OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS

Joshua 3:7-17 is the story of how Israel entered the promised land of Canaan by crossing the Jordan River on dry ground. Psalm 107:33-43 is both praise and reflection on the salvific power of God.

Joshua 3:7-17 - "Crossing Over the Jordan"
Setting.  The primary story of the salvation history of Israel separates into three parts. It begins with the liberating experience of escape from Egypt, then it moves to the wilderness stories where Israel is presented as following God on a journey, and it ends with the gift of the promise land. This three-part structure of salvation history can be described as exodus-leading-land (sometimes scholars will also speak of the exodus-conquest model of salvation history).

The triadic structure of salvation history provides important ba…