Joshua 4:21-24
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.”
God is a God of remembering. God wants us to remember the things He does for us and with us. In the above passage we have the recap of the crossing of the Jordan River, by Joshua and the new generation of Israelites. Just as Moses crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, Joshua lead this generation across the river bed of the Jordan. God stopped the rivers from flowing to show the people, the enemy and Joshua, His mighty power. God wants them to mark this spot so that in the future, when their children see the twelve stones they piled in the place they crossed, they can point to the majesty and power of God. Cultural relics or artifacts are an important part of any society. These tangible bookmarks are put in place to see what has been accomplished or achieved or rewarded in the past. "Marking the spot" is an important part of remembering and acknowledging. We do so when we put a trophy in a case, a diploma on the wall and/or a plaque on the wall. We are quick to remember our own accomplishments and give ourselves credit for great things done. Yet, in the above text we are to use the markers to teach others (our children) of God's great faithfulness. Perhaps the rule of thumb ought to be that we quickly forget what we think we may have achieved and, instead, mark a spot in regard to what God has done for us. Remember the stones.
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