Joshua 4

Bible Passage:  Joshua 4

In a world today where almost everyone has a digital camera (well… almost everyone who has a mobile phone would have one), lots of pictures are taken.  Many do so to capture significant events in their lives, or to capture fun moments and lovely times so that we can have something to look fondly back at.

There are many different kind of memories.  Some good, some bad.  Some brings a smile to your face… some reminds you of dark moments in your life.

But in today’s passage, we read of God instructing the people of Israel to set up 12 Memorial Stones after they cross the river Jordan.

What significance has this for us today?

There was obviously a purpose in the memorial stones for the people of Israel themselves. It is so easy for us to forget the great miracles God has performed on our behalf.  But we do not remember the past great works of God so that we can live a dreamland of the pas, thinking that the best days of our Christian life is behind us.  But rather, we should remember them as a point in our life of faith, so that we can trust God for greater and greater works in the future, because we have seen and experienced His past faithfulness.

I would just like to share four things concerning these memorial stones…

Our God is the Lord of History and Life

We know that everything in life and history are in the hands of God.  We do not live in a random universe where things happens by chance and the future is unknown… even to God Himself.  We live in a universe directed by the plan and purpose of God.

In the story that we have just read, it is very evident.  After a long period of judgment in the wilderness, God now brings Israel to the promised land.   Geographically, they could have taken other routes.  They could have approached the land from the South, and entered without the obstacle of the river.  They could have been brought at high summer, when the river would have been at its driest and lowest point.  But the Lord brought them here on this day, with the waters swollen to their highest by the melting snows of winter.  And God did all of this to accomplish His own purpose.

Israel was to know, and to remember, that God was the Lord of history and of life.

With their own eyes they could see the conquest of the elements of creation when they were at their wildest point.  And yet they were nothing to the plan and purposes of God.  So as soon as the priests placed their feet into the water, it stopped.  This was an enormous miracle, very similar to the crossing of the Red Sea forty years ago.  Water, earth, wind, fire—these are nothing compared to the might of the powerful God of heaven and earth.

Everything about this story cries out to us to contemplate the sovereignty of God in history.

Even though we may not have experienced earth shattering moments like God parting the waters in our lives, I am sure we all have our own personal moments in our lives that shows us that God is in control.  This is something that we must remember.

Our God is to be Taught to Our Children

Right now, I am in the midst of helping out in the Junior Youth Bible Seminar.  And what I found was this…

A lot of them have practically grew up in church and they know the Bible stories very well and they can give you all the ‘model’ answers from the Bible.  But it will still take some time for the Bible lessons and stories to be very real in their lives.

And this is where the memorial stones helped the Israelites.

There is a great need for us to teach our children about God’s great acts. (4:21-24).

First, we must teach them about the great acts of God as recorded in the Scripture.  This we are doing quite well in our RE classes and bible seminars etc.  They need to know for themselves, from cover to cover of the Scriptures, the events of the Bible and their spiritual significance.  Why did these things happen?  What was God doing?  How and where does Jesus come into it all?  They won’t know unless we teach them.

But secondly, and this is even more important, we must teach them that God is at work in our everyday lives.  Each generation observes different activities of God, each has the responsibility of passing on these accounts to the next generation.

The memorial stones were a physical curiosity, designed to invoke the interest of children.

You can picture the event 20 years later, when a Dad stands by the stones with his boy, and the child asks what they were for . . . .

We should also recognize that not every event deserves a memorial like these stones.  There is a difference between the daily, “routine” acts of God in our lives—sunlight and rain and all of the regular facets of providence—and His special acts (not that the “routine” acts of God are not important).

The crossing of the Jordan was unique.  It was done in a certain way, on a certain day, for a certain purpose.  It is unlike all of the other events of their lives.  So not every event is of the same significance.  But we all have in our lives some events that are special tokens of the mercy and kindness of God.  Do you teach your children to see his Hand in them?

Our God is to be Feared

Memorial stones are useless without the fear of God.

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

Joshua 4:24

Joshua 4:24 is something of a climax, isn’t it?

Everything points us to the fact that the Israelites, and all those who hear this story—all those who see or know of the memorial stones, must be brought to the point of fearing God.

Yesterday we read that the Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of God’s presence and protection.  It was taken into the river first and remained at the heart of the river bed until all had crossed and it came out last.  Once it came out of the river, the waters returned to their courses.  Imagine what a roar of water there must have been!

But the Lord had triumphed.

All of the promises to Abraham and the promises were coming true.  They were standing in the promised land.  They were not looking down from the heights on the east side.  They were not viewing the road to Jericho from across the flooded river.  They were there.  The land that God had promised them was under their feet.  Can you imagine what must have been going through their minds?  They were the generation that was experiencing the fruition of 500 years of waiting.

God is a faithful God, able to accomplish His purposes and fulfill His promises.

And all of that happened was to ‘burn’ into them that God is God.  He is ruler of nature, He is ruler of the universe, He will deliver the land into the hands of the Israelites.

And they must live in His fear.

They must reverence him for who He is—the one true living God—and they must remember that His power is great—it can break out in judgment against His enemies.  Not even the powerful elements of creation are an obstacle to Him.  They saw His judgment in the wilderness—they had all buried their parents there—and could see it again if they gave their allegiance to idols.  They were to fear God.

How many of us actually live in fear of the Lord each day?  Maybe we do but I know there is still much room for improvement for me.

May we find our memorial stones in our lives and set them up so that we can constantly remind ourselves to always look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.