Dealing with a Seemingly Impossible Situation. (Joshua 3: 1-16)

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Welcome & Study Notes: 

Welcome to this episode of our study in the book of Joshua! Today, we explore Joshua 3:1-16, a powerful passage that teaches us how to respond when we face seemingly impossible situations. Just as the Israelites stood before the flooded Jordan River, we often encounter barriers in life that seem insurmountable. But through faith, preparation, and obedience, we can witness God’s power at work in our lives. Let's dive into the study and discover how Joshua's experience can encourage and guide us in our own challenges.

Study Notes:

1. Facing an Impossible Situation (Joshua 3:1-4)

Lesson: When facing challenges, we must keep our eyes on God’s presence and trust His guidance, rather than relying on our own understanding.

2. Preparing for the Miracle (Joshua 3:5-6)

Lesson: Spiritual preparation—through confession, sanctification, and focusing on God—positions us to experience His power in our lives.

3. God’s Promise to Joshua (Joshua 3:7-13)

Lesson: True faith requires action. We often have to step out in obedience before we see the results of God’s promises.

4. The Miracle at the Jordan (Joshua 3:14-16)

Lesson: God specializes in doing the impossible, but He calls us to trust Him fully before we see the outcome.

Application Questions:

1. What "impossible" situation are you currently facing? How can you focus on God's presence rather than the problem?
2. In what ways can you spiritually prepare yourself for God’s work in your life?
3. Are you willing to take a step of faith even before you see the outcome? What might that look like in your circumstances?
4. How does Joshua’s leadership and trust in God inspire you in your own faith journey?

Key Takeaways:

• Keep your eyes on God – He is the one leading the way.
• Prepare your heart – Sanctify yourself to be ready for God’s work.
• Step out in faith – Obedience often precedes miracles.
• Trust God's timing – His plan may not always be immediate, but it is always perfect.

As we reflect on this passage, may we be reminded that no situation is truly impossible when we trust in the Lord. Whatever challenges you are facing today, step forward in faith, knowing that God goes before you.

Blessin

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Transcript

Dealing with a Seemingly Impossible Situation. (Joshua 3: 1-16)

Transcript: 

Have you ever encountered a seemingly insurmountable challenge? Perhaps you have been striving to secure employment without success, or you find yourself in financial distress with no apparent solution. 

For others it might be their teenager has turned away from their faith and is now rebelling against you, this can cause profound sorrow, as there is arguably no greater pain than concern for one's children. 

As the apostle John in his first letter once put it, there is no greater joy than knowing one’s children live truthfully, and conversely, no greater grief than seeing them stray from that path. 

You may also be dealing with significant health concerns, such as being diagnosed with a cancer and facing an uncertainty future. Other challenges might include difficult academic exams, debts, demanding family or work relationships, breaking unhealthy habits, or salvaging a troubled marriage. 

Many individuals experience depression, and some reach breaking points. Currently. It is projected that 15 million Americans and 4 million people in the UK will suffer a nervous breakdown at some point in their lives and need medical intervention and over 5,000 people will take their own life in the UK this year with about at least 10 times more than that thinking about it. I believe the figures is the US last nearly 100,000 people attempt suicide annually. 

Additionally, 3 million individuals are affected in the US by alcohol-related disabilities, and the death related to narcotics and alcohol abuse are literally countless.

Many will face seemingly impossible challenges in their lives this year. How do we handle them?

 Let's consider Joshua, the challenge he had to face was to lead 2 million Israelites into the promised land. 

In Joshua Chapter 3, he had to cross the flooded Jordan River, a seemingly impossible task and today I’d like to explore how Joshua managed this situation and see if there are any basic principles we can apply to our own lives….

Today we look at Joshua chapter 3, verses 1-6.

In these verses we simply have the preparation for going across the Jordan.

In verse one it tells us. 

1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people.

(Joshua 3: 1-2)

Now it was a seven-mile journey from where they were camped to the edge of the Jordan River, and when the Lord gave the command, Joshua obeyed without hesitation. He gathered the people, packed up their belongings, and led them to the river.

When the time came and God now told him to move toward the Jordan, Joshua didn’t ask for an extension, or asked God to wait untill the waters subsided. He didn’t request an alternate route to avoid confrontation with the enemy. Instead, he simply gave the order, and the people moved and camped by the rivers edge..

They camped by the Jordan, as verse 2 tells us, and then in verse 3, Joshua gave these instructions:

3 “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.

(Joshua 3: 3-4)

This moment was historic. For 40 years, the Israelites had been led by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. But now, for the first time since their departure from Egypt, they were to be guided by something else—the Ark of the Covenant.

Their only guide was now the ark, the symbol of God’s presence among them.

However, Joshua instructed them to maintain a distance of 2,000 cubits a little over half a mile, a little under 1km between themselves and the ark. Why such a large gap? 

The next verse gives the reason: 

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

(Joshua 3:5)

They were to sanctify themselves and the distance was a visible reminder of God’s holiness.

Sanctification simply means to be set apart. In Scripture, God is described as being set apart in His holiness, exalted above all. 

While it is true that Jesus calls us His friends, we must never become too casual in our approach to the Lord. It is easy to slip into a mindset that treats Him as just “the man upstairs” or to speak about Him in overly familiar terms, forgetting that He is high, holy, and divine. 

After these instructions, Joshua gave the people a clear command:

.”6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them."

(Joshua 3:6)

So, he turned to the priests and says, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant and go in front of the people.”

These early verses contain important logistical details about the arrangement of the people, the placement of the ark, the instructions to follow but it is also made clear that the central focus of this passage is Joshua’s command to the people to sanctify themselves.

The text does not specify the detail of how they did this on this occasion. But we see in Exodus 19, when the Israelites were instructed to sanctify themselves before meeting with God at Mount Sinai, they washed their clothes and performed ceremonial washings. Perhaps they did something similar here, but the method is not the point. 

What mattered was that they set themselves apart for God, preparing their hearts for what He was about to do.

So when faced with an impossible situation, the first thing we must do is sanctify ourselves before the Lord. 

This sanctification process tells us there must be a continual habit of confession and cleansing. As 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This is an ongoing action—if we are constantly confessing our sins, He is constantly cleansing us.

Maintaining a sanctified life requires ongoing confession before the Lord and I believe that if we desire to walk with the Lord, especially when facing great challenges, we must begin by coming cleansed of our sin before Him.

But sanctification is not just about confession of sins it is also about an ongoing, what the bible calls ‘consecration’. And we do this by changing the way we behave afterwards. 

We must continually yield ourselves to God and his promtings. Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

Haddon Robinson once amusingly said, "The problem with us being living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar." That is the challenge we all face. 

We come before the Lord with sincerity, offering Him our lives, promising to change only to be pulled away by distractions, responsibilities, and the pressures of daily living. 

It is easy to drift, to lose focus, that is why we must constantly return to Him, daily renewing our commitment to live in obedience.

These are basic spiritual disciplines, confession and consecration—but they are essential.

Even professional athletes never outgrow the basics. The best one continually practice their skills every single day. Likewise, if we desire to grow spiritually, we must never neglect the fundamentals.

The problem is not that we don’t know these truths, the problem is how we respond to them. Some hear with their outer ear, gaining only intellectual knowledge. But we are called to hear with their heart as well as their ear, allowing the truth of God to shape our lives. Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15)

So, the question becomes, Are you truly listening?

To sanctify yourself does not mean adopting a sanctimonious attitude. It is simply a posture of the heart that says, “Lord, I want to know You, I want to be Yours, and I want to be used by You.”

To sanctify yourself is a conscious decision to draw near to the Lord and set your life apart for His purposes.

So, we see here that when Joshua and the Israelites faced an impossible situation, the first thing they did was sanctify themselves before the Lord. But there is more. 

Beginning in verse 7, we see God’s plans for what was to happen next.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses

(Joshua 3:7)

While it may not be immediately obvious from reading the passage, the events in verses 7–13 will all took place on the next day. With this transition in mind, lets continue exploring God’s instructions and the miraculous events that followed.

8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

(Joshua 3: 8-13)

The Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel.” Notice the phrasing, begin to magnify. 

God was making it clear that this was just the start. Throughout the conquest, He would continue to exalt Joshua, ensuring that the people would recognize that just as He was with Moses, He would be with Joshua.

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So, the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

(Joshua: 14-17)

God gave a specific command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant, telling them that when you come to the edge of the river you shall stand in the Jordan.’” Joshua, in turn, gathered the people and said, “Come here and hear the words of the Lord your God.” (Joshua 3:9) If you have a pen, underline that phrase—hear the words of the Lord your God.

In verse 5, Joshua told the people to sanctify themselves in preparation for what God was about to do. Now, in verse 9, he tells them the next step is to hear the Word of the Lord. 

For us today these two instructions still go hand in hand. First, you must set yourself apart for God. Then, you must immerse yourself in His Word and listen to Him.

Joshua didn’t emphasize his own role in all this instead, he directed the people’s attention to the Lord, saying, “God will be the one who will drive out all the people of the land.” 

He reminded them that their God was alive, He was fully present and ready to act on their behalf.

That was the truth they needed to hear. Instead of fearing the situation, they were to focus on who God is. Then came the command: the priests carrying the Ark were to step into the river first. Once their feet touched the water, God would act and the Jordan waters would stop flowing.

This passage presents a crucial spiritual principle: When facing an impossible situation, you must stop looking at the problem and instead start paying attentio to the Word of God.

What do we normally do in times of difficulty? We worry. We become consumed by the problem. We analyze every angle, searching for solutions, yet the more we dwell on the situation, the more impossible it seems. 

Imagine if Joshua had focused solely on the challenge before him. He would have seen a flooded river, an uncrossable barrier, and no logical way forward. That kind of thinking leads to discouragement, despair, and paralysis.

But Joshua did not allow such fear to take hold. Instead, he called the people together and says, “Hear the Word of the Lord.” Instead of being overwhelmed by the situation, they were to remind themselves of God’s truth. And what was that truth? “The living God is among you.” (Joshua 3:10)

And when faced with trials, we must do the same. Instead of focusing on the problem, we must focus on the promises of God. If all you do is stare at your difficulties, you will lose heart. But if you turn to Scripture, you will find hope.

Remember the book of James? Its primary theme is enduring trials, and in it James instructs us to be “quick to hear what God is saying, but to be slow to speak, and slow to wrath.” 

Later in the chapter, James tells us to lay aside sin and thereby “receive with humility the implanted word.” (James 1:21) 

If you are in the midst of a trial right now, take this to heart: The message hear is that instead of worrying get alone with your Bible. Seek God’s truth. Saturate yourself in His Word. Let His voice be louder than the voices of fear and doubts around you.

A.W. Tozer once said,

“It is because we lose sight of a God who can do the incredible and the impossible, that we meet frustration.”

Are you frustrated? Are you discouraged? Perhaps it is because you have been consumed by your own thoughts instead of being guided by God’s truth.

So, in your situation, no matter how impossible it may seem, fix your eyes on God, turn to the Word of God, saturate yourself in His truth, and you will find the strength to move forward.

As the people set out from their camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant led the way and when their feet touched the water’s edge, the waters from upstream stopped flowing and piled up in a heap far away. Remember this is at a time when the river was in flood, yet the entire nation of Israel crossed over on dry ground.

This was an impossible situation. It was springtime, the season when the melting snow from the mountains and the heavy rains swelled the Jordan River beyond its banks. Humanly speaking, waiting a few months for the waters to recede would have been a sensible course of action. But that was not what God commanded. He told them to step into the river, and only when they obeyed did the waters part.

As you can imagine, people had all kinds of reactions to this event, like they do all the miraculous in the bible.

Some have tried to explain it away as a natural occurrence, even linking it to historical earthquakes in 1267 BC and 1227 BC. But those earthquakes happened in December and July, this crossing in clearly described as having taken place in the spring.

More importantly, the text makes it abundantly clear that this was a divine intervention. The riverbed was not just passable, it says it became dry.

From a logistical standpoint, some have calculated that for two million people to cross in one day, the river would have had to dry up for at least a mile-wide stretch. Yep, OK, but none of these details change the essential point: God moved in the moment they obeyed Him. The miracle happened only when they stepped out in faith.

Do you have any barriers you think are uncrossable in life? Do you have mountains you can’t tunnel through? God specializes in the impossible. But He requires trust and obedience.

Joshua and the Israelites faced an overwhelming challenge, but they responded in three simple ways:

·        They sanctified themselves—they set their hearts apart for the Lord.

·        They saturated themselves in the Word of God—they listened to His instructions.

·        They submitted themselves to obedience, they stepped out in faith, even when it made no sense.

If you are facing an impossible situation today, follow their example:

·        Sanctify your heart—set yourself apart for God’s purposes.

·        Saturate your mind with His Word—seek His wisdom, not your own.

·        Submit your will to His commands—take the step of faith, even when it’s hard.

That’s simple, yet profoundly difficult. Our natural instinct is to take control, to rely on our own strength and wisdom. But if you want to see God work, you must surrender completely.

In the middle of this chapter, we saw Joshua declared, “The living God is among you.” So let me ask you: When was the last time you truly saw God work in your life?

At the beginning of this message, I said that many people today are at a breaking point. Thousands are turning to addiction, despair, or even ending their own lives because they feel trapped by impossible situations. 

Suicide for me for me in its simplest definition just means that people are trying to carry life’s burdens on their own, and I don’t underestimate the burdens that some people try and carry. No wonder sometimes they collapse under that weight.

But hear this: God has designed your life so that we are never meant to handle it alone.

He will allow you to face some difficult situations, sometimes but not to break you, but to direct you to rely on Him. But other times they might be burdens of our own making that we just try to struggle on with.

But that not what God tells us we ought to do.

So, what will you do? Will you keep struggling in your own strength, trying to figure it all out on your own? Or will you turn to the Lord?

Are you truly willing to trust Him? Are you willing to step into the water before you see a miracle today?

Let me paint a picture for you. You may never find yourself in this exact situation, but the response of this woman illustrates the very principle we’ve been talking about today.

I’d like to close today by reading a Psalm for you, Psalm 27: (Prayer)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident… I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Are you facing an impossible situation? Hear me—there is no telling what God can do in your case. But I do know He calls you to trust Him, to seek Him, and to stand firm in faith.

The Lord is your light. Whom shall you fear?