RUSSELL SANDERS

10-23-2025

THE LIFE OF JOSHUA – LESSON 8

CROSSING OVER JORDAN

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We saw yesterday that by the laying on of hands from Moses that Joshua was ordained as prophet and leader of Israel (Numbers 27:22-23). We see now also from Deuteronomy 34:9 that it also imparted to Joshua “the spirit of wisdom” by the laying on of hands.

That wisdom manifested quickly. Moses is now gone. Joshua begins preparations for crossing Jordan to conquer it as he was charged to do. He starts out by negotiating with leaders of two and a half tribes whose inheritance would remain on the east side of Jordan. This negotiating was done with these tribes in case they would not choose to cross over to the west side and help in the fight to subdue the land in which they would not be living. They agreed to fight with him in Joshua 1:10-18.  

He then sent two men as a scouting party to spy on the first large city they would encounter which was Jericho. The two spies returned with a good report for victory (Joshua 2). He then moved their camp over next to the Jordan River. The site of the crossing would be just a little north of the Dead Sea. They camped there for three days as Joshua gave detailed instructions to the people and to the priests who would bear the ark of the covenant ahead of them.

When it was time to cross over, the priests bearing the ark approached the river which had overflowed its banks, as in a flood. The moment they put their feet in the water; God parted the waters just as He had done 40 years earlier at the Red Sea when they crossed from Egypt. Everyone now crossed over on a dry riverbed.

By this miracle all of Israel could see that God was just as surely with Joshua as he had been with Moses. It was a “forever sign.”

HELEN SANDERS

10-23-2025

GOD’S PLAN OR SATAN’S PLAN

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Have you been in a position where you think that what you are about to do is a good thing? Perhaps it will even help your ministry, or your family? You start out going full blast, and everything suddenly falls apart, leaving a mess in your life.

This often is the result of not spending time with the Lord, to hear what His plan is. I remember a situation years ago where an acquaintance was helping a church get planted. She worked physically so hard that she got sick. It caused her such terrible physical problems in her leg that she had to have a steel rod put into it.

Now, I was young in the working of prophetic words of knowledge and was a little blunt at the time. I asked her if God had told her to do the work. She looked at me with shock. Now, she had been a bible study leader and knew the Lord very personally. She had an intimate relationship with the Lord. But her answer to my question revealed what had happened. She told me that she had not asked the Lord if that was what she was supposed to do. Perhaps if she had asked, He would have said no, and it would have saved her a lot of heartache.

King David did the same thing. I 1 Chronicles 21:1 we see the spirit behind his actions. It says, “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.”

Now, numbering the people in the kingdom doesn’t sound like a bad plan, does it? David pressured Joab to number the people, but Joab knew what David was about to do would cause Israel harm. Why? Because God had a specific way to number the people. 

In Exodus 30:12 we see the directions from the Lord. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ‘When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.’”

God had a plan to number the people a specific way, but David failed to do that. It resulted in a plague where seventy thousand men died. (1 Chron. 21:14) David saw an angel in the spirit ready to destroy Jerusalem, but David repented and took the blame for his sin. God then held back the destruction.

We must never take on responsibility for something that God has not told us to. We must never assume that even though something looks good, that we are the one to do it. We must consult God before we do anything. If we do not hear a definite yes, then we shouldn’t do it. And, if God says no, then we had better listen and not go forward with OUR plan. God’s way is always the best way.