READ: Joshua 3:1-4:24
REFLECT:
- The presence of God is all over this text. But, it’s not because the text says He’s there or uses His name a lot. It’s because the Ark of the Covenant is the embodiment of God’s presence for Israel. Every mention of the Ark is the mention of God. Seventeen times the Ark is mentioned. Over half the times the Ark is mentioned in Joshua are in just these two chapters. He is present.
- The story is incredible. Once again, as at the Red Sea, God held back the waters and provided dry land. God worked again to make it clear that He was accompanying Israel on their journey. Their confidence should have climbed even higher as they observed the events of that incredible day. And to make sure they didn’t forget, God called for a memorial. Each tribe was to bring a stone of remembrance up out of the river bed to be included in a pile of stones commemorating God’s actions.
- Commemoration must become a greater part of our stories. We need memorials that remind us of God’s actions. As a nation, we create holidays and monuments and songs and pledges and endless routines to prevent memory loss. Christians must do the same. These are not just to keep us from forgetting, though. These are to become conversation points for future generations. These are the tools God uses to remind the next generation of His people that He can be trusted.
RESPOND:
- Go through the text and underline all the instances where “Ark” occurs.
- What can you do to create a memorial for God’s actions in your family?
- How can you pass that memory along into the future?
PRAY:
Once again, thank God for His faithfulness. Pray that you can have strong memories of His actions in your life. Pray that we commemorate well, around here, what God has been doing.
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