Remember

Remember

Words of Faith 8-24-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Joshua 4

    When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, [2] "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, [3] and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."

    [4] So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, [5] and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, [6] to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' [7] tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

    [8] So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. [9] Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

      They were in!  The waters of the Jordan had parted for hours, and some 2 million people had passed through into Canaan.  Israel needed to never forget this great miracle.  Sure, there was a big battle just up the road.  But it was much more important to set in place a memorial, a way to recall the wonder of God.

      God had a plan.  So that the Israelites would remember this historic day, God had them erect a twelve stone memorial. This memorial celebrated the crossing of the Israelite multitudes over the dry riverbed of the Jordan. 

      Calling the 12 tribal representatives together, Joshua instructed them on the Lord’s plan. They were to return to the middle of the riverbed, and each one was to bring back one stone. These stones would be a vivid reminder of God's work of deliverance and an effective means for the Israelites to teach their young.

      The response of the 12 men was immediate and unquestioning. They could well have feared reentering the river. After all, how long would it stay dry? Whatever fears they may have had were put aside, and they unhesitatingly obeyed God's instructions.

       Joshua joined the men on their strange mission.  While they were prying up great stones from the bed of the river, he set another pile of 12 stones in the riverbed itself to mark the precise spot where the priests stood with the Ark of the Covenant. This was apparently done on Joshua's initiative and expressed his desire to have a personal reminder of God's faithfulness at the very beginning of the Conquest of Canaan.

       Remembering is important.  We often use stones, plaques, and memorials to remember people, places, and events.  In our church, we have an interesting practice of inviting those who receive Jesus as Lord to sign that commitment onto our altar rails.  Many churches would not dream of “defacing” sanctuary furniture in such a way. Still, these rails have become the most treasured furnishings of our facility.  

      There are other ways we remember.  The most powerful remembrance is the one commended to us in the Lord’s Supper.  Just as the Israelites remembered the Exodus through the retelling at the Passover meal, Jesus commended to us the meal of remembrance. 

       When the church family breaks bread and shares the cup, we powerfully remember that we are the Body of Christ and connect to the great price paid so that we might have freedom from sin and death.  We, too, are a people who have come out of slavery by the mighty hand of God!

       Remembering is found throughout our spiritual life and worship.  As we share in testimony and praise, we remember the great victories that God has won on our behalf.  We remember His faithfulness in days gone by.  We recall His miracles and strength. 

     We rejoice in blessings that could only have been delivered by His hand. We, too, are a people who have been called across the Jordan.  He has called us out of the place of wandering.  He calls us out of the desert of the flesh.  He calls us into His promise. 

    We remember that powerful work of grace in several ways including baptism.  In baptism, we celebrate the fact that we are born again by His Spirit and that we have died and been raised with Christ to new life.

         How is your remembering?  God is so very good.  Remember that today.

        Lord God, You have been at every turn.  You have brought me through the difficult times and given me careful blessings.  I remember Your mighty hand.  I remember the wonder of Your grace.  I rejoice in the gift of salvation and the exhilaration of Your Spirit.  In Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2005, 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.