The Crossing of the Jordan: God Makes a Way into the Promised Land

Bible Believing Christian
Sep 22
4 min read

The Crossing of the Jordan: God Makes a Way into the Promised Land

Israel has a new leader, a swollen river at flood stage, and a promise older than Abraham’s sandals. Joshua 1–4 records how God brought His people into Canaan—not by building a bridge, but by stopping a river. This moment isn’t just a travel log; it’s the decisive launch of life with God inside the land He swore to give.

Biblical Foundation (NASB)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Rahab’s confession in Jericho sets the tone:“When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:11)

At the river’s edge:“The LORD said to Joshua, ‘This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they will know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.’” (Joshua 3:7)

“And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.” (Joshua 3:17)

God commands a memorial:“When your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:6–7)

“So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” (Joshua 4:24)

Historical & Contextual Notes

From Shittim to the Jordan (Joshua 3:1): The people move from the plains opposite Jericho to the riverbank. The crossing occurs on the tenth day of the first month; they camp at Gilgal (Joshua 4:19).

Flood stage: The Jordan is overflowing its banks at harvest (Joshua 3:15). Translation: no strategic fords, no “we got lucky.”

Holy distance: The ark goes ahead, with the people keeping about 2,000 cubits (roughly 3,000 feet / 900 m) away (Joshua 3:4). God leads; Israel follows.

How it happened: As the priests’ feet touch the water, the flow is cut off and heaps up far upstream at Adam, beside Zarethan; the southern flow to the Salt Sea stops (Joshua 3:13, 16).

Two memorials of twelve stones (Joshua 4):

Twelve stones taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal (Joshua 4:20), a teaching tool for future children.

Joshua also sets twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests had stood (Joshua 4:9)—a hidden monument seen when waters run low.

Rahab & the spies (Joshua 2): Two spies lodge with Rahab, who hides them, negotiates protection marked by a scarlet cord, and ties her household’s fate to Israel’s God. Her word ḥesed (חֶסֶד, loyal love) frames the oath (Joshua 2:12).

Misconceptions / Objections

“Maybe they found a shallow crossing.”

The text insists on flood conditions and heaped-up waters far upstream. This is miracle, not meteorology (Joshua 3:15–16).

“The ark was a magic box.”

The ʾarôn habbərît (אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית), ark of the covenant, isn’t a talisman. The distance kept and the priestly bearing underscore God’s holiness and presence, not gadgetry (Joshua 3:4, 6–8).

“This was about Joshua’s ego.”

God states the purpose: to confirm Joshua publicly so Israel will follow, and to show His own power to Israel and the nations (Joshua 3:7; 4:24).

Theological Reflection

This crossing is Exodus 2.0. The Red Sea birthed a people out of bondage; the Jordan births them into promise. The river functions like a boundary of death/chaos that YHWH, the living God, subdues (Joshua 3:10). The memorial stones catechize the next generation: salvation is remembered, rehearsed, and retold.

Hebrew details sharpen the picture:

Gilgal (גִּלְגָּל) will soon be linked with “rolling away” reproach (Joshua 5:9), signaling a fresh start.

“Stand firm” on ḥārābâ (dry ground) echoes Exodus language; God recreates a path where none exists.

Connection to Christ

Name & Mission: Joshua (Yēhôšûaʿ, “YHWH saves”) is the Hebrew form of Jesus (Iēsous). As Joshua leads through the waters into inheritance, Jesus leads through death into resurrection life.

Ark → Presence-incarnate: The ark, sign of God’s presence, goes before the people; in Christ, God-with-us leads us into the true rest (Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 4:8–10).

Crossing → Baptism: The Jordan crossing prefigures baptism—death’s waters halted by divine power, a people rising to walk in promise (Romans 6:4).

Rahab’s faith: A Gentile with a scarlet sign becomes part of Messiah’s line (Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab; Matthew 1:5). The gospel already peeks over the horizon.

Christ-Centered Conclusion

God doesn’t negotiate with rivers; He stops them. The Jordan story calls us to follow God’s presence, keep holy distance where He commands, and raise memorials that train our children to trust Him. In Jesus—the greater Joshua—God makes a way through the waters into a life we could never reach on our own.