REQUISITE MEMORIES

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible…. 

REQUISITE MEMORIES       

JOSHUA 4:7    ESV

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 

Every person is a creature of his history.  Out of this history is a wealth of memories and some are not so pleasant.  But whatever they are they remain with us.

This account of Israel crossing the Jordan and the memorial stones they brought out of the river was important to the life and the worship of those people.  They also have an important lesson for us. 

I.                    Acts and facts of the past are important.  They are important in shaping us into the people we are.  Whether the past needs to be put behind us or whether it is a help in daily life does not matter.  It is important.  In many instances believers remember what they were before conversion and the change that occurred when they were converted.  This can be a help in identifying the changes which have occurred and those changes that are needed.

II.                God’s people are given memorials to strengthen and encourage them.  A part of the purposes of memorials is to teach.  In Joshua 4:6-7, the Scriptures state, “when your children ask in time to come, “what do these stones mean?"  ”then you shall tell them”.

Memorials are also a witness.  They stand in this instance, as stark testimonies to God’s great power and His deliverance of Israel.  The stones were there as Joshua said to be “a sign among you”.

III.             Memorials represent fact and guarantee reality.  These stones were taken from the bed of the river “where the priests feet stood firmly”.  The reality of the dry shod crossing of the nation was in these stones.  When Israel looked at the stones they were in a fashion looking at the river stopped, the bed dry, and the people crossing unhindered.

They were not the reality but they were a true reminder of it.  As long as the stones remained with Israel, the memorial was there to encourage their faith and confidence in God.   

Christians have experiences that encourage their faith.  They are never to be a substitute for the Gospel.  But experiences which are personal and observable are to be remembered and used as helps to faith.  The Christian must always know that experiences must be left behind.  They may remain with us but we cannot remain with them. 

There is a single unchanging memorial for believers, the Lord’s Supper.  This Sunday, as many of us have the Lord’s Supper in our churches, the single most important purpose is to remember Christ, His death, and His resurrection.  We remember Him as the one who loves us, our Savior, and the ever present God who provides for and protects us. 

Any believer who comes to the Lord’s table with faith in the benefits Christ has for him and with humility for his sins will find he receives far more than he could ask or think. 

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you preach the Lord’s sacrifice for sinners until He comes.”  Even so, come Lord Jesus.