Reciprocal Meaning
Joshua 3:17
Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, …
Far more important than the fact that the priests stood on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan is the fact that they stood firmly. What a world of difference that little adverb makes.
Perhaps this adverb is a description of the stalwartness of these priests’ hearts in the face of imminent danger. We could read Joshua’s statement as a commendation to mark the manner in which they stood. To signify that even with a wall of water rising higher and higher beside them, casting perhaps a menacing shadow over them, they remained firm in their obedience, unnerved by the waves. That is, they didn’t straddle one foot on the shore and lightly dip the other into the pool. They didn’t tread cautiously or trepidatiously, walking on their toes in case they needed to make a sudden break for it. No. In spite of their fear, in spite of the knowledge that at any moment, the unseen Hand that held these waters in place could let them fall again, these priests stepped firmly forward. God doesn’t have to drag these shepherds by their collars. They advance on their own volition, not teetering and tottering, but immovable in their resolve.
Yet, this adverb is also a greater testament to the perfect power of God in securing these priests against all obstacles. Maybe that’s what Joshua wants to drive home here. Think of it: even without flowing water, a river’s bed is often anything but level, right? A river’s floor is full of smooth rocks and sharp rocks, small rocks and big rocks, with pockets of sandbanks and mudslides, such that, even without rushing water, a riverbed lays more like an old gravel road—with pot holes, speed bumps, trenches and ridges. So when Joshua says that the priests stood ‘firmly’ on dry ground, perhaps he’s expressing amazement at God’s gift of stability given the conditions.
Either way, both principles provide correlating applications for us today. First, to remember that God, for His part, keeps us firmly rooted and grounded in love on the strength of His perfect character. And secondly, we, for our part, should be just as firm in our stand.