1 Corinthians 10:11 explains the Old Testament was written for “our” example. Jesus explained on the Road to Emmaus that the Old Testament pointed to himself. It was Moses who God commissioned to lead the people out of Egypt (the world) and into the Promised Land (heaven.) We also know that Moses could not lead the people into the land, Joshua did. The reason that Moses could not enter the promised land was because of disobedience. In the wilderness when the people cried out for water, God told Moses to “Strike the Rock”, and when he did lifesaving water gushed out to save the people. I Corinthians 10:4 explains that “Rock was Christ.” Moses striking the rock was a picture of Jesus beaten and nailed to a cross, a Rock stricken that would give life giving water. However, God was very clear that Moses was only to strike the Rock once and the next time simply to “speak to the Rock.” Jesus’s sacrifice was a “once forever” sacrifice never to be repeated again. (Hebrews 10:10) There is another reason that Moses could never enter the Promised Land and that reason is Moses represented “the Law”, the rules and regulations of religion which the Bible says will never gain you eternal life. (Galatians 2:16) Moses had to be replaced with Joshua, a type of Christ, to lead the people into the Promised Land.
When Joshua and the Israelites approached to finally cross the Jordan after forty years of wandering, the Jordan was in its flood stage and not crossable. The Lord told Joshua to have the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan and watch the miraculous power of God. Me must remember the Ark of the Covenant was an incredible box containing manna, Aaron’s rod and the 10 Commandments which are all pictures of Jesus. Jesus is the Bread from Heaven, the High Priest, and the Fulfiller of the Law. Also on top of the Ark was the Mercy Seat which Jesus fulfilled with his incredible sacrifice on the cross.
As the Ark entered the Jordan a miracle began to happen, the waters began to be damned up. Yet, most illustrations of this event are in error because the stopping of the water did not take place in sight of the people, it took place miles upstream at one particular city. The name of that city is prophetic! The water piled up a city named “ADAM”! We must remember that the Jordan rivers flow from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. This is an incredible picture of how sin came into the world and to us through Adam and that sin will end up in death. But the Lord stepped into the river! The Ark entered where Jesus would be baptized showing us that Jesus was the great “sin stopper”. The waters that piled up at the city of Adam is a picture of the incredible amount of sin of the world stopped by the Ark of God, Jesus, so that we could cross over to the Promised Land on dry ground! My friends there is NO safe crossing into the Promised Land without the Ark (Jesus). He is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life!
