Date: 03-22-2021

Title: Memorials

(S) cripture:
    Joshua 3:8-17 (NLT2) Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.'” 9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the LORD your God says. 10 Today you will know that the living God is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River! 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 The priests will carry the Ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.” 14 So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. 15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho. 17 Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

    Joshua 4:21-24 (NLT2) Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the LORD’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the LORD your God forever.”

(O) bservation:
    The generation crossing the Jordan at this time may not remember the crossing of the Red Sea. Here again God parts the waters and allows the Israelites to cross on dry ground. It is a reminder of God’s power and provision for the people. It was to strengthen their faith and be a constant reminder or God’s protection. They were to set up a memorial so that when future generations asked what the memorial meant they could be reminded of what God did at both the Red Sea and the Jordan River for the Israelites.

(A) pplication:
    Memorials are important for us. They remind us of important events in our lives. They help us remember God’s presence, protection, provision and power shown to us in those events. On November 14, 1970 the plane carrying the Marshall University Football team and supporters crashed killing all 75 on board. I often visit the Memorial to that event in Springhill Cemetery here in Huntington. It is a memorial to all those that died in that crash. It is the final resting place of the six unidentified players in a common grave. It is a reminder of conversations I had with many of the players and supporters on board. I am also reminded of God’s presence and provision in the days and now years following the crash. It is important to have memorials because they help keep stories alive and keeps us connected to our history.

(P) rayer:
    Father, thank you for being present in my life in those important events. Thank you for helping us create memorials that remind us of your presence, power and protection in those times. Thank you for your constant presence in my life. My desire is to follow You and to live in a way that points people to you. Amen