CROSSING JORDAN

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Crossing Jordan has been a metaphor for dying and going to Heaven (the Promised Land). I have heard that metaphor stems from Joshua leading the Children from the east bank to the west bank of the Jordan River. Going across the Jordan was part of life in Israel and is mentioned many times from Judges to David. There were no bridges, it seems, and people waded across at fords or shallow spots.

There are Biblical characters that crossed the river in the same direction as Joshua at key times in Israel’s history. I am looking at their stories in this post. I will start with someone who went contrary to the metaphor and had his way back blocked with a flaming sword and cherubim.

Adam and Eve – They started in Paradise and were sent to the East (Genesis 3:24). I believe there was a Garden with five rivers, and two very important trees, and Adam was responsible for tending it. God has always shown an interest in this region. Terah was sent there but he did not go, Abram did. Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God was in the area. I said that because it makes more sense to think the Garden was here because this place means something to God. Before the objections start, I live in America, and we have recycled names pinned on many cities, rivers, and regions so renaming four rivers is a high possibility. I can see Noah’s grandchildren using things he told them just to honor him. My God has mysteries that He has not shared, but the world changed after Adam and Eve ate the fruit and Noah’s Flood.

If the land of Canaan (Noah’s grandson by Ham, Genesis 9:18-24) was part of the Garden; Adam would have traveled over where the Jordan was or would be. East is an important direction in Genesis 2 and 3.

Jacob and Family – When Jacob ran from Esau, he was by himself. Genesis 28:10 says he left Beersheba to go to Haran. He stopped at Luz (Bethel) and spent the night. That is the end of his route until he is with the “eastern people” in Haran. I believe from Luz (28:18) he had three routes he may have taken: 1. The road along the seashore, 2. The highway through the mountains that went above Lake Galilee, and 3. to cross the Jordan and go through the Bashan/Gilead. I would have taken the coast road, but in Genesis 32:10 Jacob says he crossed the Jordan with just his staff.

When Jacob ran from Laban, he had four wives, eleven sons, a daughter, and a lot of possessions. After the ordeal of Chapter 31, Jacob’s camp made it to Mahanaim. There he was met by a camp of angels (reminds you of Elisha). Sometime after meeting Esau Jacob’s camp(s) crossed the Jordan and went to Shechem. Jacob had returned to his land which was part of the promise to Abraham from God. It makes me wonder what route Abram took to get to Canaan.

Thoughts on Jacob – 1. He had many experiences with angels. 2. He is older than you might expect. I had to work backward from his death and consider every timestamp that was given during his life. I made mistakes in How Old Were These Guys. I did better in the Patriarch Timeline and the Tribes of Israel Timeline. 3. Angel of the Lord or Metatron means angel of countenance this is a theophany.

Joshua and Israel – The event that gave the name of this post is found in Joshua 3 and 4. God exalted Joshua in the people’s eyes because of this event (3:7). He also dried up the Jordan to show Israel and the world His power (4:24). We tend to focus on the human aspect of this day, but I believe it was much more important to the Father. He was bringing His children home.

This day was an end and the beginning for Joshua and Israel. With years of learning to trust God behind them, they were facing a new test of their faith. They now had to fight for the land promised to Abraham for his family. In the crossing of this Jordan, they left behind the Moabites and Midianites and now had to face the giants and walled cities that had intimidated their forefathers. When we cross the spiritual Jordan, our fighting is done. Metaphors are limited and this is a good example of that.

This is a good time to compare and contrast the passage out of Egypt and the entrance into Canaan. (Please, ignore Exodus through Joshua and look at the rest of the Scriptures.) Passing through the Red Sea has more references than going through the dried-up Jordan River. I found two – Psalms 114:5 and 74:15. (If you know of others, please share.) If you use that as an indicator, leaving Egypt (baptism) is more important than the crossing at the Jordan. I have used the crossing of the Jordan as a shadow of baptism, I will not do that anymore. Israel went through two walls of the sea; the Jordan was dry. Remember, the water was stopped about twenty miles above the crossing site, they were not flanked by walls of water. You could stretch that and say the Dead Sea was on one side and the water at Adam (man or red) was on the other side. (Some bullet points.)

  • Both Crossings had enemies just before going through.
  • The oldest people at the Jordan were Joshua and Caleb. The nineteen-year-olds were now fifty-seven. It seems that the men thirty-eight and younger were not circumcised.
  • Some of the people had seen both crossings.
  • The people took memorial stones from the Jordan. Solomon may have built a memorial on the eastern side of the Red Sea.
  • The Red Sea was after Passover. The Jordan was just before. They crossed on the day they were to choose the lamb for the meal, the tenth day of the first month. (That could be a preaching point.)
  • The direction of travel was different for the two crossings.

This crossing happened at Jericho/Gilgal. Gilgal was the first campsite where they were circumcised and celebrated Passover.

David, His Family, His Officials – David and those fleeing from Absalom left the west bank and traveled east to Mahanaim, 2 Samuel 17:22. (The same city Jacob named. It was also a refuge city.) David returned, east to west, in 2 Samuel 19 and proceeded to Jerusalem. Jesus would follow the same path in Matthew 20 + 21. Both had a mess to clean up when they reached Jerusalem.

This crossing occurred at the fords or shallow spot near Gilgal. Even the king’s return caused an uproar that had to be fixed.

Elisha – Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan near Jericho, going west to east. Elisha, a shadow of Jesus, returned east to west at the same spot. Both of these crossings were done on dry land with the waters dividing for the men. 2 Kings 2

This set of crossings involved the fewest people and the least amount of material goods. Elisha crossed back to the west with a well-used cloak and a double anointing. The entire scene is a shadow of John the Baptist (Elijah) diminishing before Jesus (Elisha) took center stage.

Jesus, His Disciples, His Camp – Jesus’ final pilgrimage to Passover started in Matthew 19:1, Mark 10, Luke 17:11, and John 10:40. (Matthew is my main reference.) He left Galilee crossing the Jordan and went to the area across from Jericho, where he taught and healed the people. If you compile all of the Gospels, it is clear He crossed back and forth several times before going to Jerusalem for Palm Sunday.    

I blame too many movies about Jesus for the idea that just twelve men followed Jesus as He preached about the Kingdom. Mark 15:41 talks about women in Galilee, Luke 24:9 speaks of others that were with the Eleven after the resurrection and Acts 1:21+22 mentions the requirements for taking Judas’ position, so there had to be more than just the Twelve.

This parade started big with His Camp at the Jordan and got larger. The only parade for Jesus that was bigger was the one in Heaven after He disappeared in the clouds when He ascended.

Thoughts – Crossing Jordan is a beautiful metaphor. I admit that my thoughts have changed as I have grown older. But for these crossings, work, warfare, and new experiences waited for those that crossed from east to west over the Jordan.

The Exodus Story in Other Places Part 2

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This edition of the Exodus story in other places in the Bible complements the first one. I see all of these references as to how important the Exodus was and is to God. The Holy Spirit directed many authors to a site that period from Egypt to the Jordan River. In many of these God refers to the trip to teach a current lesson.

1 Samuel

  • 10:18 Samuel quoted God when He references His mighty works and the people rejecting Him.
  • 12:6-8 Samuel’s farewell speech.

Nehemiah 9:9-23 Ezra and the Levites recount their history.

Psalms

  • 68: 8+17 A song telling of the Mighty One of Sinai going out with His armies. Written by David. Psalm 68 is very Messianic.
  • 74: 12-15 A metaphorical look at crossing through the sea.
  • 80: 7-11 A metaphorical telling of the story in the second “restore us, O God Almighty” in this Psalm. It is written by Asaph.
  • 103: 7 Made His ways and deeds known to Moses and the people
  • 111 – A “secondary telling “of how God does things. I think it applies to Him bringing the people out and leading them in the desert.

Isaiah

  • 4:5-6 It is a reference to the pillar of cloud and fire that led Israel.
  • 43:3 Egypt was given as Israel’s ransom.
  • 63: 10-16 The people remembered that God was with them when Moses led and they followed His will. Divided seas are mentioned as proof of His greatness.

Jeremiah

  • 2:2-3,6 God gives Jeremiah these two references that describe Israel in the desert. They use to follow the Lord, now they do not even ask about God.
  • 32:20-21 Jeremiah points out the signs and miracles God did in bringing His people out of Egypt.

Hosea

  • 12:9-10 God brought them out of Egypt and they will live in tents again.
  • 12:13-14 A prophet (Moses) was used in bringing them out of Egypt.
  • 13:4-6 God brought them from Egypt. He fed them and they will acknowledge Him.
  • It seems the important part of each verse is what God did to care for the people, not just the fact He brought them out.

New Testament

Acts

  • 7 Stephen testifying
  • 13:16-20 Paul gives a foundation for the Gospel

2 Corinthians – 3:7-18 Moses’ veil after he met God

Hebrews

  • 3:7 testing in the desert
  • 11:23-29 A history of Moses up to the Red Sea.
  • 12: 18-21 Moses at the mountain meeting God.

Jude 9 – Satan wrestling for Moses’ body. (Okay maybe not the actual Exodus) Why would Satan want that body?  

I finished this study to find verses about crossing the Jordan River, this will be another post. To my surprise, there are not many places where that crossing is used. To be honest my study of Crossing Jordan has challenged a long-held thought of mine.

God and Two

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The original focus of God and Two was on the occurrences of two angels being with God. When I did a word search, I found two other verses that just felt like they needed to be added. I am sure there are others, so add them to your study.

Angels

  • Genesis 18:2 – Abraham welcomed three men into his camp. One was God and the other two were the angels who went on to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
  • Exodus 25:22 – The Mercy Seat was formed with two cherubim. I still think the outstretched wings that were touching actually formed a chair or bench, making it a throne. This motif was in the plan that David received from God that Solomon put into the First Temple.
  • John 20:12 – Mary looked in the empty tomb and saw two angels sitting where Jesus had been laid. This is a type of the heavenly Mercy Seat. Remember, John, was writing to show Jesus as God so that we would believe. There are more than just seven miracles in John.

Others

  • Exodus 31:18 – Two tablets of the Law were written by the finger of God. Why two? God could have put them on one. These went into the Ark under the Mercy Seat.
  • Genesis 1:16 – God made two great lights and stars.
  • Daniel 12:5 – Daniel sees a “man” above the waters and then there were two more with that man. This is a theophany. I could not find that the man is Gabriel. (This still under study, as I found it recently.)

With the angels, I feel that three examples are enough to show a pattern. Ezekiel in his vision certainly had other groupings. What does God with two angels mean? I have no idea! I am just surprised that no one has ever named or identified them.

Going further: What would you name or how would you identify the two angels with God?

Hebrews 911

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Hebrews 9:11- But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building (KJV)

This verse in Hebrews is a great part of the story of what Jesus did in the time period known as Counting the Omer or Passover to Pentecost. Jesus started and ended His earthly ministry with a forty-day period surrounded by heavenly overtones. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was for our sins and provided the way for us to fellowship with the Father. These are some things that needed tending to.

  • This is the umbrella statement; He fulfilled the First Covenant and started the Better Covenant.
  • Yearly atonement by the blood of animals was ended.
  • There was a change in the priesthood, Jesus is now the High Priest.
  • Jesus’ death was the paying of the bride’s price for the Church’s marriage to Jesus.
  • Paid debts, possession of keys, a crushed head, a footstool, and authority on earth and over people are legal topics that were addressed and will be finally settled at the Second Coming.
  • I believe Jesus still had instructions He gave to His disciples.

The High Priest – The term Christ is not a name but a title of authority. See Chapter 7 of Hebrews and read about Melchizedek in Psalm 110. Melchizedek means king of righteousness and this Psalm ties King David and Melchizedek with the Messiah/Christ. (See: Was David a Priest?)

Jesus’ priesthood is like the one of Melchizedek. It does not come through the family line of Aaron (the Law) because Jesus was from the family of Judah. Our becoming “king and priest” is because we are found in Jesus and covered by His blood. (I tried for years to link Mary to the tribe of Levi. There is no need for that because He is of the “same kind” of the priesthood as Melchizedek.)

Term vs office – Under the Law, there was always a priest who was anointed to be the leader and go into the Tabernacle and offer blood on the Day of Atonement. The term High Priest really came into the vocabulary of Israel around the Second Temple period, before it was the “anointed priest”. Cohen hagadol (Hebrew) is the term you may want to explore further. Archiereus is the Greek word. Unfortunately, political power, earthly politics, and money also came in with the title. It is a good study to go further into.

Good Things – Your favorite translation, denomination, attitude, and preacher will affect your thoughts on the “good things to come” or agathos ginomai. But 1 Corinthians 15, especially verse 44 and 49 that are talking about a spiritual body sounds good to me.

For the writer of Hebrews Pentecost was real, the Holy Spirit’s gifts were a part of church life, and preaching the Gospel and making disciples was confirmed by miracles, signs, and wonders. Angry Jews and Roman persecution were also part of being a follower of the Way. So, do not put God in a box and believe what Jesus said and died to give us.

Megas kai Teleios Skene or “A greater and more perfect tent.” – More than perfect is hard for my humanity to grasp, but we are talking about God now, so my limits do not count. There are several levels here, so I will start with Moses. Moses made a copy of what he saw in Heaven-9:23 and 24. He inspected this copy in Exodus 39:43, it was “perfect”. So, how could something be more perfect? It is not of this creation it is heavenly. I have heard it preached that Jesus is the earthly Tabernacle and His resurrected body is the “more perfect tent”. I guess it is appropriate to include Solomon’s Temple in this train of thought, the major reason for this is Exodus 40:34 and 1 Kings 8:10 is the same response from God. The area was covered with “the cloud” and the priest could not do their work. His presence would elevate the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s man-made temple to the “perfect level”.

Ktisis – In the King James Bible ktisis became a building. That word in other places is creation. The entire last sentence should make it clear that this “building” is not of this earth. I have a feeling that the thought of our God having more than one “creation” may disturb people. He is the Creator; I have no need to fit a limitless God into my box.

I have had people imply that the tomb with the two angels was the Mercy Seat. It is no doubt a shadow, but that tomb was cut-rock made by human hands. Jesus still had to enter and present the blood offering Himself in Heaven.

Hebrews 9 – This chapter is a beautiful mini-lesson on the Tabernacle, the offerings, and the blood of Jesus. It covers the “shadows” and the fulfillment of Jesus’ sin offering at the altar of Heaven.

As I studied for this Bible 911, a question came up that I did not find a simple answer to. I have looked at Exodus 12, 23, and 34, Numbers 28 and 29, Leviticus 16 and 23, and Ezekiel 45 and 46. These are texts on the feast/sacred assemblies and their respective offerings. Hebrews 9:13 with its “blood of goats and bulls” added to my search. The question is – When did Jesus put His blood on the heavenly Mercy Seat? Was it before Pentecost after His ascension, during His Passover days in the tomb, or did He wait for the seventh month and do it on the Day of Atonement?

The “family” Passover lamb was for protection/deliverance from the death angel and to remember the first one. The later corporate offerings had bulls, goats, and lambs as burnt offerings and sin offerings. (I guess these stopped with the destruction of the Second Temple.) Each major feast day had a corporate offering, these are types and shadows of Jesus. The blood on the Day of Atonement was carried into the Holy of Holies and put on the Mercy Seat. That seems like the best answer, that Jesus waited to make His presentation. I just don’t see anything to back up this waiting period in the New Testament or as a shadow in the First Covenant.  

Leviticus 16 – Leviticus 16 has detailed instructions for the High Priest on the Day of Atonement including the scapegoat. Here is where the phrase about the blood of bulls and goats comes into focus. We can see parts of this feast in what happened with Barabbas and Pilate on the morning of the trial. There is more “What” answered but still not the When. It must be noted that the Anointed Priest did not offer a lamb on this day for sin.  

Round Two – Instead of rewriting the last section I decided to just add this. Several articles were called to my attention about Jesus’ blood, the presentation of His blood, and the Resurrection. They worked with and through Hebrews, especially chapter 9. They did a good job on the why and how but really did not answer when did Jesus present His blood. To be clear, I am not sure we are told or given clues, but the study is fun, and I am interested in the topic. So, on to round two.

  • The cross received Jesus’ blood, just like the doorframe on the first Passover. (I am not sure where they put it during the years of wandering.) But the doorframe is not the altar or the Mercy Seat.
  • The hours in between Jesus’ meeting with Mary and then dining with the disciples in the Upper Room is a possibility. Why? Going with King James’s “do not touch me” that could be “do not hold on to or cling to me” to Jesus inviting the disciple to touch Him might be the answer. He ascended and it was okay. But then why did He need another ascension forty days later (a formal goodbye)? The curtain tearing in the Second Temple at the crucifixion could play into that argument.
  • In the feast-day offerings there were provisions for a sin offering that did not require going into the Mercy Seat. This may back up my thought about waiting for the formal presentation on the Day of Atonement.

It is Finished, The Feast Collide – St. Augustine said, “The New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old is fulfilled in the New.” God in His Word uses parables, proverbs, types and shadows, metaphors, and similes to help teach us the truth. The Father does not contradict Himself but will reveal His truth to us in levels for our good. Our computer-assisted artificial intelligent perfectionism does not allow for that kind of teaching, we have lost so much. Please don’t get stuck on one level, God has more. Many of my studies (The Ark, Kingdom, and the Bible 911 series), like the Feast, have collided in this study with Holy Week. I can give you what I have, I am sure there is more.

  • Jesus rode into Jerusalem in a parade like David.
  • Abraham started the idea that God would supply a lamb to save us (a ram shows up). Passover carried that theme as the lamb’s blood covered the family from the death angel. John the Baptist (the only one to say those words, twice) passed the title, Lamb of God, to Jesus. It was finished on the cross during Passover.
  • Jesus and the crowd with Him left Jerusalem every day for Bethany and the Mount of Olives. The Feast of Booths.
  • Greeks came to Jesus in John 12:20. Pentecost
  • From the Day of Atonement come several types and shadows I had never seen before. Jesus and Barabbas are the two scapegoats. Pilate is the man who releases them and he washed his hands. The High Priest had linen garments that had to come off after the sacrifice, Jesus had burial “clothes” left in the tomb. You will need to read Leviticus 16.

I use a devotional prayer book called Praying Grace. It introduced me to the term Tetelestai. This is the word Jesus said that is translated – It is finished. Tetelestai is an accounting term that means the debt is paid now and forever (that is Marky Greek). Because of the “buck stops here” completeness of the term my imagination has fudged a bunch and jumped to a “but God” moment. Envision a God-forwarded version of the Feast cycle completed before Jesus was taken from the cross. Okay, this is still a study!  

To conclude this post but not the study; Jesus died and was freed from the grave for my sins. Given that I serve a God who has a different perspective on time from His earthy creation, I am good not knowing the answer to my question. Hebrews 9 did take place and that is what is important.

Last and First

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The words first and last are found together in many verses in the New Testament. The passage that started this study is 1 Corinthians 15: 45-48. Paul is explaining the resurrected body to the church in Chapter 15. He uses the body of Jesus as the example of how His earthy (dust) body was sown in the tomb and a spiritual body came out of it. Paul compared the “first Adam” to the “last Adam” and then changed terms and said the first man and second man (referring to Jesus). In this set of verses first is some form of protos. The word second is deuteros. The word last is eschatos. Sorry, those are English-to-Greek translations (Mounce).  

This first study led to a second one, and this last study provide some surprises. I will use Matthew as the reference book. These stories are also found in the other Gospels and the words and uses of them seem consistent among several major translations of the Bible.

Bad to Worse – These two stories are on different topics but the last to first concept is the same. In 12:45 Jesus is responding to a demand from the Pharisees for a miraculous sign. The final part of the teaching is about a demon that leaves a man and then returns with seven others. The man had it bad at first, but his last condition was worse. The second story has the Pharisees demanding a guard be posted by the tomb of Jesus (27:64). They argued that the first lie from Jesus would be worse than the last lie of the disciples. They said the lie was Him rising from the dead in three days. (No surprises here.)

Shall, First, Last – As a parent, coach, and teacher I have used the iconic saying “the first shall be last” many times in dealing with people. Jesus, the Master Teacher, surprised me by switching the order of the saying on the same day in two different circumstances to deliver two different meanings. This day of teaching occurred before Jesus started His victory parade into Jerusalem during Holy Week, He was on the east bank of the Jordan.

The rich young ruler was the object of the story in 19:30. He had money, and I am sure he was always allowed to be first in line wherever he went. He did not want to give up his money. The end of his part of the story was – the first shall be last and the last shall be first (those who gave up their money).

As Jesus expanded this teaching, He told the parable of a landowner hiring workers – Chapter 20, especially Verse 16. At the end of the day, the owner paid the last workers the same as he paid the first workers. Here the last workers are the object of the action, and they got what was promised them – the last shall be first, and the first last. (Attitude is part of the issue here.)

My surprise came in because of the switch in the order and the condition of whom He was talking about. The phrase still signals a change in position, but apparently, I need to think before slinging around who is first and last, why they are there, and whether they should be moving.

This is my first day writing on this topic, it will not be my last. The thoughts on a first day can be changed after studying, so these mat not be my last thoughts on the subject.