Think about memorials. We have national memorials, written memorials, religious memorials, and hopefully, some personal spiritual memorials. Each memorial stands for something important. It bears a message to those who erected it and to those of succeeding generations. Today's lesson comes from Joshua 4: 4-11; 20-24. Memorials can provide us with an opportunity to recount God's wonderous acts to others. You should consider keeping a spiritual diary to record your own memorials as you journey this life following the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first section is: "A Visible Memorial." (vv. 4-7) Joshua called twelve men (v.4), one from each tribe, and told them to go into the Jordan River and take a stone upon their shoulders, one for each tribe (v.5). They must have been large stones to need to be carried on their shoulders. The stones were to be a sign for succeeding generations of the miracle God performed in cutting off the waters of the Jordan (vv.6,7).
A sign calls attention to something significant. The stones were to remind the people of what God had done. This would be an important memorial for generations to come. The stones would be a "memorial unto the children of Israel for ever." The God Who helped His people long ago will not fail His people today. Remember the memorials.
The summary points of this section are:
1. We should make spiritual memorials of God's faithfulness to us.
2. Personal testimonies create a hunger in others to experience the same blessings that we have had.
3. Without memorials, we have a tendency to forgot God's working in our lives.
The second section is: "An Inner Witness." (vv. 8-11) In this portion, we learn that there were two memorials. One memorial was created by the twelve representatives and was at Gilgal. The other memorial was created by Joshua (v.9) and was in the midst of the Jordan River. Some have spiritualized these verses to represent an inner and outer witness to the work done by the Holy Spirit in salvation and entire sanctification. The inner witness is a matter of the heart and the outer witness is the changed conduct of the person saved.
Another item of interest is the different ways the people obeyed God. The priests stood still in the midst of the Jordan (v.9) while the people made hast and passed over (v.10). The priests were obedient to the Lord by standing still. The people were obedient by moving quickly. The point is that people may have different approaches to a move of God and they both may be walking in obedience.
The summary points of this section are:
1. True religion is a matter of the heart.
2. Once you know the will of God, make hast to obey.
3. The outer life should match the inner work of God in the heart.
The third section is: "Stated Purposes." (vv. 20-24) The memorial set up by Joshua had several purposes:
1. It would be a sign to the generations that were not alive when the miracle happened at the Jordan River.
2. It would stimulate curiosity about what occurred at the place of the memorial.
3. The memorial would be a sign to the Canaanite people of the miracle the LORD performed when He had the Israelites pass through the Jordan River.
Memorials are public testimonies. Parents have a duty to acquaint their children with the word and works of God. The memorials would be part of that education process. In the same way today, we need public memorials of God's faithfulness to share with our families and a lost world that needs salvation.
The summary points of this section are:
1. God is the same miracle-working God today as He was in Old Testament times.
2. Memorials bring the truths of the past into the life of the present.
3. Parents have a duty to teach their children the works, ways and Word of God.
The Golden Text is: "He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered." (Psa. 111:4) The best memory is one that remembers the faithfulness of God. Our lives would be more enriched if we spent time remembering God's Word. Truly, His works are wonderful and we should never forget them.
Next week: "Jericho Destroyed." (Joshua 6: 15-25)
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