Joshua 3:1-6

Joshua 3:1-6

[1] And Joshua  rose early  in the morning;  and they removed  from Shittim,  and came  to Jordan,  he and all the children  of Israel,  and lodged  there before they passed over.  [2] And it came to pass after  three  days,  that the officers  went  through  the host;  [3] And they commanded  the people,  saying,  When ye see  the ark  of the covenant  of the LORD  your God,  and the priests  the Levites  bearing  it, then ye shall remove  from your place,  and go  after  [4] Yet there shall be a space  between you and it, about two thousand  cubits  by measure:  come not near  unto it, that ye may know  the way  for ye have not passed  this way  heretofore.  [5] And Joshua  said  unto the people,  Sanctify  yourselves: for to morrow  the LORD  will do  wonders  among  [6] And Joshua  spake  unto the priests,  saying,  Take up  the ark  of the covenant,  and pass over  before  the people.  And they took up  the ark  of the covenant,  before  the people. 

What does Joshua 3:1-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Joshua may have moved the nation from Shittim to the Jordan"s edge at approximately the same time he sent the spies on their mission (cf. Joshua 3:1-2; Joshua 1:11; Joshua 2:22). However, the sequence of events was probably as it appears in the text. Chapter1 Joshua 3:11 describes one three-day period during which the spies were in Jericho and the hills. A second, overlapping three-day period began on the next day (day four) with the people"s arrival at Shittim ( Joshua 3:1), and concluded two days later (on the sixth day) with the officers giving the people last-minute instructions about the crossing ( Joshua 3:2-4). The people then crossed the Jordan on the next day (day seven). [1]
"Duty often calls us to take one step without knowing how we shall take the next; but if brought thus far by the leadings of Providence, and while engaged in his service, we may safely leave the event to him." [2]
God continued to lead His people by means of the ark. Whereas in the wilderness the cloudy pillar over the ark was the focus of the Israelites" attention, now the ark itself became the primary object of their interest. The writer mentioned the ark17 times in chapters3,4. It was the visible symbol that God Himself was leading His people into the land and against their enemies.
". . . the ark was carried in front of the people, not so much to show the road as to make a road by dividing the waters of the Jordan, and the people were to keep at a distance from it, that they might not lose sight of the ark, but keep their eyes fixed upon it, and know the road by looking at the ark of the covenant by which the road had been made, i.e, might know and observe how the Lord, through the medium of the ark, was leading them to Canaan by a way which they had never traversed before; i.e, by a miraculous way." [3]
Other frequently recurring words in chapters3,4are "cross" and "stand" used22and five times respectively. These words identify other emphases of the writer.
The people"s self-consecration ( Joshua 3:5) consisted of their turning their hearts to God and getting their attitudes and actions right with Him (cf. Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17). God had previously promised to do wonders ( Joshua 3:5, awesome miracles) when they would enter the land (cf. Exodus 34:10). Undoubtedly the people had been looking forward to seeing these miracles in view of what their parents had told them and what some of them remembered about the plagues in Egypt.