Israel stands at the Jordan River during flood season.
The water is deep. The current is strong. The way forward looks impossible.
But the Jordan is more than a river in this story. It is a crossing point. The Hebrew word abar means “to cross over,” and it shows up 44 times in Joshua. Israel’s own name in Hebrew, Ivrim, means “the ones who cross over.” Crossing is in their story. It’s who they are.
The Jordan is also a boundary. Behind them: wilderness, fear, and wandering. Ahead of them: promise, identity, and new life.
God doesn’t give them a path around the river. He gives them a path through it. This is His appointed way into what comes next.
And the Jordan is a picture of baptism. This is the same river where Jesus Himself was baptized, likely near this very spot. A place where old life ends and new life begins. A place where you go down into the water and rise again to walk with God.
The Jordan is, in every sense, a cross way.
Prepare to Pass Over
Joshua 3 opens with Israel standing at the edge of something new. The river is deep. The current is strong. The future looks hard.
Before God moves, He slows the people down. He calls them to set themselves apart. He wants them quiet enough and mindful enough to watch Him lead.
This is the heartbeat of Joshua. Courage comes from God’s presence, not our strength.
The Ark moves first. The people follow behind. There’s space between them so everyone can see God’s lead.
In Joshua 3:4, God says, “You have not passed this way before.” It’s like He’s saying: You haven’t been here, but I have. Don’t worry about what’s ahead. Just keep your eyes on Me.
Before crossing anything in life, God prepares the heart. He quiets the noise. He calms the fear. He teaches trust before He reveals the path.
And He works upstream, long before anyone sees dry ground. The waters stopped at Adam, a city far upriver. By the time Israel stepped in, the way was already clear. God handles things long before we know they’re handled.
Discussion
- Why does God slow them down for three days before the crossing?
- Why does God tell them to follow the Ark at a distance?
- What does it mean that the river stopped far upstream at Adam?
Key Takeaways
- God prepares the heart before He opens the path. Courage doesn’t grow in a rush. He settles us before He moves us.
- We find courage when we follow His lead instead of our fear. When we give God space, we see Him more clearly.
- God works upstream long before we see the way forward. He handles things before we know they’re handled.
Remember and Re-tell
Joshua 4 slows the moment again. God knows His people need more than a miracle. They need a memory.
After they cross the river, God tells Joshua to take twelve stones and set them up at Gilgal. These stones are not decoration. They are a story. A sign. A reminder that God goes ahead of His people and makes a way, even when the way isn’t paved.
Courage grows when we remember what God has done. Not when we hype ourselves up. Not when we trust our own strength. Courage comes when we look back and see the hand of God.
And God pulls this moment forward for those who come after. He says, “When your children ask…” But this includes more than sons and daughters. It includes the next generation of disciples. Anyone walking behind us. Anyone who needs to hear how God met us, carried us, and brought us through.
Your story matters. Your stones of remembrance are not just for you. They steady your own heart, and they strengthen the person beside you.
Faith grows when the people of God speak about what they have seen Him do.
Discussion
- Why does God want them to stop and remember before moving on to Jericho?
- Why tell the next generation? Why not just keep the memory private?
- What are some stones of remembrance in your own life?
Key Takeaways
- Remembering God’s work strengthens courage for what’s next. Looking back steadies us for moving forward.
- Your story has power. Someone needs to hear what God has done for you.
- Memory keeps us steady when the next river rises. Stones of remembrance anchor faith in reality.
Rolling Into Renewal
Israel enters the land, but God stops them at Gilgal. Before they face Jericho, He deals with their hearts.
The men are circumcised. The covenant is renewed. And God says, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” That’s why the name Gilgal means “rolling.” A place of new beginnings.
Their old shame is rolled off. Their old story is gone. They now stand in the land God promised.
They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, just as they had since Egypt. The next day, they tasted the produce of the land for the first time. Then the manna stopped. God moved them from wilderness food to promised-land fruit. From scarcity to fullness. From wandering to settled life with Him.
The scene at Gilgal also points forward. Paul says circumcision was always meant to point to something deeper. Not the cutting of flesh, but the cutting of the heart.
Real circumcision is “of the heart, by the Spirit.” In Christ, God “cuts away” the old life so we can walk new. God doesn’t want us carrying the wilderness into the future. He renews from the inside out.
You can’t walk into what’s ahead if you’re still tied to what’s behind. God frees them before He sends them.
Discussion
- Why does God deal with their hearts before letting them face Jericho?
- What does it mean to “roll away the reproach”?
- Why does the manna stop the moment they eat from the land?
Key Takeaways
- God removes the old weight so we can walk in new life. He frees before He sends.
- You can’t step into promise while holding on to the wilderness. Old shame and old identity have to go.
- Renewal begins when God cuts away what doesn’t belong anymore. The heart, not just the flesh.
Surrender Your Sandals
Right before Jericho, Joshua sees a warrior standing with a drawn sword. Joshua asks the natural question: “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
The answer is simple: “No. I am the Commander of the LORD’s army.”
Joshua learns something every disciple has to learn. The real question isn’t, “Is God on my side?” It’s, “Am I on His?”
Joshua falls on his face. He takes off his sandals. That’s surrender. That’s worship. That’s letting God lead.
This is where courage grows. Not from feeling strong, but from knowing who leads. Before Jericho ever falls, Joshua bows low. Victory begins with surrender.
Discussion
- Why does God answer “No” to Joshua’s question about sides?
- Why take off the sandals?
- What does this teach about the battles we face?
Key Takeaways
- Victory starts with surrender, not strength. Before the walls fall, Joshua kneels.
- When we kneel before God, we can stand against anything. Worship comes before warfare.
- Any place becomes holy ground when we let God lead the way. Surrender transforms the ground we stand on.
Something to Sit With
Joshua 3 through 5 shows a simple pattern. Prepare your heart. Remember God’s faithfulness. Let Him roll away your past. Surrender to His lead.
That’s how God builds courage. And that’s how we walk into whatever He has ahead.
A few honest questions to carry this week:
- Where are you standing at the edge of something new, afraid to step forward?
- What stones of remembrance has God placed in your story that you’ve forgotten?
- What part of your past is God trying to roll away, but you keep picking back up?
- Where do you need to surrender instead of push harder?
“And the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’” (Joshua 5:9, ESV)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of crossing the Jordan in Joshua?
The Jordan crossing marks Israel’s transition from wilderness wandering to the Promised Land. The Hebrew word abar (to cross over) appears 44 times in Joshua. The crossing also prefigures baptism. Just as Israel passed through the water into new life, believers pass through baptism into life with Christ.
What are the stones of remembrance in Joshua 4?
God told Joshua to take twelve stones from the Jordan riverbed and set them up at Gilgal. They served as a permanent memorial of God’s faithfulness. When future generations asked about the stones, the story of God’s provision would be retold. They are an example of how remembering God’s past faithfulness strengthens present courage.
What does Gilgal mean in the Bible?
Gilgal means “rolling.” God named it to mark the moment He “rolled away the reproach of Egypt” from Israel. It was a place of covenant renewal, Passover celebration, and transition from manna to the fruit of the land. Gilgal represents new beginnings and the freedom that comes when God removes old shame.
Who is the Commander of the Lord’s army in Joshua 5?
In Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua encounters a figure with a drawn sword who identifies himself as “the Commander of the LORD’s army.” Many scholars understand this as a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. The figure accepts Joshua’s worship and commands him to remove his sandals, echoing God’s words to Moses at the burning bush.
This lesson is part of the Encouraged by What’s Ahead series.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway.