Israel Cross Jordan

River wey full, brown and fast, dey pour pass im banks. One line of priests waka straight go meet am, dem carry one gold box for poles. Di first leg wey no wear shoe touch di water. And far up di river, di water begin stop.

For forty years, Israel don waka up and down for di wilderness. Moses don die. Di spies don come back from Jericho with good news. And now di people stand for di east bank of River Jordan, dey look di other side, di land wey God promise Abraham hundreds of years before. Only one problem dey. Na harvest time, and for harvest season, Jordan dey overflow all im banks. No bridge. No boat for one whole nation of families, children, old people, flocks and herds. For three days dem camp near di water dey look am. Then officers waka through di camp with instructions.

When una see di ark of di covenant of Di Lord una God, wey di priests carry, then una go move follow am. But make space dey between una and di ark, about two thousand cubits. Dat one na almost one kilometre, far reach say everybody fit see am. Then una go know di road wey una go follow, because una never pass dis road before. Joshua add, Make una ready una self for God. Tomorrow Di Lord go do wonders among una. And God talk to Joshua. Today I go begin make you great for di eyes of all Israel, so dat dem go know say as I dey with Moses, na so I go dey with you.

Morning. Di people pack dia tents. Di priests carry di ark put for dia shoulder, dem waka go di river, and di whole nation follow from far, dey watch. Di water dey rush pass, wide and deep. Di priests no stop for di edge. Dem continue to waka. And di moment wey dia legs touch di water, di river stop to flow. Far up di river, for one town wey dem dey call Adam, di water stand up like one heap. Di water wey dey flow go down to di Dead Sea finish, and di riverbed for front of Jericho open. Di priests waka reach di middle of Jordan and stand there, for dry ground, dey hold di ark. And Israel cross. Thousands upon thousands of people. Mamas wey carry babies. Grandparents wey dey lean on walking stick. Children wey dey run across riverbed wey be strong flood di day before. Sheep, goats, cattle. Dem pass di priests wey stand strong for di middle, until every last person don cross.

Then God give Joshua one more instruction. Choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Each man go back to di middle of di river, to di exact place wey di priests stand, come carry one big stone put for im shoulder. Twelve stones, one for each tribe of Israel, wey dem carry comot from di riverbed. When una children ask una for di time wey dey come, wetin dis stones mean? Joshua talk, tell dem say di water of Jordan cut off before di ark of di covenant of Di Lord. Di moment wey di priests climb comot reach di bank, di river rush come back and overflow im banks again, just like before. Dat night Israel camp for Gilgal, for di edge of di land, and Joshua set up di twelve stones there. Na di tenth day of di first month. Forty years before, for dat same month, dia parents comot from Egypt through another sea.

Di small detail wey di Bible give about time dey important. Di crossing happen for di first month of di year, for spring, for harvest time, when snow wey dey melt from Mount Hermon for north and di rain of di cold season dey make Jordan full. Na exactly dat season di book of Joshua talk say di river dey overflow all im banks, di hardest time of all to cross. Di town of Adam, where di water heap up, na di place wey people usually connect with one site wey dem dey call Tell ed-Damiyeh, many kilometres up di river, near where Jabbok river join Jordan.

Di crossing of Jordan dey for Joshua, chapter three and four. God keep im promise, and e give im people stones to take remember am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin God don do for your life or for your family wey worth to remember, and how you fit mark am so you no go forget?