Today we’ve finally arrived to one of the greatest climactic events in the entire Bible. The Israelites have waited forty years for this day!! Many weren’t even born when their families had begun their journey, and many may have been too young to remember crossing the Red Sea, but I bet they had all heard about it year after year.
It’s also true that this was just a river, not a sea, but it was raging and already overflowing it’s banks making it nearly impossible to cross, and it was their only barrier left between them and the promised land! They were almost home! Can you imagine the excitement!?
A new chapter was about to begin! Just across the river lay a land richer than they dared to dream, more beautiful and fruitful than they could hope for! And it was about to become theirs because of God's steadfast promise.
It must have seemed surreal to finally stand in Canaan. Do you remember crossing the threshold to your first home? If you’re anything like me, at the time it must have seemed like a palace! You'd planned, imagined what you will do with it…but when you step in that front door, you’re overcome with emotions! Just imagine what it must have been like to realize you are part of the fulfillment of an ancient promise to Abraham. I like to think there must have been songs and shouts of celebration as God held back the water before them and allowed all of them to cross.
After Israel crossed, God gave Joshua some very specific instructions however, in Joshua 4:1-3, “After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, "Choose 12 men from the people, one man for each tribe, and command them, 'Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests' feet are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.' "and Joshua and the 12 men did exactly what God had commanded. But why?
Because stones don't naturally stack, there would come a day when Israel's children would ask their elders about these stones, and God went onto say He wanted the next generation to know: "Tell them the story, of how the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's waters were cut off." Then in verses 23-24, “For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God."
This is what happens when the impossible meets the promises of God!
Can you remember such a time in your life? Have you set out stones of remembrances in order to share with others, or even to jog your own memory when another miracle is needed?
The word, “remember” is found 131 times in the Old Testament and 36 in the New T. It's safe to say, The Lord wants us to remember Him and what He has done in the past. But what is the true significance of these stones?
1. The stones remind us that it's all about God
The stones would forever cry out, "God
did this! By His hand we crossed this river. By His power and faithfulness we
were able to reach the promised land!"Seeing that rock pile and hearing the
story, the people of Israel
would know clearly that they had not crossed the Jordan River on their own. Have you set
up memorials in your home to pass on the stories of all God has done to the
generations to come? Here are just a couple reminders:
- “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor over it in vain (Ps. 127:1).
- "’Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Zech. 4:6).
- "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life!" (Pr. 13:12) (When my grown children all arrived in TN to settle down next to us)
2. The stones remind us that we have a missionary
purpose.
Joshua told Israel
that the stones would serve as a reminder that all the people of the earth may
know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that they may always fear the Lord
their God." (v. 24). We too have a mission known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
We’re here to know God and make Him known and I can’t think of a better way to
brag on all He has done for you in the past than to make some sort of memorials
for others to see.3. The stones remind us that we must step out in faith if we want to go with God.
The stones out of the Jordan marked the movements of God among His people. They also testify of the willingness of the people to leave what they had known in order to go with God; to take a huge step of faith and step into the water, and believe in what they could not see.
This week I had my group of study buddies begin a list with victories on one side and battles on the other. Whatever battle you are in today, looking back over past victories (and we all have them if we are in Christ) will help us hang in there and watch and wait on The Lord!