Bible Studies

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This chapter of Joshua tells us about the Israelites crossing the Jordan river. As a reminder, Joshua was told to instruct those carrying the Arc of the Covenant to walk out to the middle of the Jordan, where the waters would part (much like they did when Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea) so the entire group could cross on dry ground.

In Chapter 3 we saw that as soon as the foot of those carrying the Arc stepped into the water, the river was stopped up. Here, now, in Chapter 4 the whole nation of Israel has crossed (into the promised land) and Joshua was instructed to have 12 men, one from each tribe of Israel, return to the middle of the Jordan where the Arc of the Covenant was still being held and pick 12 stones (one each) to take with them to where they camp that evening. 5b-7 “Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the Arc 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.”

The chapter continues in describing the fulfillment of this command and how the stones were set in Gilgal as a memorial for these and future generations of Israelites.

My mentor always asks, “What is the main message God is trying to share in this passage?” I hope that as you read the Word, you too, are always seeking to discern what it is that God is trying to communicate. If you haven’t read all of Joshua Chapter 4, I recommend you pause and review it so you can ask yourself the same question before continuing.

I believe the main message God is telling His people is to NEVER FORGET what He has done in their lives/our lives. In Joshua 4 a tremendous miracle was memorialized with the 12 stones and they were directly instructed to teach the future generations about what God had done to deliver them to the promised land. Ok ok, not overly profound, but relate it to your own life. Do you, do I, consistently share, teach and remind our own children about the ways God has worked on our behalf in our own lives? Do we make a concerted effort to teach them of the miracles He’s done for others’ lives too? Are we teaching them the Word? Are we sharing how He has provided and blessed us so that they too have personal stories to remember that they can even share with their children?

God’s promise is to bless those who remember what He’s done for His people and who SHARE those memories and stories with our children and grandchildren! (Sure it’s important and valuable to share it with others too, but the power is in sharing it with your own children!)

This story is the culmination of many years of wandering the desert. How many ways could they have traveled to reach Canaan? Why did God’s chosen path lead them right into the Jordan river which they had absolutely no way of crossing on their own (especially since it was in flood stage at the time!)? God wanted His people and all those who even hear of this event to know that it was HIS power and HIS protection that delivered them. This is one of the most major covenant conclusions the bible shares. The promised land had been promised to the nation of Israel for generations!

My prayer is that the profound magnitude of this event can resonate in your heart and mind. God always delivers on His promises. Always! We can rest and find joy in that knowledge, for many of the promises of the bible are promises to us as well! We will always be ultimately successful when we remain in covenant with God…and that covenant now is in Jesus the Christ.

I know I must personally do a better job of sharing with my future generations (my children) so they can see all that God is doing in my life, after all, it is happening in so many ways, almost every day, but even the MAJOR ways He works in my life are significantly frequent!

If you, too, haven’t shared God’s hand in your life with your children lately, take time tonight to share as you tuck them into bed. Kids love hearing stories (yes even true stories are still stories to kids) as they go to sleep! I have no doubt blessings will increase if you do!

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