Joshua 4: 1- 9
And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’”
4Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; 5and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
8And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.
This generation had watched their parents and Grandparents die in the wilderness
God had cared for them, nurtured them, guided them, and protected them, but an entire generation could not see the promise of God because they chose to trust fear rather than God. They were focused on their past rather than the future God had planned for them…They trusted more in the good old days rather than what the Lord was doing today…they wanted comfort or what they romantically thought was comfort (their enslavement in Egypt rather than the freedom of the future promises of God
This new generation only saw the leading of God, his supply they weren’t crippled by the past but were excited about what God could do because they believed in a God that made the impossible possible every day
They had not known Egypt except what they had been told by their elders.
There were only two elders to lead the way Joshua and Caleb because everyone else had died in the wilderness
But because of the call of God on their nation and their lives they had also known much war.
We are in a battle
As men and women of God we are facing warfare every day
– our culture wants to have its own way and limit God’s truth
– our flesh wants its own way and cause us to desire comfort or our own way above changing the world
– the devil wants to have his own way with you because he is afraid of you and wants cause you to not accomplish the very things that will set you and others free of his grasp
Everything is fighting to rob us of our joy, peace, love, relationship, hope, finances, time, and energy.
We, like the nation of Israel are in a battle of our minds and thoughts.
2 Corinthians 10:5
“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (NASB)
Everywhere Israel traveled, the nations feared them and accused them of wanting war. They were lied about and to and threatened merely because of who they were.
But God was there with them. They couldn’t waste time listening to the enemy they needed to remember God!
We battle believing the promises of God, prophetic words we have received, and so much more
Do you ever feel like that???
Apart from the battles I just mentioned, one of the enemy’s most powerful tools is to provoke us into belittling the great things God has done for us! If he can do that then…
– it makes us feel like we are not that important to God
– It causes us to think that God is not at work in the world or our lives
– It belittles God
Whether we recognize it or not we are all here today by the hand of God. If we can take a few moments to simply think about our lives and all the times God has impacted us directly or indirectly or ask God to show us all the times he has intervened in our lives
Sometimes remembering is the key to advancing in the Kingdom
Let me take you to another scripture about stones that became prophetic…
1 Samuel 17: 40-49
He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.
45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.
These were, if you will, prophetic “memorial stones!”
- David may or may not have known it, but Goliath was one of five giant brothers 2 Samuel 21:15-22.
– Sometimes the Lord teaches us lessons. We go through times when we wonder what God is doing, but in reality, we are in a school preparing for our future. David picked up five stones, not really knowing he would only need one because the Lord would guide it through His faith. God had a plan to encourage him that the task of wiping these giants from the face of the earth would be accomplished!
– God’s plans are always for our good! We might not understand why we are experiencing our current challenges or why we are doing what we are doing. David may have thought afterward, what a waste it was to pick out five stones when he only needed one. However, God had a plan for the future of a nation, not just for him.
– What are you walking through right now that you don’t understand? God is preparing you for your future; embrace it, don’t throw it away.
- It was also memorial stones, as David was remembering how the Lord had delivered him from past dangers and helped him overcome obstacles so he could accomplish what God had designed for him to do.
– David had advanced to this level of faith by putting into practice the faith and skill God had brought to him! Do you think David suddenly picked up a slingshot and became proficient right away? With every practice shot, God was training him to slay a giant and to become a king!
– His practice and faith made it possible for God to stir up boldness and bravery in David. Giant killing might not have been 100% easy, but he was inspired by his love and trust in the Lord.
- Because he remembered, the stones were examples of his boldness in the Lord
– He saw God’s hand deliver him from the lion and the bear; he was forced to face them but didn’t back down. The Holy Spirit could trust him, so he was able to boldly confront the monster who was skilled in the murder of so many.
– David’s boldness stemmed from his trust in the Lord, and it was not arrogance since he represented the Lord and His purpose. He remembered not only the lion and the bear but also the Lord guiding him beside still waters and walking through the valley of the shadow of death, where there was no fear. Many other psalms reminded him of who God was and who he was in God.
The nation of Israel and David remembered because of their memorial
– to trust the Lord, knowing that nothing is wasted
– God is always faithful, and we need to keep our eyes on Him, not on the problems we face.
– Boldness and trust in God keep us humble, guiding us toward greatness and blessing.
– Don’t listen to the negativity around you; remember what God has done and trust in that.
– Sometimes the delay is not a delay at all, just preparation for greatness
So it is with us if we want to move on in God
In order to move on to our next level, we must overcome what is before us, be faithful, and know who we are and who God is to us.
Once we do we need to make sure we don’t go back again.
In Christ there is moving forward or moving backward no stagnation
For the nation of Israel, when they came to the river preparing to cross the Lord gave them the instruction about the memorial – two were to be built
They were instructed to take the stones and build an altar in the river and one on the land.
– the river was so that they might remember the miracle of how it got there reminding them of all that God had accomplished in them and through them to bring them this far.
– the land monument was so that they could see where they have come from and a reminder to not go that way again! They have come this far and will not retreat beyond this point!
For David, the stones were a faith walk to speak about his future. He didn’t know what the future would hold but he saw the deliverance of God so he could expect it always and as you read his story you will see it there.
Both sets of memorial stones reminded the people of what the Lord had done as was a promise of what he would do for their future
I want you to realize where God has brought you and what he has brought you through and to take a stand today and say I have come this far and I am not going back.
Today is the day I want you to set a memorial
That little stone I gave you should be to you beginning this day that this is the furthest away from God that you will ever be. Today is the least relationship you will ever have in him!
I want you to remember and memorialize the great things God has brought you through!
Today is the day you begin to move into your promised land or perhaps kill your giant!
Keep this stone in your pocket, purse, on your desk wherever it will remind you that you are moving forward