“A memorial”
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD. —Joshua 4:24
Read Joshua 4:19-24
In order that Israel would not forget God’s faithfulness and fail to share it with the next generation, the Lord commanded His people to erect a monument. The stones used for this memorial were brought to Gilgal, and each tribe had their own stone. Imagine what a father might say to his children when they saw this large mound of stones at Gilgal. Pointing to these stones, he would tell his family of God’s faithfulness during the wilderness journey. Perhaps the children would ask questions and the father would give several examples of God’s care. Above all else, Gilgal stood for the removal of Israel’s burdens under Egyptian bondage. Deeply impressed, we can imagine these children reciting much the same things later on to their children by telling them how their grandparents were delivered and sustained by the hand of God. Have your parents ever told you of God’s great deeds on their be-half? Ask them, even if they are reluctant to answer you. Perhaps they do not have their own
“memorials.” Do you? Have you person-ally experienced the Lord’s deliverance in a time of great need? It is a good idea to write these occasions down and make them into a book of remembrance. Do you have nothing to write down? Realize that the Lord does not desire your death, but your eternal life. He is willing to rule your life, and to give you memorials of His faithfulness.
Israel was to gather memorial stones and place them in the Jordan River as well so 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.” This memorial was also raised to make other people jealous of Israel’s beautiful relationship to the Lord.
Can you think of some memorials in your life?