The city was situated in the lower Jordan Valley, just west of the Jordan River and about ten miles northwest of the Dead Sea. Jericho’s location was key to its significance. Jericho was the first city conquered by Israel after crossing the Jordan River and occupying the Promised Land (Joshua 5:13-6:23). In the Bible, Jericho is best known as the location of an astonishing miracle God performed. Afterwards, He began his public ministry to the people of Israel.Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest cities in the world. A voice then came from the heavens, “You are my Son, the beloved, in you I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the Judean wilderness for 40 days. After persuading John to oversee his baptism, the gospels record that as Jesus was coming out of the waters, the heavens were opened and the Spirit of God descended on Jesus in bodily form, like a dove. The synoptic gospels record that prior to beginning his public ministry, Jesus came to John to be baptized in the Jordan River. In the first century A.D., John the Baptist, the prophet like Elijah, also carried out his preaching and baptizing ministry along the shores of this river. It is recorded that Elisha then went on to perform twice the miracles of his predecessor Elijah. When he arrived back at the Jordan River, he threw down Elijah’s mantle and cried out, “Where now is the God of Elijah?” As they had done previously for Elijah, the waters rolled back and Elisha crossed over. Elisha then took his mantle and made his way back home. As he was taken up, his mantle fell to the ground. The two then crossed over and Elijah was soon taken into heaven. Once there, Elijah removed his mantle, threw it down and the waters of the Jordan parted. The Book of II Kings records that just prior to the prophet Elijah’s ascent to heaven in a chariot of fire, he and his protégé Elisha approached the River Jordan. Years later, during the time of the Israelite monarchy, the waters of the Jordan were miraculously parted again. So, Israel’s wilderness journey began and ended with a water-crossing miracle. These 12 stones were to be set up as an eternal memorial of this great event. The people were then instructed by the Lord to take 12 stones from the river, one stone for each of the 12 tribes. Talk about a step of faith! The book of Joshua records that they obeyed and the waters did in fact recede, enabling all of Israel to cross over. Only when they did so would the waters recede. You may recall that the priests carrying the Ark of the testimony were instructed to step into the water. It was here that the people of Israel crossed into the Promised Land after their 40-year wilderness journey. The result is that the Jordan River is more like a creek than a river in some places.Īs we said, some of the most memorable events recorded in the Bible are tied to the Jordan River. Today however, the water flow is regulated. Prior to the 20 th century, the river would experience seasonal flooding. As it exits the lake, it flows further south through the Jordan Valley and terminates into the Dead Sea. It flows south and empties into the Sea of Galilee, which is actually a freshwater lake. The Jordan River begins in Northern Israel at the base of Mt Hermon. In fact, some of the greatest events in Biblical history are connected to this small river. While it’s not on the scale of other famous rivers like the great Nile, the vast Amazon, or the mighty Mississippi, the Jordan River has a special wonder of its own. The Jordan River is one of the most famous rivers in the world.
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