| Joshua: Strength and Courage |
Joshua: Memorial Stones
Joshua: Strength and Courage for the True Man of God
Lesson 9: Memorial Stones
Joshua 4
Verse 1 – Israel is now in the Promised Land. This has been their dream for over 400 years (nearly twice
as long as the United States has been a nation!). But now that this dream is fulfilled – it doesn’t mean the
journey is over. Rather, the journey is just beginning!
Often, we used the phrase “Promised Land” – or we think of the “Promised Land” – as a euphemism for “rest and
relaxation.” And in a sense, that is true, if by “Promised Land” we mean heaven. However, for Israel the
Promised Land meant war. It meant battle. It meant work; hard, grinding, back-breaking, and potentially fatal
work. So, for Israel the Promised Land meant the beginning of a long war – but a war with an assured outcome.
What follows must have seemed to some as unnecessarily slow. They were the source of great fear to the
people of Jericho – why give them any more time to prepare for the battle! Rush in there; take the city while
the city is ripe for taking! But God slows them down, way down.
When have you been in a situation where you felt you had all the facts, all the training, all the equipment, you
needed to accomplish a task only to fail in that task?
Don’t act. Be. Focus on who you are, not what you are doing. When you get the “who you are” figured out, then
the “what you do” will be successful. Who are you? You are a man of God, a son of God.
Verse 2 -3 – The Memorial Stones. Now we know why God told Joshua to appoint 12 men from each tribe
in (Joshua 3:12).
The purpose of the memorial stones is the same reason we have a National Archives in Washington D.C., why
we have war memorials, why we have a National Register of Historic Places.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." from Reason in Common Sense, the first
volume of The Life of Reason.
The spiritual problem in our country today is a direct result of parents not teaching their children “the way they
should go.” Dads leave it up to mom to be the religious leader in the home. The vast majority of people in
church are “mom and the kids” while dad is … somewhere else.
To say we are Christians is to say we trust God for our lives. But we fail in our trust of God when we forget the
things He has done for us. Do we even realize how much God has done in our lives?
When Ira Sankey was at the height of his ministry, traveling on a steamer in the Delaware River, he was
recognized by some passengers. They'd seen his picture in the newspaper and knew he was associated with
evangelist D.L. Moody. When they asked him to sing one of his own compositions, Sankey said he preferred the
hymn by William Bradbury, "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us." He suggested that everyone join in the singing.
One of the stanzas begins, "We are Thine, do Thou befriend us; be the guardian of our way."
When he had finished, a man stepped out of the shadows and inquired, "Were you in the army, Mr. Sankey?"
"Yes," Sankey replied, "I joined up in 1860."
"Did you ever do guard duty at night in Maryland, about 1862?"
"Yes, I did."
"Well, I was in the Confederate Army," said the stranger. "I saw you one night at Sharpsburg. I had you in my
gun sight as you stood there in the light of the full moon. Then just as I was about to pull the trigger, you began
to sing. It was the same hymn you sang tonight," the man told an astonished Sankey. "I couldn't shoot you." [I.
M. Anderson in Moody Monthly]
Answer this question: How could I have been protected while oblivious to danger?
Security is our nearness to God, not our distance from danger.—KENNETH R. HENDREN (writer)
[taken from the Men of Integrity online devotion, accessed August 29, 2007: http://www.christianitytoday.
com/moi/2007/004/aug/29.29.html]
Verse 6 – “When your children ask…” is an ongoing theme with the nation of Israel. It is repeated over and
over again in Exodus 12 & 13. The point was that the adults were to remember and teach their history to their
children.
Verse 8 – a memorial is set up in the middle of the camp where Israel stayed that first night after crossing
the Jordan.
Verse 9 – Joshua set up a second memorial of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River.
Joshua also set up a pile of memorial stones in the very bed of the river Jordan, so that when it was lowered in
a season of drought, those stones could be seen and would testify of the time that God had completely dried
up the Jordan.
Especially in a time of drought, we need to remember the great things God has done.
Verse 10 – this whole chapter has as its theme memorials. The Lord commanded Joshua but this was also
something prophesied by Moses to Joshua. Note also that the people “passed over in haste.” This is the very
words used to describe the first Passover 40 years previously – Exodus 12:11 “And you shall eat it in haste. It is
the LORD’s Passover.”
The ark and the priests are in the middle of the dried river bed for the whole crossing – a powerful visual
reminder that God is in the midst of His people and is the source of this miracle.
Verse 12 -13 The 2 ½ tribes send 40,000 of their 100,000 fighting men. Their elite troops or “special
forces” as it were.
Verses 14-18 The water returns to its original level and state the moment the priests and the ark are out.
There can be no doubt that this is a supernatural, God-controlled, event.
Verse 19 - Gilgal becomes the base camp for the conquest campaign. That’s why the memorial stones
are set up here. They will continue to return here and will need the constant reminder of why they are here and
who brought them here.
Verses 21-24 The reason for remembering is not to live in the past. It is a great temptation for many men to
want to live in the past. To relive the glory days of youth, college, camp, whatever. This might be part of the
reason so many men think that the best days of our faith are also behind us. But we must remember the past as
a point of faith – that is, it was part of how we got to where we are today. Wrapped up in all of this is our trust in
God that while He has done powerful things in the past, He promises even more powerful things in our future!
Telling the next generation is also important because there is a tendency of thinking the real world began
when we were born. Everything that happened before is dull, dry, dusty history that isn’t relevant to us at all.
This is part of the reason that the Church and Christianity doesn’t appeal to post-modern men (and women) in
our country today. The fault will lie with those leaders in the church that forsake the past and only focus on the
present. But Joshua’s lesson to us is to remember what God has done for us in the past so we can trust in His
promises for us today and tomorrow.
The ultimate reason for the drying up of both the Red Sea and the Jordan River is not transportation but
education. “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.” (The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.)
The Big Idea: Remember what God has done in the past, trust in His promises for today and tomorrow
Lesson 9: Memorial Stones
Joshua 4
Verse 1 – Israel is now in the Promised Land. This has been their dream for over 400 years (nearly twice
as long as the United States has been a nation!). But now that this dream is fulfilled – it doesn’t mean the
journey is over. Rather, the journey is just beginning!
Often, we used the phrase “Promised Land” – or we think of the “Promised Land” – as a euphemism for “rest and
relaxation.” And in a sense, that is true, if by “Promised Land” we mean heaven. However, for Israel the
Promised Land meant war. It meant battle. It meant work; hard, grinding, back-breaking, and potentially fatal
work. So, for Israel the Promised Land meant the beginning of a long war – but a war with an assured outcome.
What follows must have seemed to some as unnecessarily slow. They were the source of great fear to the
people of Jericho – why give them any more time to prepare for the battle! Rush in there; take the city while
the city is ripe for taking! But God slows them down, way down.
When have you been in a situation where you felt you had all the facts, all the training, all the equipment, you
needed to accomplish a task only to fail in that task?
Don’t act. Be. Focus on who you are, not what you are doing. When you get the “who you are” figured out, then
the “what you do” will be successful. Who are you? You are a man of God, a son of God.
Verse 2 -3 – The Memorial Stones. Now we know why God told Joshua to appoint 12 men from each tribe
in (Joshua 3:12).
The purpose of the memorial stones is the same reason we have a National Archives in Washington D.C., why
we have war memorials, why we have a National Register of Historic Places.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." from Reason in Common Sense, the first
volume of The Life of Reason.
The spiritual problem in our country today is a direct result of parents not teaching their children “the way they
should go.” Dads leave it up to mom to be the religious leader in the home. The vast majority of people in
church are “mom and the kids” while dad is … somewhere else.
To say we are Christians is to say we trust God for our lives. But we fail in our trust of God when we forget the
things He has done for us. Do we even realize how much God has done in our lives?
When Ira Sankey was at the height of his ministry, traveling on a steamer in the Delaware River, he was
recognized by some passengers. They'd seen his picture in the newspaper and knew he was associated with
evangelist D.L. Moody. When they asked him to sing one of his own compositions, Sankey said he preferred the
hymn by William Bradbury, "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us." He suggested that everyone join in the singing.
One of the stanzas begins, "We are Thine, do Thou befriend us; be the guardian of our way."
When he had finished, a man stepped out of the shadows and inquired, "Were you in the army, Mr. Sankey?"
"Yes," Sankey replied, "I joined up in 1860."
"Did you ever do guard duty at night in Maryland, about 1862?"
"Yes, I did."
"Well, I was in the Confederate Army," said the stranger. "I saw you one night at Sharpsburg. I had you in my
gun sight as you stood there in the light of the full moon. Then just as I was about to pull the trigger, you began
to sing. It was the same hymn you sang tonight," the man told an astonished Sankey. "I couldn't shoot you." [I.
M. Anderson in Moody Monthly]
Answer this question: How could I have been protected while oblivious to danger?
Security is our nearness to God, not our distance from danger.—KENNETH R. HENDREN (writer)
[taken from the Men of Integrity online devotion, accessed August 29, 2007: http://www.christianitytoday.
com/moi/2007/004/aug/29.29.html]
Verse 6 – “When your children ask…” is an ongoing theme with the nation of Israel. It is repeated over and
over again in Exodus 12 & 13. The point was that the adults were to remember and teach their history to their
children.
Verse 8 – a memorial is set up in the middle of the camp where Israel stayed that first night after crossing
the Jordan.
Verse 9 – Joshua set up a second memorial of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River.
Joshua also set up a pile of memorial stones in the very bed of the river Jordan, so that when it was lowered in
a season of drought, those stones could be seen and would testify of the time that God had completely dried
up the Jordan.
Especially in a time of drought, we need to remember the great things God has done.
Verse 10 – this whole chapter has as its theme memorials. The Lord commanded Joshua but this was also
something prophesied by Moses to Joshua. Note also that the people “passed over in haste.” This is the very
words used to describe the first Passover 40 years previously – Exodus 12:11 “And you shall eat it in haste. It is
the LORD’s Passover.”
The ark and the priests are in the middle of the dried river bed for the whole crossing – a powerful visual
reminder that God is in the midst of His people and is the source of this miracle.
Verse 12 -13 The 2 ½ tribes send 40,000 of their 100,000 fighting men. Their elite troops or “special
forces” as it were.
Verses 14-18 The water returns to its original level and state the moment the priests and the ark are out.
There can be no doubt that this is a supernatural, God-controlled, event.
Verse 19 - Gilgal becomes the base camp for the conquest campaign. That’s why the memorial stones
are set up here. They will continue to return here and will need the constant reminder of why they are here and
who brought them here.
Verses 21-24 The reason for remembering is not to live in the past. It is a great temptation for many men to
want to live in the past. To relive the glory days of youth, college, camp, whatever. This might be part of the
reason so many men think that the best days of our faith are also behind us. But we must remember the past as
a point of faith – that is, it was part of how we got to where we are today. Wrapped up in all of this is our trust in
God that while He has done powerful things in the past, He promises even more powerful things in our future!
Telling the next generation is also important because there is a tendency of thinking the real world began
when we were born. Everything that happened before is dull, dry, dusty history that isn’t relevant to us at all.
This is part of the reason that the Church and Christianity doesn’t appeal to post-modern men (and women) in
our country today. The fault will lie with those leaders in the church that forsake the past and only focus on the
present. But Joshua’s lesson to us is to remember what God has done for us in the past so we can trust in His
promises for us today and tomorrow.
The ultimate reason for the drying up of both the Red Sea and the Jordan River is not transportation but
education. “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.” (The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.)
The Big Idea: Remember what God has done in the past, trust in His promises for today and tomorrow
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