I am at the beginning of the book of Joshua; Moses has just died and left Joshua in charge of leading the Israelites into the land of milk and honey. God had promised them; however, to reach the land promised to them, they had to cross the Jordan River.
Mind you, the Jordan River at its widest is 60 feet across, and its deepest is 17 feet deep! The Lord instructed the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to enter the river. This time frame was during harvest when the banks of the Jordan were known to overflow. So the water was deep, and the current was swift.
Once the priests put one foot in the water scripture tells us in Joshua 3:16 CSB: “and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the sea of the Arabah-The Dead Sea.”
Once again, the Lord shows his mighty way and deliverance to the people who trust and follow him!
Joshua 4:1-9 CSB: “After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua: ‘Choose twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them: take twelve stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.’
So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, and said to them, ‘Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, What do these stones mean to you? You should tell them, that the water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”
The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there. Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are still there today!
Ok, so I did a bit of searching. First, it was the year 1407 BC (before Christ) that Joshua took Israel across the Jordan River. This took place forty years after their exodus from Egypt. We are currently in the year 2022 AD (after the death of Christ)!
Where are the 12 stones of Jordan today?
“Near Jericho, there is a place identified as ‘Gilgal, which is also Twelve Stones.” The picture shows a church building and a double row of twelve stones, six to a side (visible on the mosaic as twelve white tesserae on a black background. Crossroads Bible Church
Many archeological studies show the stone formations still exist today! The town of Jericho is still inhabited, and the modern city of Gilgal is located about 8 miles north of Jericho.
I love it when I can read the Bible of ancient times, days, and ways. Read about kings, wars, people, places, and monuments, and then I can do internet searches for facts and truths in history to what I just read!
I have had the blessings of the Lord showing himself to me in so many ways and so many times that I know he exists. But, for the doubting Thomases, God does allow enough tidbits of the past to be found to excite and energize the future for generations to come!
Sunshine On My Shoulder 