stood in the river with the ark while Israel crossed and twelve men gathered stones from the riverbed. Their coming up brought the crossing to its close.
When they came onto dry land the Jordan resumed its flow, showing that God had held back its waters for the crossing. The miracle strengthened Israel's faith and recalled the crossing of the Red Sea forty years earlier. The stones preserved a witness of God's deliverance for later generations, showing that the Lord's mighty hand is to be known and revered. The stones taken from the riverbed were set up at Gilgal as a lasting reminder. The account of Israel's preparation for and crossing of the Jordan holds lessons to be kept in memory by careful study.
Joshua commanded the priests carrying the ark to come up out of the Jordan after Israel had passed over into the promised land. They had stood in the river with the ark while Israel crossed and twelve men gathered stones from the riverbed. Their coming up brought the crossing to its close.
When they came onto dry land the Jordan resumed its flow, showing that God had held back its waters for the crossing. The miracle strengthened Israel's faith and recalled the crossing of the Red Sea forty years earlier. The stones preserved a witness of God's deliverance for later generations, showing that the Lord's mighty hand is to be known and revered. The stones taken from the riverbed were set up at Gilgal as a lasting reminder. The account of Israel's preparation for and crossing of the Jordan holds lessons to be kept in memory by careful study.