Joshua 4:15-24
Remembering the Crossing
Read the passage
15Then the LORD said to Joshua,
16“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
18When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.
19On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.
20And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
21Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’
22you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
23For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.
24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The LORD tells Joshua to command the priests to come up from the Jordan. When their feet reach dry land, the river returns to its course and again overflows its banks. The whole nation is across, and the priests leave at God's command.
On the tenth day of the first month, Israel camps at Gilgal, east of Jericho. There Joshua sets up the twelve stones carried from the river. When children ask what they mean, their fathers are to tell them that Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.
Joshua connects this crossing with the Red Sea. The LORD dried up the Jordan for this generation just as He had dried up the sea when Israel left Egypt. The children are to hear about the same God's faithfulness across their people's history.
The lesson reaches beyond Israel's families. The LORD did this so all the peoples of the earth would know His mighty hand, and so Israel would always fear Him. The stones point to God's power, not to the greatness of those who crossed.
Questions
1 What happens when the priests leave the Jordan?
AnswerAs soon as their feet reach dry land, the river returns to its course and again overflows its banks.
2 What question will the stones provoke?
AnswerFuture children will ask what the stones mean, opening a chance to hear how the LORD stopped the Jordan.
3 What does the crossing reveal about God's hand?
AnswerIt reveals that His hand is mighty, powerful enough to hold back the river and bring the nation through safely.
4 Who is meant to learn from this event?
AnswerThe peoples of the earth are meant to know God's power, while Israel learns to revere Him continually.
What This Means for Us
God's help is worth speaking about beyond the people who experienced it. Joshua wants children and the nations to know whose mighty hand brought Israel through.
When someone asks about your faith, give an honest answer they can understand. Tell what Scripture says God has done, and distinguish that from your own guesses about a recent event. Remembering His faithfulness should make us willing to speak and humble about ourselves.
Prayer
Mighty God, make our memories honest and humble. When we recall Your help, teach us to worship You, care for those still in difficulty, and tell the story faithfully. Amen.
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