Joshua 4:1-7 / Memorials.
Joshua 4:1-7 / Memorials.
4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
The people of Israel were on the move. They were finally entering into the Promised Land, but in order to do that, they had to cross the raging Jordan river. If you can imagine, that was no easy task – getting close to a million people, including children and elderly, across the fast-moving river was going to be dangerous.
But that is where God showed up and miraculously parted the river and made an opening for them to walk through on dry land. Soon after crossing, God told Joshua to have twelve men grab twelve stones and set up a memorial. Why did they set it up?
6 …that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.
God wanted the stones set as a memorial to the incredible thing He had done for them. He knew how quickly they tended to forget His goodness, and He wanted them to remember and pass the legacy of that miracle on to the next generation.
It is pretty easy to forget the goodness of God, isn’t it?
He does something amazing in our lives, and we are grateful and emotional, but then time goes on and we forget the power of that moment. All throughout Scripture we see God telling His people to set up memorials. God created us, and as our Creator He knows our tendencies more intimately than anyone else. One tendency we as humans have is to forget His goodness in our lives.
So, here is my challenge to you this week – Sit down and reflect on the goodness of the Father.
Get quiet before Him, and think about the different seasons of your life, marking the moments where God showed Himself faithful. Reflect on big moments of faith and big challenges as well.
And then, with a heart of worship offer thanks to God for each of those things. Memorialize His goodness! Ask Him for ways to remember all that He has done, whether through journaling, or a family book of prayers answered, or through telling the stories to your kids. Create memorials of faith that will go beyond your lifetime. You may never know the impact your story of faith has on those around you!
Blessings,
Pastor Dave
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