Remembering God’s Goodness October 31, 2015

Joshua 3:14-4:7       14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

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 are standing, and 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.”

Exodus 12:14     "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance.

Exodus 28:12     and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.

Numbers 16:40     as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.

Joshua 3:13     And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD--the Lord of all the earth--set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

Some people are exceptionally good at remembering images or information. Yet forgetting God’s goodness is all too common, even for those with the sharpest of minds.

In light of the human tendency to forget, today’s verses offer a good example for us to follow. God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt and safely through the divided Red Sea. Now, He miraculously provided another dry path by piling up the Jordan’s waters in an enormous heap upstream.

The Lord knew that the people were about to enter Jericho, and by His power, they would overcome the city. How compassionate to encourage them with a tangible illustration of His strength and presence prior to such a battle.

But God also knew how easily they would forget Him. We do the same today—when the Lord works in big and obvious ways, it’s easy to trust Him. But as time goes on, we drift toward self-reliance until we are reminded of our need for Him and repent. So the Father had a plan to help His loved ones recall the miracle at the river. He asked them to create an altar of 12 stones, each stone representing a tribe of Israel that had passed safely through the waters. This way, they would have a physical reminder of divine rescue.

When it comes to blessings, do you tend to be forgetful? If so, try to create reminders of God’s faithfulness. Some people journal; others make a gratitude jar, keep it in a prominent place in their home, and fill it all year long. There are many ways to make expressing thankfulness a part of your daily schedule. Whatever you do, make sure you have a way to remember the Lord’s involvement in your life.