IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME
Opening Prayer
Lord, everything we do is in remembrance of You.
Read JOSHUA 4:1–9
4 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[a] 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.
Footnotes
a. Joshua 4:9 Or Joshua also set up twelve stones
Meditate
Think of an occasion when God has been faithful, perhaps an amazing act in your life. Reflect and give thanks for His involvement in your life.
Think Further
For many who are married, a ring indicates a symbol of the covenant between two people and also acts as a reminder of their union. How easy it is, as life unfolds, to get lost in the familiarity of the covenant and the impact of that initial love. Memory can fade – even though the love has not. Jesus knows how easily we forget, charging us to eat and drink in remembrance of the new covenant He initiated through his death (Luke 22:19,20). We might also see here a precursor of baptism, as the people of Israel encounter the waters and rise from them. Joshua is commanded to take stones from the place where the priests stood, the place where the Ark (God’s presence) was, the deepest, middle part. God was there with them, enabling them to cross over, going before them, standing in the midst and taking up the rear. God has shown them what the covenant means to Him.
Furthermore, the whole nation is included (1). Each tribe is represented in the stones, even those who will return to the other side. They are called to remember not in a passive emotional way but in an active way, using this permanent memorial to remind future generations of the incredible story of God’s faithfulness. The fact that this event is so acclaimed indicates that God will not do these remarkable feats every day, but they show us that He can and will do immeasurably more than we can conceive. Therefore, as witnesses to God’s amazing gift of salvation (Rev 2:13; John 4:23), what are we transferring to the next generation about our faith and God? Are we setting up piles of stones in our lives and ministries so we can pass on the miracles and deeds of our covenant God?
Apply
As His disciples and congregation, let’s ask God for a fresh revelation and the courage and anointing to follow it through, regardless of scale, cost, or depth.
Closing prayer
Lord, teach us to transmit orthodox Christian beliefs to our children and grandchildren.
Book and Author Intros
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