Going West

More than a few sermons, books and Sunday School lessons have been based on the Jordan crossing of the Children of Israel. Although most of them have contained valuable concepts and great lessons, a few questions have sprung to my mind over the years.

How strange and terrifying must it have been for those Canaanites who lived north of the Jordan crossing, when Joshua first lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land? What, I wonder, went through their minds as they watched the waters of the Jordan flood their fields and homes for days as, perhaps unknown to them, a million Hebrews were going over.

As for those living south of the crossing, how horrified would they have been to see the waters of Jordan swiftly wane and  trickle to nothing for no apparent reason? Did they fear that somehow the water had been dammed off or the rains on the Mountains of Hermon had simply stopped? Did they think that some curse of their gods had taken from them the blessing of the always reliable Jordan River?

They must have known, had to have known, that the Hebrews were sojourning east of the Jordan. But could they even guess that their plan, for forty years, was to cross over and settle the already inhabited land of Canaan? Did they see or, at least, hear the teaming thousands as Joshua lead them across the now dry river bottom?

As for those heathen on the east side, who had watched in awe for decades as the cloud by day and fire by night lead the twelve tribes around the wilderness, to see it suddenly turn west, did they also see the mass of dust kicked up by a million pairs of feet moving away from them? Would they have even began to understand what was about to happen?  Were they presumptuous enough to think that that was a good thing?

How about those on the west side of Jordan? Did they see the people? Did they hear the noise? Did they comprehend exactly what was coming? Did they realize how much trouble they were in?

For its current residents, it must have been a sight to behold to witness this mass, not exodus, but mass penetration into a land where they themselves had lived for centuries. Did they realize just how dangerous things were about to get for them? Did they feel save because the Hebrews seemed like Lilliputians to them? Did they feel safe in their walled cities? Well, we all know how that ultimately worked out for them.

What about those who actually observed the crossing? What did they think when they saw the waters of the Jordan river wall up on the north side and deplete on the south? What did they think as that wall of water grew taller and taller and broader and broader? What could they have thought as they saw a million Hebrews march across the, albeit narrow, dry river basin? What might they have thought as they even saw them take the time to build an alter of stones in the middle of the now thirsty river bed? One can only imagine their shock and awe, amazement and befuddlement!

It all must have been a breathtaking sight, indeed. No doubt so, but I can only assume that while the ground may have been dry under the feet of the children of Israel crossing Jordan, it would definitely have been wet under the feet of the pagans fearfully observing this, for them, disheartening spectacle!