Joshua 3: The Israelites cross the river Jordan

In this chapter, the Israelites cross the river Jordan by means of a miracle: the waters of the river get held back to create dry ground to walk on. This miracle happens a number of times in the Old Testament beginning with the crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus. And, as we will see, it means things for us too.

All the people of Israel move to the edge of the river Jordan and camp (see Arcana Caelestia 6537). Then a number of commands are given: to move only when they see the priests carrying the ark move first; to keep well away from the ark; to consecrate themselves; to choose twelve men, one from each tribe. The priests are told to carry the ark ahead of the people and to step into the waters of the river.

These detailed instructions are important for us, in the work of regeneration. At the end of verse Joshua 3:4 it says something very telling, that “you have not passed this way before.” In truth, we haven’t; the work of regeneration is new to us and takes us into things we haven’t yet experienced. Seeing the ark going ahead pictures our own need to keep the commands and truths of the Lord in our vision and goals.

Keeping well away from the ark is also important because we must not mix together our view of what we do, with the Lord’s view of what we must do – the ark contains the ten commandments and must always be seen (Arcana Caelestia 6724).

The text says, “Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go.” (Joshua 3:4) The people are also told to consecrate themselves, to make themselves holy. This would have included washing, which stands for cleansing our mind and actions of anything which goes against God.

The last command the people are given is to choose twelve men, one from each tribe. This will become important in the next chapter when twelve memorial stones are taken out of the river Jordan.

The priests carrying the ark are told to step in and get wet. For us this means that our dedication to God and our highest intentions (the ‘priest’ in us) must come into touch with the flowing water of the river Jordan (the first spiritual truths, first because the Jordan is a boundary).

When the priests do this, the waters immediately stop far upstream, making dry ground for everybody to safely cross while the priests stand still (see Arcana Caelestia 1664[7]). When our dedication to God dovetails with God’s truths for our life and become united, we have the heavenly ideal and we will now go forward. (Doctrine of Life 55[3]).

In verses 9 to 13 Joshua reminds the people of what it is they are now doing. They are crossing into Canaan, “and the living God is among you and he will without fail drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites”, who, for us, stand for the wrongs, weaknesses, delusions, tricks and deceits of our human nature such as it is before we belong to God. “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan.”

This chapter is our first action and resolve at the start of our regeneration or new birth. It will take us from here to there, never to go back. It is a transition from one side of our life to the other (Arcana Caelestia 7779[3]). And all Israel crossed over on dry ground. Each of us is ‘all Israel’ because there are many parts to us; we love, think, believe, value, act, do useful things, share, work and play, and all these and many others will be part of our spiritual life that lies ahead.

55. That these laws were so very holy can be seen from the fact that Jehovah Himself, that is, the Lord, descended onto Mount Sinai in fire, accompanied by angels, and promulgated them from there with His own voice; that the people readied themselves for three days to see and hear this; that bounds were set around the mountain to keep anyone from approaching and dying; that not even the priests or elders were to approach, but Moses only; that these laws were inscribed on two stone tablets with the finger of God; that when Moses brought them down from the mountain a second time, His face shone; that afterward they were placed in the Ark, and the Ark was placed in the innermost part of the Tabernacle, on which was set the mercy seat, and over it cherubim of gold; that this was the holiest focus of their church and called the most holy place; that set outside the veil within which the Ark was placed were objects that represented the sanctities of heaven and the church, namely the golden lampstand with its seven lamps, the golden altar of incense, and the table overlaid with gold which held the showbread, surrounded by curtains of linen, purple and scarlet.

The holiness of this whole Tabernacle was due solely to the law placed in the Ark.

[2] Because of the holiness of the Tabernacle, owing to the law in the Ark, the Israelite people were all commanded to camp about it in order by tribes, and to set out in order after it; and a cloud then stood over it by day, and fire by night.

Because of the holiness of that law, and the Lord’s presence in it, the Lord spoke with Moses from upon the mercy seat between the cherubim, and the Ark was called the abode of Jehovah. Aaron, moreover, was permitted to enter within the veil only with sacrifices and incense.

Because that law was holiness itself in the church, therefore David brought the Ark into Zion. And it was later placed in the midst of the Temple in Jerusalem and constituted its inner sanctuary.

[3] Because of the Lord’s presence in that law and surrounding it, miracles were also occasioned by the Ark which contained that law. For example, the Jordan’s waters were parted, and as long as the Ark rested in the midst of it, the people crossed over on dry ground. Its being carried around caused the walls of Jericho to fall. Dagon, the Philistine god, fell down before it, and after that lay at the threshold of the shrine with its head broken off. Moreover, because of the Ark many thousands of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh were struck. And other miracles as well.

All of these events occurred solely because of the Lord’s presence in His Ten Commandments, which are the precepts of the Decalogue.