Joshua 4: Memorials and Testimonies
Read: Joshua 4
God gave very specific instructions about what to do after Israel crossed the Jordan. They appointed 12 men from each of the tribes of Israel, and they placed stones in the Jordan River to serve as a memorial to generations to come to remind the people of Israel about when God parted the waters of the Jordan as he had done the Red Sea. The memorial to God was also to be a monument to the power of God to all the nations of the world as to how mighty God is and so they would fear God forever.
Jesus gave Christians a memorial about what he did for all people on the cross. Jesus took two common elements – bread and wine – and used these elements to communicate the death of Jesus. The bread is the broken body of Jesus and the wine is the blood of Jesus showing that Jesus spilled blood for the forgiveness of sin (Matthew 26:26-29). The sign was given by Jesus so that Christians would remember what Jesus did for them, and Christians have been observing the memorial since the earliest churches.
The wine and the bread on a general memorial given to all, much like the memorial the God gave to individuals too. Paul, for instance, would often recall his conversion experience in Acts 9:1-8. Paul recalls this event in Acts 22:7-12 and Acts 26:12-18. This experience had a profound impact in the life of Paul and was an integral part of his testimony. In the same manner, God works in the lives of individual believers in such a way that the individual can never forget. People who experience mighty work will often tell others about this work as Paul did and these events serve as a memorial to the mightiness of God.
Whether the memorials in life are personal or general, memorials always point back to the mighty works of God in the lives of believers. When future generations ask about such memorials, the ones who know about the memorial can tell about God and how he worked mightily. These testimonies tell about God and will help declare the mighty works of God to all the nations so all will know and believe!
Lord, help me to remember what you have done and tell about it!