Connect Joshua 3:15 to another biblical instance of God parting waters. Setting the Scene in Joshua 3:15 “Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge”. • Israel stands on the brink of the Promised Land. • The Jordan is at flood stage—humanly impassable. • God instructs the priests to step in first, ark in hand, signaling faith before sight. The Earlier Waters—Red Sea, Exodus 14:21-22 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left”. • Israel is trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the sea. • Moses releases God’s command, raises his staff, and God parts the waters. • The same generation that watched this miracle would later teach it to their children—those now standing at the Jordan in Joshua 3. Common Threads: What God Reveals Through Parted Waters • Divine initiative: In both accounts, God issues specific instructions first (Exodus 14:15-16; Joshua 3:7-8). • Human obedience: Moses stretches his staff; priests step into rushing water. God works as faith takes action. • Creation power revisited: The Lord who once separated the waters at creation (Genesis 1:6-7) repeats the sign, asserting sovereignty over chaos. • Salvation and separation: – Red Sea—deliverance from bondage, cutting off Egypt’s pursuit. – Jordan—entry into inheritance, cutting off former wilderness wandering. • Memorialization: – After the Red Sea, Miriam leads a song (Exodus 15:20-21). – After the Jordan, twelve stones are set up (Joshua 4:4-7). Implications for Believers Today • Same God, consistent power—yesterday at the Red Sea, today at the Jordan, still faithful now (Hebrews 13:8). • Obstacles often stand between promise and possession; God invites trust that steps into “impossible” circumstances. • Every act of deliverance points to the ultimate crossing accomplished by Christ, bringing believers from death to life (John 5:24; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4). |
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