Twelve representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel took up twelve stones from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm in the middle of the Jordan and brought them over and laid them down in the place where Israel lodged that night (4:1-5,8). The twelve stones signify the twelve tribes of the new Israel. Their being raised up from the waters of the Jordan signifies resurrection from death. The twelve stones raised up from the water were a sign, signifying that the resurrected new Israel would be a testimony of the crossing of the death water (vv. 6-7, 21-24). This typifies the believers’ experience with Christ of the resurrection from death (Rom. 6:3-11).
Joshua erected twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark had stood (Josh. 4:9). These were another twelve stones, signifying the twelve tribes of Israel in their old life and in their old nature. Joshua erected these twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the ark was, signifying that the Lord wanted Israel in their old nature to remain under the death water of the Jordan. This typifies that the old man of the believers should remain in the death of Christ (Rom. 6:6; Col. 2:20). We who have been identified with Christ in His death and resurrection, who have been resurrected with Christ to become the new man, should leave our old man under His death. We in the church life should all be able to declare that our old man has been buried with Christ and remains under the death of Christ and that we are the new man.
The priests who carried the ark stood in the middle of the, Jordan until all the people had completely crossed over the river and everything was completed and until Joshua commanded them, according to the command of Jehovah, to come up out of the Jordan (Josh. 4:10-11). What a marvelous picture of the move of the Triune God embodied in Christ! As the priests stood in the middle of the Jordan, there was no need for them to be afraid, for the ark was with them. They simply had to look at the ark and be at peace.
The principle is the same with us today. The Triune God is here with us. Because our old man has been buried and our new man is working with the Triune God, we do not need to be troubled by anything that may befall us. The Triune God is with us, and He and we are living together and working together.
When the priests who carried the ark came up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up onto the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went over its banks as before (v. 18).
The crossing over of the river Jordan was for war against the seven tribes in Canaan (vv. 12-13; 3:10b). As Joshua was participating in this miracle, he was strengthened to take the lead to war against the demonic Canaanites.
After the children of Israel crossed over, Joshua erected in Gilgal the twelve stones taken from the Jordan by the twelve representatives of the twelve tribes, as a memorial testifying of Israel’s crossing over the Jordan by Jehovah’s miraculous deed (4:20-24).
As we consider Israel’s history recorded in Joshua 3 and 4, we need to realize that the same things have happened to us. We died with Christ, we were buried with Him, and we were resurrected with Him to become something new. Ephesians 2 tells us that the believers, who were dead in sin, have been made alive, raised, and seated together with Christ (vv. 5-6) to be one new man (v. 15). This new man is God’s masterpiece (v. 10).