USA Today - the nation’s newspaper - USA Today turns 25 this coming September 25th.  Do you remember when they launched USA Today?  25 years ago it was a revolutionary concept - a daily newspaper printed and distributed simultaneously all over the country.  Today its like, “So what?”  The technology is taken for granted.

Every Monday, USA Today has been printing a Top 25 list focusing on various things that have happened in the last 25 years.  Have any of you seen that?  The Top 25 television moments - the Top 25 Memorable Quotes - remember, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit”?  “Where’s the beef?”

Last Monday the list focused on “Things That Have Left Us.”  In the last 25 years - things that have all but disappeared.  #1 was Indoor Smoking.  #2 Service Stations - anyone remember Blue Chip Stamps?  #3 The Soviet Union.  #4 Typewriters.  Skipping down a bit.  #7 Carbon Paper - that was fun stuff, wasn’t it?  #9 Phone Booths.  Remember that scene from Superman - the original one with Christopher Reeve - where he’s looking for a phone booth to change in and can’t find one?  #11 Rotary Dial phones - the one’s with the metal rotor that really hurt when we had to dial a lot of zeros.  #16 American Bandstand.  #17 Beverage pull-tabs.  #23 Transistor radios.  #24 Michael Jackson.  Its been 25 years since he sold a gazillion copies of Thriller. 

Memories - like the corners of our minds - misty water colored memories.

As we’ve been looking at the Book of Joshua, we’ve been seeing that the account of Joshua is about real people facing enormous challenges and learning to trust God along the way.  We’ve seen that God requires His people to trust Him - to have faith in Him.  With that requirement of faith - God gives us instructions - not all the details - but enough to move forward.  He gives us His word - Scripture - so we’ll know how to live.  He promises to be with us.  God goes before us and with us as we move forward in faith.

We’ve seen examples of faith in action - Rahab trusting God and so trusting the spies for her life and the lives of her family.  We saw the spies with their favorable report.  “The Lord has given us the land and the people are really really afraid of us.”  Remember this?

In chapter 3 we saw God’s people make a transition by faith - through the Jordan River.  The wilderness wanderers - the nomads - move to take possession of their land.  The nation of slaves becomes the nation of warriors.  A people that once came to the Jordan and turned back now moves forward to where no one has gone before.  A step of faith - moving forward into the Jordan River.  Remember this?  Follow the ark.  Cross the river.

Coming to Joshua chapter 4 - chapter 4 is a retelling of the Jordan River Crossing.  A reemphasis of what God has done - of what needs to be remembered - memories that are not to be left behind.  Memories of an event that are crucial to pass forward to generations to come.  Hold onto this:  For our faith to be strong in the future it is crucial to remember what God has done in the past.  Say that with me, “For our faith to be strong in the future it is crucial to remember what God has done in the past.”

Joshua 4:1  Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan - that’s what took place in chapter 3.  Now here’s what we need to remember - Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’”

Let’s pause there.  Verses 1 to 14 focus on Israel Crossing Through The Jordan.  Say that with me, “Israel going through the Jordan.”

There are two things - here in verses 1 to 3 - that we need to notice.

First - The Twelve Men.

Back in chapter 3 verse 12 - before Israel ever got to the river’s edge - God had told Joshua to select 12 men - 1 from each tribe.  In 3:12 we’re never told why.  Just choose 12 men.  Now - here in chapter 4 - after crossing the river - these twelve men are finally given specific instructions.  All of which is a demonstration of God’s sovereignty.  The future miracle - the river crossing - is a done deal.  So prepare for it.  Count on God coming through for you.

Second - notice The Twelve Stones.

Each of the 12 tribes had a representative - even those who didn’t have an inheritance on the west side of the Jordan.  The tribes of Reuben - Gad - and half the tribe of Manasseh are given land on the east side of the river.  But these stones - the memorial God is setting up - what God is about doing - His work and promises - are for all His people.

12 men.  12 stones.

Verse 4:  So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, “Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.  Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ’What do these stones mean to you?’  - you meaning each adult in the nation.  You personally.  Not just these 12 men.  But, “Mom and dad, what do these stones mean to you?”

Verse 7:  then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’  So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.  Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the Lord spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there.

Let’s pause and grab onto what’s happening here.

First:  The Scene.

Remember that its spring.  We’ve mentioned that the Jordan River - which is normally a small stream - during the Spring the river collects rain water and the snow melt off of Mount Hermon.  In Spring the little stream becomes a mile wide torrent of death.  But God has held back the water.

The priest with the ark of the covenant are standing in the middle of the riverbed on dry land.  The people - some 2 million of them - have crossed from the east bank of the river to the west bank.  The priests with ark are still there - standing on dry ground - in the middle of the riverbed.

Normally to do what God just commanded would take scuba gear and ropes and probably wouldn’t be too brilliant an idea.

Second:  The Men.

Each is probably pretty buff.  Muscular.  Chosen for their ability to carry the stones.  12 men.  12 stones.  Each stone is probably about the max of what a man could carry.  These men are being asked to go back on to the riverbed and get these 12 stones and carry them to where Israel will camp that night.  What a privilege.  The eyes of the nation are watching this take place.

Third:  The Purpose.

The stones are a memorial - a mnemonic tool - a visual reminder of God’s miraculous working on behalf of His people.  While priests held up the ark of the covenant - the symbol of God’s presence and provision for His people - on either side for miles - the people crossed the riverbed on dry land.

Children - those who would be born in the land - inheritors of God’s promise - would look at those stones and ask what they meant.  A teachable moment for children to be told about what God did.

Then fourth notice The Nation.

The crowd on the shore watches as these men go back into the river - get the stones - bring them out.  When they get to the place of lodging - Gilgal - which we’re coming to in verse 19 - these same people watched as these stones are set up as a memorial.

Its an unbroken line of evidence.  We crossed the river on dry ground.  Then we stood there and personally watched 12 men - one from each tribe - one man from our tribe - go back to where the priests were and take those 12 stones - one for each tribe - one for our tribe - take those stones taken out of the river to set up here.

When asked by their children - even though they weren’t one of the chosen 12 men - they’d still have personal identification with the facts and memorial of God’s miraculous work.

Verse 9:  Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priest who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day.

Did you notice what’s not in verse 9?  The “Thus commandeth the Lord” part.

Joshua does this on his own.  He’s not commanded by God to do this.  After stones are taken out - before the priests come out with the ark - before the river begins to flow - with the whole nation watching - Joshua goes down to where the priests are holding up the ark.  Gets 12 stones and sets them up right there in the middle of the river bed. 

We’re not told why Joshua did that.  For the priests - maybe the ark was getting heavy.  The people - maybe they’re getting hungry.  Or, they’re tired.  Its been a long day.  “Let’s get to camp.  Why is he going back?”   

Joshua takes the time to do what is something deeply personal in his relationship with God.  To construct his own personal memorial.  When the water comes back only God will know what happened to those stones.  But the memory lives on - in Joshua’s mind - in the minds of the people. 

As the leader of God’s people Joshua’s act heightens the sense of personal identification for the people.  Parents to children, “You can’t see them.  But, under the water - just about there - are the 12 stones that Joshua - our leader - set up.”

In the midst of all that God is doing - especially as God is using us to serve Him - and that’s all of us - it is crucial for us to stop and pay attention to our own relationship with God.  God’s working in our lives.  Memorials aren’t just about God’s people - congregations.  But also individuals - like us.  As we move forward trusting God.

For our faith to be strong in the future it is crucial to remember what God has done in the past.  Say that with me, “For our faith to be strong in the future it is crucial to remember what God has done in the past.”

Verse 10:  For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.  And the people hurried and crossed; and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed before the people.  The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; about 40,000 equipped for war, crossed for battle before the Lord to the desert plains of Jericho.

Notice in verse 10 - the priests stand in the middle of river “until everything was completed that the Lord command Joshua to speak to the people.”  A simple statement of fact.  The people are in hurry to get across.  But God is not in a hurry.  Point:  Everything went according to the way God commanded it to go.  Everyone that God purposed to get across that river made it safely across. 

Verse 14:  On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life.

God - just as He’d promised to do (3:7) - God exalts Joshua.

At the Rea Sea - God’s people hemmed in against the sea - Pharaoh’s chariots coming at them - God commands Moses to lift up his staff - God sends a wind that sweeps the sea back.  The people cross on dry land.  Pharaoh and his chariots do the dead man’s float.  God confirms that Moses is His man.  God exalts Moses in the eyes of the people.

On the banks of the Jordan - same deal.  The people - 2 million strong are now on the march towards the Jordan - follow the ark - into the river.  God’s promise to Joshua.  “What I did for Moses I’ll do for you.”

If the river doesn’t stop - dry up - Joshua’s gonna look like a dweeb.  Forget being the leader of Israel.  But God stops the river.  The people cross.  Joshua is God’s man.  God exalts Joshua before the people.

It is important for us to be impressed with God at work. God in charge - in command - sovereign over history - exalting who He wills - defending - protecting - caring for His people.  Leading them forward unalterably to where He has purposed them to go.

Verses 1 to 14 focus on Israel crossing going through the Jordan.  The people - trusting God - cross safely.  Joshua - leading them forward by faith - is unquestioningly established as God’s leader.  Provision is made for a memorial to God’s miraculous work - what God has done.

Verses 15 to 24 focus on Israel Coming Out Of The Jordan.

Verse 15:  Now the Lord said to Joshua, “Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they may come up from the Jordan.”  So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.”  It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before. 

Two Sundays ago we mentioned that there’s a point about 15 miles north of Jericho where the Jordan River flows through clay banks about 40 feet high.  Twice - that we know of - in 1267 and 1927 there’ve been earthquakes that have caused those banks to collapse and dam up the river so that no water flowed downstream - for hours.

What Scripture describes is something like this.  The water upstream is cut off.  The water below the cut off point flows downstream into the Dead Sea.  In between is a place for the people to cross.  God may have done things that way.

However and wherever God did what He did - what is amazing is that He timed it so that the cause upstream had the desired effect at the right time downstream.  One minute the river is a raging torrent.  The next its a dry river bed.  When the priests stepped into the water then the river dried up. 

Same thing here in verse 18 - only the reverse.  Just at the moment the priests step out of the riverbed - as their feet leave the riverbed the river begins to flow by them.  Again a raging torrent of death.  The timing of the release of the water upstream had to be exact - along with the command of God - the movement of the priests out of the riverbed - or the priests are using the ark for a canoe.

Verse 19:  Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho.

If you look at the map you’ll see that the people started out at Shittim - traveled down and through the Jordan River then up to Gilgal - just northeast of Jericho.

There are two significant events in the Old Testament that the writers refer to over and over and over again.  The first is the deliverance from Egypt and the passing through the Red Sea.  When God’s people ceased being slaves and became a nation.  All of which took place under Moses.

The second significant event is the crossing of the Jordan.  The crossing is more significant than the conquest of the Promised Land.  The longest journey begins with a what? a single step.  The crossing is the first step.  The step of faith that moves the nation from wanderers in the desert to possessors of God’s promised land.

Before we go on to verse 20 it is important that we understand the tremendous significance of what’s being said here - not only for the Hebrews - but for us as well.

First:  Look with me at the date given.  The 10th day of the first month.   Which for us - not being too familiar with the Hebrew secular calendar - probably doesn’t mean a whole lot.  The first month is Abib which corresponds to our March and April.

Think with me, what other Old Testament event took place during that time?  Passover.  The 10th of Abib was the exact same day - 40 years earlier - that Israel had prepared to leave Egypt by setting apart the Passover lamb.  Anybody think that’s coincidence?  Be impressed with the sovereign God at work in the lives of His people.

Second:  Consider Gilgal - the place where the people are to camp.  The place where the memorial - these 12 stones from the riverbed - are to be set up.  Gilgal becomes a base of operations for God’s people once they enter the land.  A significant location in Hebrew history.  The name Gilgal means, “The reproach has been rolled away.”  Say that with me, “The reproach has been rolled away.”

God’s people kill the Passover lamb - the blood is sprinkled - God delivers them.  They come up to the Promised Land the first time - and fail miserably at trusting God.  40 years they wander in the wilderness - in unbelief - in sin - whining - complaining - disobedient - in judgment while a whole generation is punished and buried in the desert. 

On the 10th of Abib they’re brought through Jordan to Gilgal - the reproach is taken away.  Rolled away as the waters of the Jordan are rolled back and they cross over.

Third:  The Hebrew word “Abar” is the verb for “crossing over” “passing through.”  God’s people “abar” the Jordan.  The noun form of “abar” is “ibri” - sounds like?  “Hebrew”  “Ibri” is the word “Hebrew” comes from. 

Originally “ibri” was a derogatory term.  It originally meant “barbarian.”  The nations around God’s people used it to make fun of them.  “Those are the ibri - the barbarians - who crossed over.” 

For God’s people “Hebrew” takes on a whole different meaning.  God’s people - who’s reproach has been taken away are those who have - by faith - passed through the Jordan into God’s Promised Land.

Are we together?  Fast forward to Antioch.  Same sovereign God working in history - working on behalf of His people.  In Antioch - our siblings in Jesus - for the first time were called what?  “Christians” - “little Christ ones.”  It wasn’t meant as a compliment.

But for Christians the word has taken on a whole different meaning.  A Christian is one who has had our reproach taken away through the blood of the Passover Lamb - Jesus Christ.  A Christian is one who has crossed from our wandering in unbelief - sin - disobedience - living under God’s judgment - into the Promised Land of an eternal righteous relationship with God.

From Shittim - where Israel camped before crossing the Jordan - from Shittim to Gilgal - through the Jordan - is a journey of only 6 miles.  But it is generations apart.  These stones are to remind Israel - not just about water parting - but about the presence, working, and salvation of the living God - not only in the present generation - but for subsequent generations - even to today.

Verse 20:  Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.  He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying ‘What are these stones?’  then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’  For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

For our faith to be strong in the future it is crucial to remember what God has done in the past.  Say that with me, “For our faith to be strong in the future it is crucial to remember what God has done in the past.”

One point of application:  The memorial isn’t about the past.  Say that with me, “The memorial isn’t about the past.”  The stones are for the future.

When I was four years old I went with my parents up to San Francisco - to the wharf - to a ship called the Oregon Bear - to see off a missionary named Annie Kartozian.

Let me tell you a bit about Annie.  Annie’s family and mine go back years.  In 1926 Annie’s father was the first pastor of the church in San Francisco that I many years later pastored with.  Her parents were adopted grandparents to my mother.  Our families knew each other.

In 1934 - Annie became a missionary in China.  She was there - testifying of Jesus - during all the massive changes that took place there.  Think about all that went on in China during those years.  During World War II she spent 21 months as a prisoner - was in the same internment camp as Eric Liddell - Chariots of Fire?  She was there when the communists took Beijing.  When she could no longer go to China - she went to Taiwan.   Always testifying of Jesus - living out her faith.

In 1989, Annie was a part of the congregation I was pastoring with in Los Angeles.  On April 9th, 1989 I had the honor of participating in her memorial service.

Why am I sharing this with you?  In preparing to share from Joshua - one of the resource materials I’ve been using to study from - one resource has been Annie Kartozian’s notes.  Laboriously typed on what is now yellowed paper - marginal notes hand written by Annie.  Some of what’s written is in Chinese.  They are awesome notes which testify of a person who passed through a tremendous amount of hardship - lived by faith - and continually testified of the working of the sovereign God in her life.

In a letter that Annie wrote me - a letter of encouragement - she wrote this:  “God’s way out is through.”  She quoted Isaiah 43:2:  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.” 

For me - Annie’s life is a living memorial to the ability of God to carry someone through the waters.

Job - after he’s lost everything - as he’s trying to grasp everything that’s happened to him - while his friends were arguing with him about all the reasons he’s suffering - convinced that Job is some kind of horrible sinful person - Job asks for a rock.  Not paper.  But a rock.  Because a rock has permanence.  The testimony endures.

Job cries out, “Oh that my words were written… engraved in the rock forever!  As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.  Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God…” (Job 19:23-26)

What memorial of God’s working in your life have you set up for the future?  What testimony to pass forward to future generations that they might learn to trust God?  What testimony so that when your own faith weakens you’ll remember what He’s already accomplished?

_______________________

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.