Entering the Promised Land—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 23A/Proper 26A (Joshua 3)

 

Joshua passing the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, Benjamin West, 1800

Joshua 3:7-17 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁷ The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. ⁸ You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ” ⁹ Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: ¹¹ the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. ¹² So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”

¹⁴ When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, ¹⁶ the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

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                During this post-Pentecost season, we have been following the journey of the people of Israel as they left behind slavery in Egypt, crossed through the sea, wandered in the wilderness where God made a covenant with Israel, and finally ended up at the Jordan River. The Promised Land, the endpoint of this journey, now lies just across that river.  Except for the final stop on that journey, we followed the narrative found in the Book of Exodus. The final stop, which involved the passing of the torch from Moses to Joshua, is found in the reading from Deuteronomy 34. Now it’s time to enter the Promised Land, with Joshua in the lead. Our story begins in chapter 3, as the people begin crossing the river into the Promised Land. However, it might be worth stepping back to the opening lines of the book of Joshua, where the LORD commissioned Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan. God tells Joshua: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory” (Joshua 1:1-4).

                As we consider this word from the Book of Joshua, which records God’s promise to give the land lying across the Jordan from where the people are encamped, there is a war going on in that same region, pitting Israel against a faction of Palestinians that launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza. It is a conflict that sees no end but is quite destructive for people and infrastructure. It could easily get out of hand. Thus, engaging this reading that describes the early stages of an invasion of an inhabited region. We can sympathize with the Israeli people as they seek to protect themselves and their land. We can also have sympathies for the Palestinian people who have lived for decades under Israeli occupation. The reality is that in any conflict it is the innocents on both sides who suffer the most. This reality makes this passage particularly difficult to engage with, for it speaks of a people who have suffered greatly, entering a land that is inhabited, and seeking to conquer that land. When that happens, people lose their lives and their land. It’s a story told over and over in history. Just ask Native Americans. As we approach this passage, we must do so carefully and prayerfully, with the current crisis front and center in our hearts and minds.

                When we pick up the story in Joshua 3:7, the people of Israel, with Joshua in the lead, are camped along the Jordan River. Instructions have been given to the people, letting them know that in three days the move will begin. They’re told to watch the Ark of the Covenant. When it is “being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before” (Josh. 3:1-4). They’ve been told to prepare themselves for the big day when they cross over into the Promised Land. Now that day has come.  God tells Joshua that he will be exalted before all of Israel, “so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses” (Josh 3:7). When they cross over, they will no longer be slaves. Instead, they will be free to build a new life in a new land (of course the folks living in the land likely aren’t happy about this invasion). As for Joshua and his people, God is letting him know that God will make it very clear to the people that Joshua is the ordained leader of the community, taking on the same role given to Moses. They’ll know this to be true when Joshua steps into the river.

                Joshua makes it clear that God is with them in this river crossing. The sign of God’s presence will be seen in God driving out the inhabitants of the land so that Israel can inhabit it. Yes, God will drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. Before we celebrate this action on God’s part, it’s important that what we’re reading here is a description of ethnic cleansing. This conquest of the Promised Land, also known as Canaan, was taken at God’s behest under Joshua’s leadership. Let’s keep this reality in mind as we move toward the actual crossing of the river.

                After letting the people know that God will drive out the inhabitants so they can take the land for themselves, the people are told that God will pass before them as they cross the river as the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant into and across the river. Joshua is instructed to find twelve men from each of the twelve tribes to take the lead (there is some confusion as to the role the twelve will play, which may be due to a mixture of sources). When the soles of the feet of the priests touch the waters of the river, the river will stop flowing so the people can cross over on dry land, just as they did as they left Egypt. All the people need to do is follow the Ark of the Covenant into the dry riverbed and then they can enter the Promised Land.

                So, the priests carried the Ark to the edge of the river, which we’re told overflowed its banks at harvest time. When they entered the waters, the river stopped flowing and rose in a heap at Adam, near the city of Zarethan, and the waters flowing to the Dead Sea were cut off. Then, just as they did as the exodus began at the Reed Sea, which God opened up revealing dry land, the people crossed over the river opposite Jericho. The priests carried the Ark into the middle of the dry riverbed and stood there until everyone crossed over to the other side. It had been a long journey, but they finally made it to their destination. Of course, getting to Canaan is one thing. Settling it is another thing. Here’s the thing, people live there and might not welcome this large group of sojourners. But that’s a story for another day.

                It’s good to remember that this account of the settlement of the people in the Promised Land was written during or shortly after the Exile. The authors were looking back to a time when the future looked bright. For the people experiencing the Exile, could there be another day like that? As for the historicity of this account and of the conquest itself, there are many questions. There is little evidence of a full-scale conquest. But that’s not the point. The authors are trying to rally the people, reminding them of what was. According to the story of Joshua the people of Israel take possession of the land. They destroy their opponents and their cities, such as Jericho. The stories of this conquest are shared in the chapters that follow our reading. These stories are unsettling, or at least they should be, because they seem to suggest that God authorizes and even participates in ethnic cleansing.

                When we read this book, we see what some have claimed as the biblical foundation for Manifest Destiny, an ideology that undergirded the westward expansion across North America. What is now the United States was seen in the past and continues to be seen by many as a Promised Land, where folks from Europe (primarily) and elsewhere, might come and find freedom. The only problem is that this land was already inhabited, and the immigrants to the “New World” displaced those inhabitants, much like what we see taking place in Joshua.

                As we ponder this passage and its apparent message, it would be wise for us to reject the idea that God empowers us to take possession of the land of others. It’s important that we use a passage like this to reject ethnic cleansing as a command of God. The story of the Exodus and the journey to the Promised Land is one of liberation and freedom. That’s something we should celebrate, but not at the expense of others. A reading like this, which comes to the fore when we are watching Israel and Hamas fight over the very land depicted in this book, provides us with a lens to look at that battle and pray that a just peace can be achieved.

                Having acknowledged the shadow that hangs over this passage, and the Book of Joshua as a whole, we can ask what word it might have for us. As we read this passage it appears that crossing the river is an act of faith. The people might wonder if the waters will return before they cross over. They might remember reports that giants inhabited this land. Besides, instead of their former leader, Moses, who was very experienced, their new leader is young and seemingly untested. Yes, Moses is dead and buried (Deut. 34). God has chosen Joshua, but could God be wrong?  Nevertheless, the people follow the Ark of the Covenant and cross over into the Promised Land ready for a new adventure as a free people. The passage invites us to ask the question of what God is up to in the world. Ron Allen and Clark Williamson write that “this event obviously echoes the crossing to the sea at the exodus, reminding the reader that just as God opened the sea, so God can continue to work in the world. What God is pictured as doing at the Jordan, God did again in Babylon: brought the exiled (homeless) people into the land of promise.” If, as Allen and Williamson suggest, crossing the Jordan symbolizes a contrast in qualities of life— “between being landless and landed, wandering and settled, being disciplined and being blessed” —then how might we envision God leading us across our own Jordan Rivers? [Preaching the Old Testament, pp. 107-108].

                The Ark of the Covenant, a sacred object made famous by a movie featuring Indiana Jones, serves as a rallying point for the people of Israel. I don’t think the people thought God dwelt in it, but they did believe that God’s presence was with it. While graven images are forbidden (Aaron’s golden calf), this is a symbol of God’s presence, not an idol. What it does is serve as a sign that God is with the people, guiding them and leading them forward as they take root in the land of promise. When they finished crossing to the other side, the people selected twelve men from among the twelve tribes. Each man brought a stone that they set up at the place of their crossing as a monument to God’s faithfulness. As we ponder this passage and how God is active, keeping in mind the shadow of this passage and the current war in Israel/Palestine, what monuments might be set up to remind us that God is truly present with us?

As we ponder the message of this passage and its promise of a homeland, let us consider the words from the third stanza of the hymn: “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” (William Williams, 1745), which summarize well what we’ve read.

                When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside;

                Bear me through the swelling current;

land me safe on Canaan’s side;

                Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to thee, I will ever give to thee.