Memorial Stones

Reading

Joshua 4 ESV

1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 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, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 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.” 8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste. 11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over before the people. 12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. 15 And the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before. 19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Intro

Alastair Begg tells the story of three golfers named Bill, Tom, and Fred. They used to be a group of four along with Harry, and they often played golf together over the last 12 years. But Harry had died. It wasn’t only Harry’s company that they missed, but they missed the fact that he was the only one who could see well enough to follow where their ball when after they hit it. So they went to the club pro, and said, “We need a fourth and the only requirement is that he be able to see, because none of us can see well enough to follow our tee shots.” So he gave them George, assuring them that George had great eyesight for a man of his age. So they all hit their tee shots and turn to George asking if he had seen where the ball went. “Sure did” he replied in each case. So they jumped in their carts and drove to where Bill usually hit his ball. Bill stopped the cart and asked George, “Where’s my ball?” To which George replied,…………….. “I can’t remember.”

We know that our memory is not all there. Its unreliable. We forget important things but remember useless trivia

Forgetting names

Noetic effect of sin - on the mind, especially on memory

Rom 1

Movies - unreliable narrator

Memory in the Bible, not just remembering but remembering the promises and faithfulness of God. What he has done in the past for us to drive us in the present, to be faithful to God, to persevere with hope for the future

Conversely, forgetfulness is tied to breaking our faithfulness to God and going astray

We observe a certain assumption operating in 4:1–10, namely, that the greatest enemy of faith may be forgetfulness (cf. Deut. 8). Just as in a marriage, the real threat may not be infidelity but simply a slow process of forgetting and a gradual failure to remember the preciousness of the other person.

2 tim 2:8

2 Timothy 2:8 ESV

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,

2 Pet 1:12-15 (Peter’s history of forgetfulness)

2 Peter 1:12–15 ESV

12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

To help us with our memory, God places markers or milestones to help us remember and keep us faithful

This has been a part of God’s grace and revelation throughout history

He asks his people to look back and reflect on this memorials as a means to keep them on the right path

In Josh 3, the people of Israel crossed the Jordan. The river waters parted so that the people could cross over the Jordan and come to the very border of Jericho, in a place called Gilgal

Here in Josh 4, we see that God institutes a memorial to that event to help his people remember that they crossed the Jordan because of God’s help

He said to Joshua, command them to take 12 stones from the center of the river where the priests stood, that you could not take otherwise unless I had not parted the waters into dry ground, and set it up as a memorial forever (v9) for the people of God in Gilgal

So here is this memorial or milestone to commemorate a spectacular event in Israel’s history

Hall suggests the stones represent for the writer “a theological concern for enduring memory.

This is a passage with so many rich offshoots but I want to focus on what is repeated itself in the Word of God

“What Do These Stones Mean?”

You can go off on a tangent and talk about many things

Dates

Events of healing job etc in your life

But God’s milestones, his memorials, his remembrances that he establishes have specific purposes

God

Us

We tell Others

What Does This Tell Us About God?

Josh 4:22-24

Joshua 4:22–24 ESV

22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

12 stones - not 6, not 11, but 12 representing each tribe of Israel that crossed over

Represents that faithfulness of God to the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

He promised Abram “I will make you a great nation” in Gen 12 and reaffirmed the promise to Isaac and Jacob

When they were in slavery in Egypt, easy to think God had abandoned them

But he raised up Moses and rescued them from Pharoah with great signs and wonders

Specifically, the crossing of the red sea mentioned here

He had done it again, faithful in the past, faithful once again

His promises never fail, they can be counted on, he can be counted on

12 stones had to be from the Jordan, from the very center of the river bed itself

In Josh 3:15

Joshua 3:15 ESV

15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),

This wasnt fall or dry season but rather harvest time, when the river was at its fullest and even raging, a threat to people who dwelt on the banks for flooding and even to people in boats

So not the best time humanly speaking to be one side of the Jordan hoping to get to the other side

So why did God place the Israelites on the bank in this season? Why does God tend to do his wonders when there is no other route?

To show them a) their utter helplessness to save themselves and b) to show that he is a miracle working God who intervenes in history to save his people and keep his promises and showcase his faithfulness to them

There was no way out for the people unless God intervened and he did

He is the one who can control and overcome nature and the raging might of the river and the forces of nature

Note also the order of the crossing

First, the priests enter the river. They are the special representatives of God and the ark is a unique symbol of God’s presence. God precedes his people in the crossing of the Jordan and thereby enables them to cross.

God goes before them and enables them to cross.

Once they have crossed, Josh 4:18

Joshua 4:18 ESV

18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

It is the end of wonder and a return to normal existence

Memorial forever (v9) shows that these memorials were specific and few in number

They commemorate specific miraculous interventions in history where God enters history to save his people

God does not engage in these interventions regularly (by choice) but he does them specifically in situations where his people are helpless to save themselves from their enemies and in his faithfulness, he intervenes to save them

This is where faith comes in. He says look at what I have done in the past. Look at the 12 stones, this is a memorial forever so that you can believe that I who saved you in the past unto myself, who went before you in the raging river and enabled you to cross over on dry land onto the other side, I will be faithful to you

So be faithful to me, believe that no situation in the present can take you out of my reach, I will keep you, I will preserve you, keep your faith, your hope and your trust in me.

So keep looking back to the 12 stones, ask yourself what does it tell you about me. reflect on it, meditate on it regularly

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.

It would be in this region that John the Baptist would come many years later to prepare the people anew for the coming of the kingdom of God.83

He would announce that a new Joshua was coming to save his people from the darkness of sin and rescue them and enable them to enter into the land of new life, bor again life.

This Jesus was God, worker of miracles, Matt 8:27 powerful over nature

Matthew 8:27 ESV

27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

He entered into the fight against sin and death, going before us as our forerunner, he won the victory, he crossed the river of death and resurrected into new life so that his people who follow him can also enter into new life on the other side of the river.

And he did many miracles and healing but his intervention to save us from sin and death is what is commemorated in the memorials that he instituted

Baptism we do once, bread and the wine that we partake every sunday

What do these stones mean? We belong to a God who has worked miracles because he is faithful and he has seen us over the river will not abandon us, will not condemn us, and will see us through all the days of our life into eternity

What Does This Tell Us About Us?

Identity

12 stones represent the tribe of Israel

Told the individuals they belonged to a community that was formed and named by God

they were an Israelite, part of the people of God

Remembrance symbols show that we are a Christian and a part of the body

1 Cor 12:13

1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

1 Cor 11:20

1 Corinthians 11:20 ESV

20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.

like the illustration in 1 Pet 2:4-5 to show our identity in Christ and in being part of God’s spiritual house, his church

1 Peter 2:4–5 ESV

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Ongoing commitment

War (Josh 4:12-13)

Joshua 4:12–13 ESV

12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.

It was the end of their old life, beginning of a new life, and a new commitment to God

Didnt mean that their battles or trials were over but life was to continue, the war is not over

Now the next task before the children of Israel was to follow the Lord’s leading in fighting their battles against the pagan inhabitants of Canaan beginning with Jericho

The 12 stones showed that God was faithful to them but also reminded them that they were to be faithful and committed to him in their new life that He had brought them into

Josh 4:24

Joshua 4:24 ESV

24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Fear your Lord forever

In the very act of the memorial, there was the aspect of obedience. They obeyed the word of God through Joshua in instituting the memorial stones. Now they were to continue in that obedience and commitment.

Shema. The Word of God not seen as a memorial but it absolutely is. It is a milestone, a marker of God’s faithfulness in revealing himself miraculously unto his people to give them the words of salvation

Deut 6:4-9

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Makes explicit the ongoing commitment and dedication needed to following God by memorializing it in their hearts and in their homes

John 20:30-31

John 20:30–31 ESV

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Ongoing commitment, belief, fear the Lord forever

Baptism

Newness of life free from sin

Rom 6:4-6

Romans 6:4–6 ESV

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Lord Supper

Sanctity (1 Cor 11:27)

1 Corinthians 11:27 ESV

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

Forgetfulness and sin

Garlic leeks (Num 11:4-6)

Numbers 11:4–6 ESV

4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

When you forget what God saved you from, sin is appealing. So keep remembering, and keep being committed and fearing the Lord always

What Do We Tell Others?

Testimony by participation

Josh 4:24

Joshua 4:24 ESV

24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

red sea on the map, jordan on the map

God’s memorials faithfully remembered have an external testimony that tells the ungodly about God’s power and saving character

children here Josh 4:6-7

Joshua 4:6–7 ESV

6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 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.”

Josh 4:21-22

Joshua 4:21–22 ESV

21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’

It is a sign that the remembrance is now a part of your heritage as a family and as individuals. Since it is a core part of your identity, it is something to pass on to future generations

Children shema (Deut 6:20-21)

Deuteronomy 6:20–21 ESV

20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Passover, unleavened bread (Ex 13:14)

Exodus 13:14 ESV

14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

The pattern of passing on our remembrance of God to our children continues in the NT

2 Tim 3:14-15

2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Eph 6:4

Ephesians 6:4 ESV

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

If we know about God, and what it means for us, then we should be eager to pass it on to our children

Notice not just explicit instruction, but rather the inquisitiveness of children drawn by their attention to the ongoing testimony and character of their parents, and specifically their devotion to the remembrance of God through the memorials he has established

Children are eager to ask questions to discover more about themselves, their family and the world in which they live in

Sometimes that can be annoying but it is a great way for children to learn about important things

and specifically here, in the passages we have read, that inquisitiveness is encouraged as a means to educate them about the things of God

gilgal national park. What do these stones mean? They mean that “Israel passed over the Jordan on dry ground.” It means that I, your family would not be where we are today, neither would you be where you are today but for the grace of God. He is a faithful promise keeping God and these stones point to that

Children pick up on peculiar things that stand out. that go against the grain of daily life and their thinking

Children pick up whats important and ask questions about that. job preparation, whats important to you

what significance do you attach to it

what priority do you give it

if its run of the mill, they dont care as much as if they discover it means something to you

Why do you take the bread and wine? Why cant I?

Why was that person dunked in the water today and why were you happy?

Why do we have to go every Sunday to church? Why cant i go to my friends house or go to the park like everyone in my school does

Why do we have to sing and read the Bible before we go to sleep every night?

All of these questions will come naturally when they discover that there is something peculiar about mom and dad and their devotion to these things. When that question comes, then we can tell them about the God who established and stands behind these memorials

Although the stones themselves cannot speak, yet the monument furnished the parents with materials for speaking, and for making the kindness of God known to their children. And here zealous endeavours to propagate piety are required of the aged,1 and they are enjoined to exert themselves in instructing their children. For it was the will of God that this doctrine should be handed down through every age; that those who were not then born being afterwards instructed by their parents might become witnesses to it from hearing, though they had not seen it with their eyes.

Given to the father (Al Mohler) to signify the accountability of the father in establishing the character of the family

Dont believe the lies of the world, freedom from bondage or to choose, we cannot save our children but we cannot willingly or by omission deny them the character and privilege of a Christian home

Rom 3

It is one of the means of grace in salvation in God’s plan

And if your children do not ask these questions, we need to question ourselves, what do our lives point out to them as important and significant?

The answers are not to be made up

God gives us the answers

He is not interested in vague and left in the air types of answers

for the things that are important, he gives us the certainty of his word. We dont have to make up the answers

What do these stones mean? What does baptism mean? What does the table mean?

There is an answer for that given by God. He says tell your son this.

This is theology. This is the training in God’s Word we need in order to fulfill our mandates as Christians and as parents

I don’t need theology, I need jesus

Live a life so that your children will ask the right questions, and know the word that you can give them the right answers

Conclusion

After recounting God’s faithfulness to Israel in history

Josh 24:14-15

Joshua 24:14–15 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Judges 2:6-10

Judges 2:6–10 ESV

6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

A generation arose who did not know the Lord or remember the work that he had done for Israel

That was the beginning of israel’s downfall. Their surrender to sin and their rebellion against God

They had forgotten and so they became unfaithful

They did not go to Gilgal to remember God when they saw the 12 stones

They were not taught the Law, they didnt see the Word inscribed on the doorposts of their house

The failure of a generation to memorialize God and a heritage that was lost. And a generation to come that did not know or remember what God had done, parting the Red Sea, parting the Jordan, giving them the Law

What will the generation to come in our line say about God?

God has not left us without witness or testimony. He has given us his memorials, these milestones, these remembrances, so that by looking back through them at His faithfulness in saving us, we can be obedient and committed to him, and in so doing, pass on a legacy to our children when they ask us “What do these stones mean?”