Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
Joshua 4: 4-7
Over the last couple of weeks, Patrina and I have seen a number of memorial stones or monuments as we traveled through Washington, D.C. and Virginia, including the memorial grave marker, Thomas Jefferson commissioned for himself. It is interesting to note that first of his accomplishments as the Declaration of Independence and that he did not mention his own two terms as President of the United States.
And so it shouldn’t surprise us that the Lord had Joshua commission a monument marking the occasion of God’s provision for the people of Israel. For Christians, the monuments that mean most are those blessings provided by God for our benefit.
When was the last time you sat down and made a list of the things you are thankful for? Do you look back on your life and see key moments of joy or crisis where God has displayed his power in your life?
Do you remember stories others have told you? your parents? grandparents? a friend?
God realized the importance of a milestone in the lives of His people on many occasions, but after Israel finally entered the Promised Land, He instructed Joshua to take twelve stones and create a memorial so that the people would remember that it was God who delivered them.
Think of the memorial “stones” in your life. They will build your confidence in God and when you repeat those stories it will build the confidence of others.