 |
| photo courtesy of pixabay.com |
The Lord had already parted the Red Sea for the children of Israel, delivered from bondage in Egypt, to pass through on their way to the Promised Land. The Lord had chosen Moses to lead them out of Egypt. But the Lord would not allow Moses to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. He chose Joshua to lead them in. This time, He did not part the Red Sea. When the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the law of God came to the Jordan River, He created dry ground so the priests bearing the ark and all the people could pass through on dry ground. But God did not want His sovereignty and omnipotence and this miracles of His countless miracles to be forgotten. God wanted this to be remembered.
So God commanded Joshua to choose one man from each of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel to choose a stone from where God had made dry ground where the Jordan River had been so the children of Israel would have 12 stones as a reminder of what God had done for them. 12 memorial stones. 12 stones of remembrance. Lest they forget.
Have you forgotten? How easily, how often, how irreverently, how pridefully, how neglectfully, how ashamedly, how arrogantly, and how utterly tragically do we find ourselves taking credit, or giving others credit, for what only the Lord has done and what only He can do. And how often do we walk forth in our lives without a single glance, or a single thought, at how much He has done for us. How often do we forget instead of remembering and praising Him for all that He has done, not to mention and most importantly for all that He is. For He is Lord!
The Lord did not merely want the children of Israel to remember what He had done at the River Jordan. He wanted these 12 stones to be used for the benefit of their children. When the children would ask about the stones, the people would have the perfect opportunity to speak to their children about the sovereignty and majesty of the Lord.
What have you done with your memorial stones? Do you remember on a regular basis to give praise, honor, and glory to the Lord God almighty? Do you speak to your children, to your family, to your friends, and even to strangers of the glory of the Lord? Do you take time alone with Him to thank Him for all He is and all that He has done for you? Do you need 12 memorial stones to remind you, or have you not forgotten?
How can we possibly forget? But we do, don’t we? I am convicted even writing this of how phenomenally far short I fall in thanking God for all the countless reasons I have to thank Him.
How dare we forget. Lest we forget any longer, let us collect to ourselves 12 memorial stones. Perhaps not physical stones to hold in our hands, but nevertheless let us hold in our hearts the commitment to remember what we must not forget.
He is God! He is Lord! He is King! He is forever! Almighty! Almighty God! He is worthy, oh how He is ever worthy, of our thanksgiving, of our praise, of all honor, oh, how He is worthy, forevermore! Amen!
READING RECOMMENDATION: Joshua chapters 3 & 4
Jos 4:21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
Jos 4:22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
Jos 4:23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:
Jos 4:24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.