What connections exist between Joshua 4:17 and other biblical acts of obedience? Joshua 4:17—A snapshot of trusting obedience “So Joshua commanded the priests, ‘Come up out of the Jordan.’ ” Why this moment matters • The priests are still standing in the riverbed while walls of water are miraculously held back (Joshua 3:17). • God’s power is already evident; yet the miracle will not be complete until the priests obey this final word and step onto the western bank. • Their simple act releases the waters (Joshua 4:18) and seals the crossing for the nation. Old-Testament echoes of the same pattern • Exodus 14:16, 21 – God commands: “Lift up your staff…divide it.” Moses obeys, the sea parts, Israel walks through. • Genesis 6:22 – “So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.” Obedience preserves a remnant. • Genesis 22:3 – Abraham rises “early” to offer Isaac; immediate compliance ushers in the covenant promise (22:16-18). • Joshua 3:13 – Priests step into the Jordan before it parts; faith-action precedes the miracle. • Joshua 6:6-7 – Priests march around Jericho exactly as told; city walls fall once obedience is complete. Recurring ingredients 1. Clear divine instruction, sometimes delivered through a leader. 2. Immediate, wholehearted response. 3. Visible demonstration of God’s power only after (or simultaneously with) obedience. 4. A memorial or testimony that follows, anchoring future faith (e.g., twelve stones in Joshua 4:20-24). New-Testament continuations • John 2:7-8 – “Fill the jars…now draw some out.” Servants obey; water turns to wine. • Luke 5:5-6 – “Because You say so, I will let down the nets.” Peter obeys; nets overflow. • John 11:43-44 – “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man responds; life conquers the grave. • Acts 9:6 – “Get up and go into the city.” Saul obeys; a persecutor becomes an apostle. Key threads tying them together • God’s word is sufficient; obedience does not wait for explanations. • The command often appears ordinary (“come up,” “fill the jars”), yet supernatural results follow. • Obedience positions God’s people to witness His faithfulness and to bear witness to others. • Each episode strengthens the larger biblical testimony that blessing, deliverance, and revelation flow along the path of trusting submission. Living it out today • Read the Word expecting practical direction (Psalm 119:105). • Respond promptly, even when the command feels small or the outcome unclear. • Anticipate God’s provision on the other side of obedience, just as Israel watched the Jordan close behind them. |
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