Joshua 4:10-11 All the People!

 10For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in accordance with everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and crossed [the dry riverbed]; 11and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people.

“The priests stood with the ark of the covenant for the entire time it took the nation to cross over. The visible token of the presence of God had to remain in the river through the entire crossing.” (Guzik)

All the People 

When we study the verses we don’t realize the brevity of this feat. The priests were holding the ark of the covenant when all the people crossed. 

Estimates numbered the Israelites as high as 2.5 million people including men of war, the women and children. Talk about a long formation of people!

And the water continued to be stopped and rose up!

Joshua 3: 16the waters which were flowing down from above stopped and rose up (backed up) in one mass a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan. Those [waters] flowing downward toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off.

It would seem like a long time to us waiting for all the Israelites to cross the Jordan! 

But what is time to the Lord?

2 Peter 3:8 Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.

But what is time to us?

James 4:14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air].

Are you prepared to meet your Maker the day your your vapor, puff of smoke, wisp of steam vanishes?

Blessings