Memorialized Mercy

Joshua 4:1–2 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

Joshua 4:3–4 KJV 1900

And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

Joshua 4:5–6 KJV 1900

And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

Joshua 4:7–8 KJV 1900

Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

Introduction

Last week we saw the assurance of the people of God moving into the midst of the trial at the River Jordan. Today, we will see in chapter 4 God’s part of the trial. When the world looks the blackest, God looks down from heaven with love and power to show mercy to His people. All along the way, there is mercy for us.

We need to be looking throughout the book for our theme for 2025. The central focus of the book of Joshua is that God wants us to move forward and take ahold of the blessings of our salvation.

Joshua 1:11 KJV 1900

Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.

As we saw in our study of Ephesians, God has blessed us with spiritual blessings. All the saved have access to these blessings. Do we share them with the lost? Do we live them faithfully in our lives? Do we thank God for them daily? The book of Joshua leads us along the path of living the victorious Christian life. All we need to live victoriously, we already have in Christ. We must just cross over the river of fear and take ownership of the land of Promise!

One of the greatest truths for the people of God is that God is there for them. We live in a society that does not remind us of that presence and power. Instead, we see around us a world that is trying to alienate us from our faith and assurance in Him.

I am not sure if I will ever be able to go to the British Isles in my lifetime. However, one of the sights that I would love to see there is Stonehenge. This ancient ring of stones is located in Salisbury, England. Put into place in the Bronze Age, it has stood for thousands of years. To this day, people debate the purpose of this and other erected “standing stones” across Europe and the world. According to several sources, there are countless stones that humans have placed in an upright posture.

One article from a British publication, listed several stones that seem to have healing powers. One stone even seems to grow each year. No one truly knows why these stones were placed in such a manner or what their connections with each other are.

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Ancient-Standing-Stones/

In our passage this morning, we see the children of Israel placing stones in an upright way to remind them of the work of God in their lives. When there was no way across the river, God brought them over. When there was no way through the trial, God made a way. While we may not know what these other stones mean, we can confidently say that there are two responses to the question, “What mean ye by these stones”, in our passage this morning.

Declaration

Throughout our lives, God works wonders for us. Each time God does something, He shows us the power of His hand. God wants us to remember these times in the battles and challenges ahead. There are two responses to the question, "What mean ye by these stones?"

1. God Hand is in the Trial

Joshua 4:1–8 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

A. God was in the midst of the river v. 1-3

We see here the truth of God’s Presence in our lives. Where was God when there was a trial? Where was God in the time of desperation and loneliness? God was in the middle of the river. We see this in the picture of the ark of the covenant, the constant reminder to the Israelites that God was with them. When the ark went into the river in chapter 3, that began the removal of the water and the crossing of the people. The priests “stood firm” holding the ark for the entirety of the crossing of the river. They did not walk away or sit down. Instead, they showed the constancy of the presence of God in the life of the believer. No matter how long the trial lasts, God is there in the midst of the river!

Psalm 139:7–9 KJV 1900

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Joshua tells the chosen twelve men to take stones from under where the ark had stood. The source of the stones is the middle of Jordan. They are to take them from where the presence of God was in their time of trial. There is great significance to this event. When it may have seemed that God was not visibly there, He was there in the presence of His atonement, His Word, His provision, and His power. We see these four elements in the ark of the covenant. The men were to take stones from this place.

The stones are to be carried to the place of the camp and left there. This would likely have been a journey of about 8 miles to the camp. So it is with the memories of the past. We remember the goodness of God but we leave the past behind us as we look to the battles of the future. In the battles ahead, they will remember that God is in control even as He does new and greater wonders among them.

B. The place of God is holy ground v. 4-5

The word translated “he had prepared” is the same as found in verse 3 for “stood firm”. In verse 3, this word has a physical application. In verse 4, this word has a spiritual meaning. Joshua had chosen 12 men in chapter 3. Now they have seen God do the work. They have seen the mercy of God. Joshua is going to give them a task to commemorate the holiness of this ground in the life of the nation.

The men obey and place these stones upon their shoulders. They carry the presence of God with them into the land of Promise. Think of the visible faith of the people of God as they watch these twelve men. They see that God cares about their future doubts. God is going to establish a visible reminder of the holy ground that He has shared with each and every one of the believers.

Psalm 145:18 KJV 1900

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth.

C. God gets the glory for the victory v. 6-8

The instructions of Joshua enlighten the reader with the significance of this pile of stones. He uses a similar pattern to the one used by Moses twice before. The word found here as “sign” is picturing for us something that differentiates the common from the extraordinary. These stones will be physical objects that bring the minds of Israel back to the time that God did a wonderful, extraordinary act in their lives. In the book of Genesis, we see that God is called a stone.

Genesis 49:24 KJV 1900

But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

The presence of God is not always connected to great and amazing events. God works in many different ways in our lives. In the life of Elijah, He was in the still, small voice that spoke to him at the cave’s mouth. One writer remind us,

Joshua: No Falling Words The Remembrance of Yahweh’s Goodness (4:1–10, 21–24)

Yahweh’s standard method of retaining his people’s fidelity is not by frequent and dazzling displays of power but by faithful witness and teaching of those particular acts in which he had already demonstrated his care for his own.

Joshua uses the form of teaching called the question/answer method. Just as at the giving of the Passover instructions in Ex 12 and the law in Deuteronomy 6, there will be a time when the children will ask what this memorial means. The phrase “in time to come” pictures anytime in the future. However, it can also mean “tomorrow”. Even tomorrow, God’s mercy in your trial is a testimony to His presence in your life. What will you tell them?

Psalm 44:1 KJV 1900

We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, What work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

The truth that this first answer to the question gives us is that God’s Hand is in the Trial. The ark, picturing the Presence of God, was where the removal of the water took place. So it is in our life. God is present in our trials and our concerns. His presence is where the trial divides as a way for His people!

2. God’s Hand is Mighty by His Works

Joshua 4:9–24 KJV 1900

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 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? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 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: 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.

A. God completes His work v. 9-14

The second truth that we see in this chapter is that God’s Hand is mighty because of His works. We don’t serve an inferior god. We don’t serve a limited or restricted god. We serve a God who is mighty no matter the trial in our lives. God completes His work in our lives.

The priests stayed in the midst of the river until all that God was going to do was finished. When the trial was finished and every single person had crossed over the river, then God ceased His work. We serve a God who finishes.

We see that God brought them safely over along with the two and a half tribes of the east bank of the Jordan. Moses had commanded them to cross and fight with the people for the land. God allowed the river now to return.

We also see the statement in verse 14 about Joshua. Joshua is now seen in the same light as Moses. God has finished the inner development of His leader. God is the One who gets the glory for His sanctification of the believer. Great men are formed by great trials in their life. Great spiritual men are formed by great work of God in the midst of their trials!

Exodus 14:31 KJV 1900

And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.

The trial of the river was both a public and a private testimony of faith. God completes the work. God’s Hand is seen in the finished product.

B. God establishes His people v. 15-20

God commands Joshua to bring the ark out of the river. The ark moves up and into the land on the same day as the Passover lamb is to be chosen. There is a connection here between the beginning of the journey and the end of the journey forty years later.

Exodus 12:3 KJV 1900

Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

The twelve stones are laid down by the men and setup in the camp. Gilgal becomes a base for the people to rally to. They will be here often in the first several chapters of Joshua. This camp was likely about 2 miles from Jericho. The name of Gilgal is likely connected to these stones that are setup to commemorate the work of God. Some dictionaries define this name as “circle of stones”.

Stones are found throughout the Bible to show the presence of God in our lives and His power and mercy. Many different men set them up to remind them of God’s work. At Sinai, Moses setup twelve when the law was given.

Exodus 24:4 KJV 1900

And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

God established His people on the other side of the trial through a reminder of what He had done. We have the Word of God as our reminder. We are justified in Him. We are promised an eternal home. There is love in the eyes of the God who sent His Son for us.

Psalm 111:4 KJV 1900

He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

This memorial is to the goodness of God for His people. He has shown them mercy in their depravity to bring them through the final trial and into the land of Promise. What a good God!

C. God shows the world His power v. 21-24

We see in verse 21 the question of the children is repeated. Here there is a different answer commanded. The answer is that the trial teaches us that God’s Hand is mighty so that the world will know who He is.

There is a remembrance of the Divine Action of God. He is the One who brought them through the trial. He alone dried up the river. He alone brought the river back. No one can say that they did what was necessary for this trial to remove. Joseph Parker, preaching on this passage, had this to say.

Preaching through the Bible: Joshua-1 Samuel 18 Memorial Stones

With God the end and the beginning are one. To have crossed Jordan is to have torn down all the Jerichos that opposed us. One step is the pledge of another. The first miracle is the pledge of the last.

So it is with the battle ahead. The crossing of the Jordan shows us that God has won every victory in the battles ahead. The foundational reason for the trials in our lives is that God gets the glory. Whether because of our sin or His plan, trials are sent to build our dependence upon God and to show His hand to the world.

Verse 23 focuses the reader on one of the attributes of God. God is unchanging. The technical term for this is the “Immutability of God”. As God acted in the first crossing of a body of water for the people, so He will act in the second. As God acts in one of our trials of the past, so He will act in our present concern. God is an unchanging God!

Malachi 3:6 KJV 1900

For I am the Lord, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Verse 24 ends with an application for the people of God. We are to learn in trials the Fear of God. The fear of God is a choice that we make. We can fear man or we can fear God. We can strive on our own in the trials of our life or we can see God work. We can doubt and despair or we can have faith. The stones of God’s past works are memorialized mercy for today.

Proverbs 14:26 KJV 1900

In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: And his children shall have a place of refuge.

The second truth that we see in this passage on a great trial in the life of Israel is that God’s Hand is mighty in His works. The same God who brought the children across in this chapter is active in our lives and church today. The same God who cares about the big trials of the Jordan cares about your trial today. God is present and powerful for His people!

Conclusion

Throughout our lives, God works wonders for us. Each time God does something, He shows us the power of His hand. God wants us to remember these times in the battles and challenges ahead. There are two responses to the question, "What mean ye by these stones?"

We have seen these two responses, God’s Hand is in the Trial and God’s Hand is Mighty by His works. These truths show us the presence and purpose of God in our trials. Why do we so often miss these truths? Why do we so often forget that God has allowed the trial into our lives? The application for the people of God for chapter 4 is simple.

Look up for the presence of God in your trials. He is there!

Look out for the glory of the Father in our trials. Others will see and fear!

The fear of the Lord is a central focus of both the Psalms and Proverbs. The fear of the Lord is centered on our relationship with Him and our realization of dependence on Him alone for all our spiritual needs. Are we allowing His presence and glory to be real to us in our lives? The miracle at the river has happened in your life and mine. You cannot deny that God has done marvelous things for you. Don’t miss the work of God because you are looking at the river and not the Saviour.

God wants us to have a relationship with Him. If you have never accepted the free gift of God’s grace for your sin, you don’t ye have that relationship. God wants to have fellowship with you. He sent Jesus to die on the cross in your place. You have access to grace, favour, and new life because Jesus rose again. Believe on Jesus’s finished work of salvation for you. Be saved today and setup a memorial in your heart to the mercy of God!

Acts 16:30–31 KJV 1900

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.