Whether people are much of a Bible scholar or not, chances are pretty good they know about Moses leading the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt; their crossing the Red Sea when God parted the waters so they could cross on dry land. If we didn't read about it in the Bible, we saw it in "The Ten Commandments" movie by Cecil B. DeMille.

Not so well know is the same ancestry being led back home into God's Promised Land; this time by Joshua. Again God parted the waters of the Jordan River so the masses could cross:

"'Now select twelve men, one from each tribe, for a special task. When the priests who are carrying  the Ark touch the water with their feet, the river will stop flowing as though held back by a dam, and will pile up as though against an invisible wall!'

"Now it was harvest season and the Jordan was overflowing all its banks; but as the people set out to cross the river and as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river's edge, suddenly, far up the river at the city of Adam, near Zarethan, the water began piling up as thought against a dam! And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until  the riverbed was empty. Then all the people crossed at a spot where the river was close to the city of Jericho, and the priests who were carrying the Ark stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan and waited as all the people passed by."

~ Joshua 3:12 - 17 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "The Israelites were eager to enter the Promised Land, conquer nations, and live peacefully. But first they had to cross the flood-level waters of the Jordan River. God gave them specific instructions in order to cross, they had to step into the water. What if they had been afraid to take the first step? Often God provides no solution to our problems until we trust Him and move ahead with what we know we should do. What are the rivers, or obstacles, in your life? In obedience to God, take the first step into the water.

"God had parted the waters of the Red Sea to let the people out of Egypt, and now He parts the Jordan River to let them enter Canaan. These miracles showed Israel that God keeps His promises. God's presence among His people and His faithfulness to them made the entire journey from Egypt to the Promised Land possible. He was with them at the end of their wanderings just as He was in the beginning."

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