Joshua 3: Crossing the Jordan

Joshua 3 shows God’s presence leading His people, pointing to Christ who opens the way through death and brings us into God’s promises.

Introduction

Joshua 3 records Israel’s crossing of the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership. At flood stage, the Jordan was impassable, but God commanded the priests to carry the ark of the covenant into the river. As soon as their feet touched the water, God miraculously cut off the flow, and the people crossed on dry ground (Joshua 3:13-17). This chapter reminds believers today that God makes a way where there is no way. His presence goes before His people, and His power works through faith and obedience. The crossing of the Jordan looks ahead to Christ, who made the impossible possible by bearing our sin and opening the way into God’s promises (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19-20).

Doctrine

The central truth of Joshua 3 is that God’s presence leads His people into His promises. The ark of the covenant, representing God’s throne, went before Israel into the Jordan (Joshua 3:3-6). This reveals that salvation and victory are not by human strength but by God’s power. Just as Israel could not cross the Jordan on their own, sinners cannot cross from death to life apart from Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). The passage also teaches that God exalts His chosen leader (Joshua 3:7), pointing to how God exalted Jesus above every name (Philippians 2:9-11). Ultimately, Joshua 3 shows that God brings His people into His promises by His power, through His chosen leader, and by faith in His word.

Reproof

This passage rebukes self-reliance and unbelief. Israel was commanded to stay back from the ark so that they might know the way to go (Joshua 3:4). They could not chart their own course, nor could they presume to enter the land apart from God’s leading. Many today still trust in their own wisdom, works, or strength to overcome sin or gain God’s favor. But the Jordan teaches that man cannot cross into life on his own terms. Unbelief and self-sufficiency contradict God’s truth (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 15:5).

Correction

The solution is to trust God’s presence and follow His word. Israel was told to consecrate themselves before the Lord did wonders among them (Joshua 3:5). This correction turns the heart from self-confidence to dependence on God. The priests stepping into the river by faith illustrates how God requires obedience before He reveals His power (Hebrews 11:29). The correction is simple: instead of leaning on human ability, we must place our confidence in Christ’s finished work and obey His word, knowing He alone can bring us through.

Instruction

Believers must learn to walk by faith in God’s promises. Joshua 3 instructs us to consecrate ourselves, keeping our eyes fixed on God’s presence and stepping forward in obedience even when the way looks impossible (2 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 3:1-2). This means daily trusting in God’s word, yielding to His Spirit, and following Christ as the one who goes before us. It also means remembering that God’s greatest wonders often come when we step forward in faith at His command.

Encouragement and Hope

This chapter encourages believers that God is faithful to lead them into His promises. The same God who cut off the waters of the Jordan can remove every barrier that stands in the way of His will for His people. Just as He exalted Joshua before Israel (Joshua 3:7), He has exalted Christ before the world. Every believer can take courage, knowing that Christ has gone before us, secured our salvation, and will bring us safely into our eternal inheritance (Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

Invitation

Joshua 3 points to the greater work of Christ, who made a way through death itself. Sin created an impassable barrier between man and God, and death was the penalty we deserved (Romans 6:23). But Jesus Christ, by His substitutionary death on the cross, bore our sins in His body and satisfied God’s wrath (Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 Peter 2:24). By His resurrection, He opened the way to eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The Jordan reminds us that we cannot cross on our own, but God has made a way through Christ. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9-13). Call on the name of the Lord today and trust in Christ’s finished work to bring you safely through.