Exodus 14: 21-22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Joshua 3: 14-17
So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water ….the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, …. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
Joshua 4: 2-7
“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’……Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’……So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever"
I’m a big fan of celebrating. I love birthdays and anniversaries. It is fun to celebrate life and events that change our life. It’s great to gather around other friends and rejoice over something wonderful. This kind of celebrating is part of the community God wants us to have, to love those around us and to remember God’s goodness in the midst of it. Yet, rarely do I commemorate times when God chastens me, or exposes my fears, or brings unwanted change. They don’t seem like things you and I want to put a party hat on for. When I look back and think about when God brought me deeper into His will and strengthened my faith in Him, it usually was in the midst of some trial. It’s not always that He just helps me through the trial, but during the trial, He does something amazing. He’ll reveal something about Himself, or something about me. Or, He’ll do a little miracle that I wasn’t even praying for. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt through the Red Sea, literally through the sea. God pushed the waters back and they crossed on dry land. Then they lived on the other side of the Red Sea for 40 years. At the end of the 40 years, Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised Land through the Jordan River, literally. God tells Joshua that the tribe leaders are to pick up stones from the middle of the Jordan River and bring them into their camp. They are to keep them as memorials. Getting on the other side wasn’t necessary the trial the Israelites were nervous about—it was taking over the city of Jericho. Yet cross the river they must and God did an amazing miracle in the Jordan River just as He did on the other side of it. He parted the Jordan River and the Israelites crossed on dry ground…completely dry ground as to be able to pick up stones from the bottom.
God’s instruction was to “remember”. Remember what He did and what power He revealed for His people. He wanted the people to have visual reminders of the spiritual and supernatural. The stones were not just a story of crossing the Jordan but of everything before, during, and after the crossing. The stones were visual reminders to celebrate His goodness, to remember His goodness during other trials, and to help others believe in His goodness in the future to come. I remember years ago, walking with a good friend after a break up and trying to move past it. She stopped and picked up a white stone and handed it to me. She told me that whenever you look at it, remember that God is good and everything will be just fine. I kept the stone on my dresser for a while and every time I saw it, I thanked God for His goodness and that He was in control. I wish I still had that stone.
We tend to forget so easily what God has done for us. Remembering His power and miracles are not just for ourselves, but for future generations. God wanted the children of the Israelites to know about their parent’s relationship with God, and He wants that for us as well. He does not want us to forget. The enemy would like for us to forget. We have to be active in remembering His miracles, His goodness, and His tenderness so that during trials, our faith is strengthened and we can share it with others. I challenge you and myself to start today to pick up ‘stones’ from our trials. They can be anything that is a sign among you of what God has done.
Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
Joshua 4:19-24
