Focus Chapters:

• Joshua 3-6

Standout Verse(s):

Joshua 4:4-7 NLT

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

Observation (s):

1. The twelve stones served as a memorial, of God’s mighty act, for the present and future Israelite generations.
   

   We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

    

Application:

The world is filled with memorials to honor people and events. These come in the form of:

1. Physical objects, like the Taj Mahal; a commemoration of a great love; or the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin; a memorial of great tragedy; or
2. Specially set aside days, like Independence Day and Black History Month

On a more personal level, we have memos that serve as memorials of important events and people in our lives. For example, I cherish a yellow big-teeth comb, the last gift I received from my father, and I’ve never been able to toss out the birthday cards that I received from my past pastor.

Throughout the Israelites’ trip to the Promised Land, we see several cases in which they are called to make memorials of the mighty acts done by God. The Passover commemorates their deliverance from Egypt when the Lord allowed the angel of death to pass over Egypt, killing all Egyptian firstborn. The twelve stones represent the manner in which the Lord parted the overflowing Jordan River, allowing the Israelites to pass through on dry land. The Ark of the Covenant contains many physical memorials such as manna from when the Lord fed His people in the wilderness and Aaron’s rod which grew flowers to demonstrate that he was God’s chosen priest.

Similar to the Israelites, we should have memorials of God’s mighty acts in our lives. These memorials serve as a commemoration, to us and future generations, of the mighty moves that God has made in our lives. For example, no matter how long I live, every time I look at the scar on my leg, I remember and feel thankful that I was hit (and sent flying) by a bike at age 6 and walked away with no damage but that scar. What are the spiritual stories that your memorials invoke?

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May the Peace of God go with you!

XOXO
Chañel

Bible Godly Lessons 12 stones Bible Challenge commemoration Israelites Jordan River memorial