Scripture: Joshua 4:19–24
19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 Those twelve stones that they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal, 21 saying to the Israelites, “When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” (NRSVUE)
Observation:
Joshua was to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. It would be important for the people to remember this miracle of God’s provision. As the waters parted, twelve men were to take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the tribes of Israel. The stones were to be taken to the other side, where Joshua would set them up as a memorial at Gilgal.
When the people saw the twelve stones, they were to remind their children and their children’s children that this was the place where they had crossed over. It was a great reminder that the Lord had been with the Israelites. The memorial would also serve as a witness so that all the peoples of the earth would know that the hand of the Lord was mighty.
Application:
When I was a little girl, my dad used to preach a sermon on the twelve stones. It’s crazy that I remember it, because I can still see him in the pulpit in Frankfurt, Germany, preaching that sermon. I probably heard the sermon being preached in German. I would have been in first or second grade, and yet it made an impression.
It seems to me that he actually had twelve stones, and he set them across the front of the church as a reminder of all the things God had done for His people. It was a reminder for all of us to remember God’s faithfulness.
We all need reminders in our lives, opportunities to look back and see the hand of God at work. There are reasons that previous generations had particular religious practices that, I believe, served as stones, or reminders of God’s faithfulness.
These included sharing testimonies of God being at work among us. They included some of our songs that reminded us of our theology and who we are. They may have included some of our daily devotional practices.
These may be our modern-day stones. And they don’t have to look just like the previous generation, but they do need to exist. We need reminders of God’s faithfulness and provision in our lives. We need ways to tell the next generation what God has done.
The twelve-stone sermon in German is one I’ll never forget. My father was helping us remember the faithfulness of God, and all these years later, I’m still remembering.
What are you leaving the next generation?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You so much for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. Thank You for the “twelve-stone” moments. Help me to build memorials so that my children and grandchildren will not forget about You. Amen.
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