Crossing Over – The Jordan, the Reed Sea, and the Waters of New Life

When we think of crossing over, two monumental moments stand out in the history of God's people—the crossing of the Reed Sea and the crossing of the Jordan River. Both were powerful, life-changing events, yet the crossing of each river holds a profound, distinct spiritual significance. These waters weren't just physical barriers; they were gateways into something greater, much like the waters of new life that we experience as believers.

Let’s start with the Reed Sea, the first great crossing, which marked the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt. God had called Moses to lead His people out of bondage, and though they had walked for days, they found themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the vast, seemingly insurmountable Reed Sea. The people cried out, some in fear, some in disbelief. What they couldn’t see was the miracle waiting for them.

The Hebrew word for "sea" here is yam (ים), which refers to a large body of water, a great expanse. But the yam wasn’t just a physical obstacle. It was a symbol of the impossible, the natural forces that stood in the way of God's promises. The yam was an enemy to the Israelites, an embodiment of every fear, every obstacle, every hindrance that lay in the way of their deliverance.

Yet, when Moses stretched out his staff as God had commanded, the waters parted, and the Israelites crossed on dry ground, leaving their past behind them, and entering a new life of freedom. The miracle wasn't just in the parting of the waters—it was in the transformation of a people’s faith. That crossing wasn’t just a physical act; it was a spiritual act of trust in God’s ability to make a way where there seemed to be none. And it wasn’t just about getting from one side to the other. It was about a people being completely transformed. The Hebrew word for "deliverance" or "salvation" used in this context is yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ), which means salvation or deliverance. This word carries with it the idea of being rescued, redeemed, and made whole.

Through the waters of the Reed Sea, God was showing that His salvation could not be contained by the barriers of the natural world. No matter how insurmountable the challenges may appear, God's deliverance is powerful enough to make a way through it all. The parting of the yam was not just a physical deliverance; it was a statement: God’s salvation could overcome even the most impossible circumstances. He will make a way where there seems to be no way, breaking through every barrier of fear, doubt, and seemingly insurmountable challenge.

Now, the Jordan River is a different kind of crossing. It wasn't an escape from bondage, but a passage into the promises that lay ahead. The Jordan River was the gateway to the Promised Land—a land flowing with milk and honey, a place of rest and fulfillment of God's covenant with His people. The Hebrew word for Jordan is Yarden (יַרְדֵּן), meaning "to descend" or "to flow down." This is symbolic in itself because the Jordan River descends from the mountains of Gilead and flows into the Dead Sea. But it’s not just about geography. The Yarden represents a passage of transition.

The Israelites had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, yet at the Jordan, they faced another challenge—this time, it wasn’t just about leaving their past behind, but about stepping forward into a new future. They had to trust God, but this time, it wasn't Moses leading them across. It was Joshua. The name Joshua is a form of Yeshua (ישוע), which means "salvation." Just as Moses' leadership was marked by salvation at the Reed Sea, now Joshua was leading them into the fulfillment of God's promises, a new phase of their journey.

The crossing of the Jordan wasn't a simple transition; it was a baptism of sorts, where they were being consecrated and set apart for the land that was to be their inheritance. The moment they stepped into the waters, the flow of the river ceased. They crossed over, and as they did, they were entering into a promise that had been made generations before, but only now, in God's timing, could they experience. The people were no longer wandering, no longer slaves to the past. They were being birthed into something new.

It’s significant that these crossings are both marked by water. The water represents death and resurrection, the old and the new. When they crossed the Reed Sea, they passed from the life of bondage into the life of freedom. When they crossed the Jordan, they passed from wandering in the wilderness into the fullness of God's promise. Each crossing signifies a step into something new—first, a breaking free from the old, then a stepping into what God had prepared for them.

This speaks powerfully to us as believers. The waters of the Reed Sea and the Jordan River are echoed in our own spiritual journey. The Reed Sea is like our baptism, where we are delivered from the life of sin and death, and we emerge from the waters into the freedom of salvation. The Jordan River is like the continued journey of faith, where we step out of the wilderness of our struggles and enter into the fullness of God’s promises—those things that are not yet fully realized in our lives but are ours to claim through Christ.

In both instances, the waters do not just carry us—they transform us. The apostle Paul speaks about this in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, reminding us that the Israelites, when they passed through the Reed Sea, were "baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Baptism is an outward sign of an inward transformation. It’s the passing through of the waters that symbolizes our new life in Christ, just as the Israelites' journey through the Reed Sea and the Jordan River symbolized their transformation.

The waters of new life are not just a one-time crossing. They are a continuous invitation into God's promise. As we look at the journey from the Reed Sea to the Jordan, we see that God is inviting us to cross over every day, from one level of grace to another, from one step of faith to the next. Each crossing marks a deeper commitment to God’s will for us, a deeper immersion into His promises.

The waters of new life are waiting for us, and just like the Israelites, we must decide to cross over. The question is not whether we will face obstacles, but whether we will trust God to make a way through them. Whether it’s the barrier of sin, the wilderness of trials, or the unknowns of the future, God has promised that He will part the waters, and we can step into the new life He has for us.

So, let’s take that step of faith. Let’s trust that just as God made a way for His people in the past, He will continue to make a way for us in the present. Crossing over is not just about getting to the other side—it’s about being transformed in the process. Just as God parted the waters for Israel, He is parting the waters for us, leading us to new heights, new promises, and a new life in Him.

As we continue, we see the deeper layers of what these crossings represent—not just historical events, but spiritual realities that unfold in our own lives as we walk through the waters of new life. These two crossings—through the Reed Sea and the Jordan—serve as vivid pictures of our ongoing journey as believers.

The Reed Sea reminds us that when we come to Christ, it’s as though we are delivered from the tyranny of sin and death. Matzav (מַצָּב) in Hebrew means a situation or condition, and before the crossing of the Reed Sea, Israel's condition was one of hopelessness. They were enslaved, trapped in a land of oppression. The miracle of parting the sea wasn't just a dramatic display of God's power; it was the moment of spiritual freedom. They were no longer slaves to Egypt—they were free to follow God's call to the Promised Land.

For us, this is the moment of salvation, when we pass through the waters of baptism, not just as a symbol, but as a spiritual reality. Paul tells us in Romans 6:4 that we were "buried with Him through baptism into death," and just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too walk in "newness of life." Baptism is a crossing over moment—leaving behind the old man and stepping into the new life found in Christ.

But crossing the Reed Sea is just the beginning. It’s the first step into a journey of transformation. After the Israelites passed through the Reed Sea, they found themselves in the wilderness, a place that would test their faith, patience, and obedience. It was here in the wilderness that God taught them what it meant to rely fully on Him. The manna from heaven, the water from the rock, the cloud by day and the fire by night—these were all signs of God's faithful provision, but they were also opportunities for the people to grow in trust and obedience. It’s the same for us in our journey after salvation: God doesn’t leave us to wander aimlessly. He teaches us how to depend on Him for our daily needs. The crossing over from the Reed Sea wasn’t the end of their journey—it was the beginning of a deeper relationship with God.

The Jordan River, on the other hand, represents a different type of crossing—a crossing into the fulfillment of God’s promises. Israel had been promised a land flowing with milk and honey, but they had to enter it. The Jordan didn’t part until the priests stepped into its waters, showing us that the act of faith required participation. The waters of the Jordan were full of symbolism: not just a passage from one geographical place to another, but a movement from a life of wandering to a life of inheritance.

This is significant for us as believers. The Yarden is about claiming what is ours in Christ. The journey through the Jordan calls us not just to salvation but to a deeper realization of all that God has promised us. We have been made heirs with Christ, and the Promised Land we are stepping into is the Kingdom of God—both now and forever. Jesus' words in Matthew 11:12 remind us that the Kingdom of God "suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." In other words, there is a proactive faith that steps forward and claims what has already been given.

In the crossing of the Jordan, Joshua instructed the people to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, to take twelve stones from the middle of the riverbed and carry them to the other side as a memorial (Joshua 4:3). These stones would serve as a reminder of what God had done—how He had made a way where there was no way, how He had brought them through the waters into their inheritance. Each stone represented a step of faith, a testimony of God's faithfulness, and a reminder that He is the one who opens the way.

The Jordan teaches us that we don’t walk into God’s promises passively. We don’t wait for them to fall into our lap. We, like the Israelites, must step forward in faith. And just as the waters of the Jordan stopped flowing when the priests stepped in, so too does God open the way when we take that first step. It’s in the act of trusting Him, in stepping out in obedience, that the waters part.

As we reflect on these two crossings, we are reminded of our own spiritual journey—how we have crossed over from death to life, from bondage to freedom, from wandering to inheritance. But this crossing over doesn’t just happen once. It happens continuously in our lives. Every new stage of our journey requires us to cross over—to step out of our comfort zones, to step into the unknown, to step into greater depths of faith, trust, and obedience.

The waters of the Reed Sea and the Jordan River are both a part of our spiritual walk. The Reed Sea represents the initial step of salvation, the baptism that marks our transition from death to life, from sin to freedom. The Jordan River, however, symbolizes a deeper walk—a walk of claiming God's promises, of moving into His purposes, and of continuing to grow in the inheritance He has given us. Both waters represent transition, and both call us to trust in the God who leads us through them.

Each time we cross over, we leave something behind and enter something new. Each crossing requires faith, obedience, and trust in God’s promises. And though the waters may seem intimidating, we know that just as God parted the Reed Sea and stopped the Jordan River, He will make a way for us to cross over into all that He has prepared for us.

In our lives, the journey of faith is a constant crossing over. We leave behind the old, and we step into the new, trusting that God will lead us, just as He led the Israelites. Our crossings are not just physical—they are spiritual, they are transformational. They shape us into the people God has called us to be. Through each crossing, God is refining us, teaching us, and preparing us for the fullness of life that He has promised.

Just as the Israelites saw the mighty hand of God part the waters before them, so too will we see God’s mighty hand at work in our own lives as we step forward in faith, claiming His promises, and moving into the inheritance He has for us. Each crossing is a reminder that no matter what challenges we face, the God who opened the Reed Sea and stopped the Jordan River is the same God who will carry us through. His faithfulness never changes, and His promises are sure.

We are called to cross over, to move forward, and to claim the new life that God has for us. Let’s step out in faith, knowing that the God who has been faithful in the past will continue to be faithful in the future, as we cross over into His promises.

image gotten free from https://freebibleimages.org/illustrations/moody-moses-red-sea/