In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying, command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come you up out of Jordan”, and in chapter four and verse eighteen of the book of Joshua, we learn what happened, “when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan” where we read,
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.
The verse reads, “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, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and it came to pass” which means “and it happened and occurred”, “when the priests” or “at the time and moment the spiritual leaders, chiefs and officials” “that bare the ark” which means “who lifted up and carried the box or chest” “of the covenant” or “pertaining to the alliance, pledge, treaty and agreement” “of the LORD” which means “belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and is the proper name for the One True God” “were come up” or “ascended, came forth and arose” “out of the midst of Jordan” which means “from the middle of Jordan whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”. Joshua or the writer shared that the following happened as soon as the spiritual leaders arose from the middle of the Jordan river.
The verse goes on to say, “… 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.” Joshua continued with the words, “and the soles of the priests’ feet” or “and the cups or bottoms of the physical feet belonging to the spiritual leaders, chiefs and officials” “were lifted up” which means “were drawn off, apart and away” “unto the dry land” or “to the arid desert ground”, “that the waters of Jordan” which means “that the flowing waters belonging to Jordan whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)” “returned unto their place” or “turned and went back to their station, location, region and spot”, “and flowed over” which means “and proceeded and moved beyond” “all his banks” or “each, every and the whole of his, the Jordan river’s, edges or border”, “as they did before” which means “similar and in like fashion to the way the waters were in time past and afore”. Joshua or the writer described how the flowing waters of the “Jordan” river went back to their original state which overflowed all the borders of the “river’s” edge.
When we consider the words in this verse, we learn what happened immediately after the spiritual leaders removed their physical “feet” from the middle of the “Jordan” river. The flowing “waters” of the river returned to their original state and overflowed the borders of it. This again is another miracle performed by Jehovah God, and the people of Israel were witnesses to all these events. God wants everyone to know that He is an all-powerful and all-knowing God, and because He loves us, He wants us to be involved in His greatest miracle which is salvation from our sins by sending His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raising Him from the grave after three days. When we surrender our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and reveal His power and authority to us through His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to notice and observe His miracle working power in the world.
Next time we learn how, “the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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