JOSHUA: Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Summary:	Joshua rose early in the morning and lead the Israelites as they left Shittum and came to the Jordan River. Joshua and the people of Israel camped there before they crossed the river. Three days later the officers went through the camp telling the Israelites that when they see the "ark of the covenant" being carried by the Levites, that they are to leave the camp and follow after the ark, but they are to keep a distance of about two thousand cubits*, and that they are not to come any closer. The officers add that they must follow the ark to know which direction they must travel since they have not passed this way before. Joshua told the Israelites to "sanctify" themselves as God would "do wonders" among them the next day. Joshua then* commanded the priests carrying the "ark of the covenant" to pick it up and lead the people, and they did as they were commanded. God then told Joshua that on this day he would "magnify" him in the presence of the Israelites, so that they would know that God will be with Joshua, just as he was with Moses. He tells Joshua to command the priests carrying the "ark of the covenant" to stop at the edge of the Jordan River. Joshua then gathered the Israelites telling them to come hear the "words of God". He tells them that they will know that the "living God" is amongst them; that he will without fail drive out the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites; and lead the "ark of the covenant" and the Israelites across the Jordan River. Joshua then tells them to select one man from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, but neither specifies which tribes (whether the "half tribes" of Ephraim and Manasseh are to be counted in lieu of the Levites) or for what purpose or task these twelve men will serve or perform. Joshua continues stating that as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark touch the waters of the Jordan River, the water flowing downstream will be "cut off" and pile up in a heap - as if there were an invisible dam stopping the water. When the time came for the people to pass over the Jordan River, the priests carrying the ark dipped their feet into the brim of the water, which was overflowing due to it being the harvest season. The waters upstream near the city of Adam, near Zaretan, suddenly were "cut off" and the Israelites passed over towards the city of Jericho. The priests carrying the ark, and then the rest of the Israelites, crossed on dry ground until all of the people had passed through the Jordan River.
Notes:	1.) Roughly over half a mile (approximately 2953 feet), or 914 meters. 2.) Presumably this is occurring on the following day.
Thoughts:	In this chapter Joshua prepares the Israelites to move and finally cross the Jordan River to invade the "promised land". He has the officers of the camp tell the rest of the Israelites that when they see the "ark of the covenant" being carried by the Levite priests, that they are to pack up their things and follow after it - although they are commanded to keep a distance of over half a mile away, and warned not to come any closer than that. Joshua then tells the Israelites to "sanctify" themselves as God would perform "wonders" amongst them the next day. After Joshua commands the priests to pick up the ark and lead the Israelites toward the Jordan River, God speaks to Joshua and tells him that he will "magnify" Joshua in the presence of the Israelites so that they will see that God favors Joshua just as he favored Moses, and subsequently tells Joshua to command the priests carrying the ark to stop once they reach the edge of the Jordan River. Similar to how I felt about Moses and Aaron's method of "proving" to the Israelites who God put in charge by way of a contest that could have and would have been ridiculously simple for Moses and Aaron to rig in their favor, my skeptic alarm once again is bothered by the conditions Joshua sets forth. The book of Joshua is generally ascribed to have been written by Joshua himself. Therefore Joshua writes that God spoke to him saying that he would perform a magic trick in order to show off and prove to the Israelites that Joshua is the rightful successor to Moses. However, the officers of the camp, presumably by order from God and/or Joshua, had warned the Israelites not to come any closer than 2,000 cubits - over half a mile - to the priests carrying the ark and leading the way. From half a mile away it would be extremely difficult, if not downright impossible, to determine how someone accomplished a magic trick or an illusion. Afterward the description of the magic trick is once again penned by Joshua himself, the person who has the most to gain from describing, and most likely embellishing, the magnificence of the trick. Joshua then stops the priests at the edge of the Jordan River and before performing anything magic, gathers the Israelites to tell them the "words of God". He repeats to them what Moses had promised, that God would drive out the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites; then he instructs each tribe to select a man for an unspecified task or purpose. Finally, he reveals to the Israelites the magic trick they will experience - similar to Moses' famous "miracle" of parting the Red Sea, once the priests step into the river, the water will be "cut off" as though there were an invisible dam stopping the flow of the water. Sure enough, once the priests dipped their feet into the Jordan River, the waters upstream were "cut off" and the priests and the rest of the Israelites crossed through the river on dry land.