Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Old
Testament: Jordan River Divided.
Occasion: Dry Passage For
Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, And The Israelites.
Location: River Jordan.
Bible Texts:
Joshua 3:1-17 NLT
(Miraculously, The Israelites Cross the flooded Jordan.)
1 Early the next morning Joshua and
all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the
Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.
2 Three days later the Israelite
officers went through the camp,
3 giving these instructions to the
people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying The Ark Of The
Covenant Of The Lord your God, move out from your positions and
follow them.
4 Since you have never traveled this
way before, they will guide you. Stay about a half mile behind them,
keeping a clear distance between you and The Ark. Make sure you don’t
come any closer.”
5 Then Joshua told the people,
“Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders
among you.”
6 In the morning Joshua said to the
priests, “Lift up The Ark of the Covenant and lead the people
across the river.” And so they started out and went ahead of the
people.
7 The Lord told Joshua, “Today I
will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the
Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with
Moses.
8 Give this command to the priests
who carry The Ark Of The Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the
Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’”
9 So Joshua told the Israelites,
“Come and listen to what the Lord your God says.
10 Today you will know that The
Living God is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites,
Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites
ahead of you.
11 Look, The Ark Of The Covenant,
which belongs to The Lord Of The Whole Earth, will lead you across
the Jordan River!
12 Now choose twelve men from the
tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.(Explanation
chapter 4)
13 The priests will carry The Ark Of
The Lord, The Lord Of All The Earth. As soon as their feet touch the
water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will
stand up like a wall.”
14 So the people left their camp to
cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the
Covenant went ahead of them.
15 It was the harvest season, and
the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the
priests who were carrying The Ark touched the water at the river’s
edge,
16 the water above that point
began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which
is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the
Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed
over near the town of Jericho.
17 Meanwhile, the priests who
were carrying The Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in
the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there
until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry
ground.
II Kings 2:1-14 NLT
1 When the Lord was about to take
Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling
from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay
here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.”
But Elisha replied, “As surely as
the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!” So
they went down together to Bethel.
3 The group of prophets from Bethel
came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going
to take your master away from you today?” “Of course I know,”
Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”
4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay
here, for the Lord has told me to go to Jericho.” But Elisha
replied again, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live,
I will never leave you.” So they went on together to Jericho.
5 Then the group of prophets from
Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord
is going to take your master away from you today?” “Of course I
know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”
6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay
here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.”
But again Elisha replied, “As
surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave
you.” So they went on together.
7 Fifty men from the group of
prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha
stopped beside the Jordan River.
8 Then Elijah folded his cloak
together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the
two of them went across on dry ground!
9 When they came to the other side,
Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am
taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double
share of your spirit and become your successor.”
10 “You have asked a difficult
thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you,
then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”
11 As they were walking along and
talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of
fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was
carried by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My
father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!”
And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in
distress.
13 Elisha picked up Elijah’s
cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to
the bank of the Jordan River.
14 He struck the water with Elijah’s
cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then
the river divided, and Elisha went across.
In Joshua's story, the presence of the Lord went before them (in the
form of The Ark Of The Covenant.), and thus the river became dry.
In Elijah, and Elisha's story the presence of the Lord was with them
both in a mighty way.
The Lord's
presence, among His people:
Jeremiah
23:23,24 KJV
23 Am I a God
at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?
24 Can any hide
himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do
not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.
Hebrews 13:5 KJV
"...for He
hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Friends, because our God “is” with us , as we are obedient to His
commands, He will drive out the enemy before us!
Joshua 3:10 NLT
Today you will
know that The Living God is among you. He will surely drive out the
Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and
Jebusites ahead of you.
Genesis 28:15
KJV
And, behold, I
am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest..."
Exodus 33:14 KJV
And He said, My
presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Deuteronomy 20:1
NLT
“When you go
out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an
army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God...is
with you!
Deuteronomy
33:27 KJV
The Eternal
God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He
shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy
them.
Psalm 106:10 KJV
And He saved
them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the
hand of the enemy.
Isaiah 41:10 KJV
Fear thou not;
for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of My righteousness.
Isaiah 43:1-3 KJV (God's promises to His people.)
1 But now thus
saith the Lord that created thee,...and He that formed thee,...Fear
not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou
art Mine.
2 When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee.
3 For I am the
Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior..."
Isaiah 59:19
KJV
So shall
they fear the name of The Lord from the west, and His glory from the
rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, The
Spirit Of The Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
Ezra 8:31 KJV
"...the
hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the
enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
Matthew 18:20
KJV
For where two
or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of
them.
Matthew 28:20
KJV
"... lo, I
am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
If we the people of God, do not see the waters divided today, it is
because...
We
are “not,” obedient to His commands.
Matthew
7:21 KJV
Not
every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth
the will of My Father which is in heaven.
We do not have “faith,” in the God that goes before us.
Hebrews 11:6
KJV
But without
faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him.