Forget-me-not
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, I come to Your Word now with an open, expectant mind and heart. Teach me, I pray.
Read Joshua 4:1-9
[1] When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, [2] “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, [3] and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” [4] So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, [5] and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, [6] to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ [7] tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” [8] So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. [9] Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What was the purpose of these stones from the river?There is some doubt as to just how many piles of stones the people set up. Maybe it was just one at Gilgal (see v. 20), or maybe there was a second in the river bed itself (see v. 9). It is a little confusing, but we shouldn’t let that blind us to the significance of what is happening. The stones are set up to remember, to recognize and to rejoice in what God has done. People of faith, like everyone else, tend to be forgetful, and we need these significant things to remind us of what our good God has done for us. Jesus told his disciples, on the night he was betrayed, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:24). We need to remember because we tend to forget. It’s interesting to note the apparently throwaway comment that the stones are “there to this day” (9). These stones were an enduring memorial and remind us that God’s perspective is long. He doesn’t forget and he remains faithful. That’s good to remember and looking back to the past reminds us of God’s goodness and gives us hope for the future.
Apply
Next time you come to the Lord’s table, look back with thanks–and look forward with faith as well.
Closing prayer
Lord, may I always remember all that You have done for me and continue to do. I want to remember and be thankful.
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