The Rivers of Israel

The Jordan is by far Israel’s longest river at 251 km. The other rivers of Israel are either very short or they are wadis—seasonal streams which only exist during rainy season.

The second longest river in Israel is the Kishon near Haifa (at just 70 km).

The third is the Lakhish River near Ashdod.

The fourth is the Ayalon River which feeds into the short Yarkon River near Tel Aviv. Those two count as one.

Here's the Ayalon River:

And here's a picture of the Yarkon River:

The fifth and smallest river of Israel is the Alexander River which descends from the mountains of Samaria and empties into the Mediterranean near Netanya. It runs just 45 km in length. It looks like this:

But we want to focus on the Jordan River. Although it's small, is still the biggest and longest river of Israel. And it's certainly the most famous of the rivers of the Holy Land. In some sections, it looks like this:

A Border River

The Jordan is the longest river of Israel but it's not exclusively Israel’s river. Israel does not control the Jordan River completely. The Israelis have had to share the Jordan River for millennia. The Jews shared the Jordan with neighboring nations such as the Moabites and the Ammonites through most of the Old Testament period.

Bashan (once ruled by King Og) was a nation that inhabited the northern part of the Jordan east of the river when the Israelites first entered the Promised Land. The Israelites took the region east of the Jordan River called Gilead, just south of Bashan. They constantly had to deal with foreign invaders in that region: Arameans, Amorites, and then Romans.

Here's an image of King Og of Bashan who the Israelites defeated before entering the Promised Land:

The Romans called the area east of the Jordan Decapolis (Ten Cities) when they ruled at the time of Jesus. That same land was called Bashan and Gilead in Old Testament times. Jesus traveled there extensively and preached to its people.

... Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis (Mark 7:31).

Today the Jordan is still a border-river, separating Israel from the country of Jordan. After Jesus returns to rule in the Kingdom he will incorporate the Jordan River into the country of Israel.

Yes, a day will come when the Jordan River will be firmly established within Israel’s borders. Jesus will establish new borders for Israel in which the Jordan River will fit nicely. The Jews will no longer share the Jordan with other countries. Jesus' remapping will comply with God's original promise to Abraham: from the wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

... the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, 'To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates (Genesis 5:18).

A New Generation

Joshua assumed leadership of the Israelites after Moses died and his first assignment was to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. That was no small task. Logistically it was a nightmare. Militarily it was discouraging. How would thousands of soldiers ford the Jordan River in its flood stage?

The Jordan doesn’t have a flood stage right now, but it did all the way up to the mid-20th century. You can find photos of the Jordan River floodplains from the period of the British Mandate. The ones below are from the 1930s. Imagine what Joshua saw! Imagine how the people felt as they gazed upon the wide valley filled with water.

To get the Israelites into the Promised Land, Joshua had to lead them through the waters. Quite literally, he had to baptize them in the Jordan.

… the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites’ (Joshua 1:1-2).

The Israelites were not professional swimmers, but God said to Joshua '... you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River.'

Joshua didn't know how it would happen. He could only imagine how the crossing would take place. He only knew that he was in charge. God drew the contrast clear enough: Moses is dead, and Joshua must finish the job. God associated the death of Moses to Joshua's ushering the people into the Promised Land. Why? Because there's a big difference between following Joshua and following Moses.

Moses died on Mount Nebo in the land of Ammon. He saw the Promised Land from afar. Joshua, on the other hand, would enter with the people, lead them, and vanquish their enemies. You can imagine Moses looking out at the Promised Land longingly, but also happily--because he knew that Joshua was leading the people.

Greater Honor Than Moses

Even if the crossing of the Jordan were the only thing he ever accomplished in his life, Joshua would still be remembered as a great leader. But because he led the Israelites into the Promised Land by a miracle that rivaled the crossing of the Red Sea, Joshua deserves greater honor than Moses.

Joshua represents Christ, and Christ deserves greater honor than Moses. Why? Because Jesus is the builder of the House of God, the Church. Jesus is the one who builds up God's people.

Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself (Hebrews 3:3).

Moses met with Jesus at the transfiguration and consulted with him. Moses admires Jesus greatly and seeks to learn from him.

Jesus is the leader every human being must follow to enter into the Promised Land. Moses will never get us into the Promised Land.

Joshua was the leader to whom the Jewish people had to turn once Moses had completed his ministry. Likewise, Jesus, as the administrator of the New Covenant, is the one to whom we must turn as we shift away from Moses. Anyone once led by the Law of Moses must make the transition to following the Law of Jesus.

Yeshua = He Saves

The names Joshua and Jesus are synonyms. The name Joshua in Hebrew is the same name as Jesus in Hebrew--it's pronounced Yeshua. The names Joshua and Jesus are just two different transliterations of the Hebrew name Yeshua.

If someone is speaking Hebrew, you can't tell the difference whether someone is talking about Joshua or Jesus. Both names sound the same and both mean "he saves." Astoundingly, both men saved God's people--but Jesus saved all of humanity. Joshua only saved Israel.

Jesus saves on a much wider scale than Joshua! Jesus is the Savior of the World. Has Jesus saved you? Has Jesus led you through the waters?