Original Entry: December 17, 2008
Sunriver, OR
Tell them
that the flow of the Jordan
was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be ea memorial to the
people of Israel
forever. Joshua 4:7
He did
this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord
is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God. Joshua
4:24
I have
exactly three. Another friend has about a dozen. Still another has a room for them. My dad has two mounted above his gun safe. Have you guessed what I am talking about
yet?
I am
speaking about big game mounts. At our
house I am notorious for throwing out anything that we have not used in the
past year or so, except the dozens of antlers dating back to when I was twelve. Why?
We do we memorialize animals? Why do we collect trophies? What lies at the heart of a man’s desires to
collect monuments of victory that will ultimately collect dust on some wall,
shelf or stand?
I believe
this obsession with trophies originates with God.
Let me
explain.
In Joshua,
chapter four the Israelites have crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land.
Joshua selects a representative from each of the twelve tribes and instructs
each of them to place a large stone in the Jordan forming a boulder pyramid.
Then he instructs them to carry another large stone out of the Jordan and
construct another pyramid where they camped. These basketball-sized rocks were
to be memorialized as a reminder of God’s deliverance into the land of promise.
The reason
for this is discovered in verses 23 and
24, “for the Lord 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 crossed.” Only Joshua and Caleb were alive to remember
both crossings. It was vital that the
people memorialize these events so that, “all
the peoples of the earth might know that hand of the Lord is powerful and so
that you might always fear the Lord your God” (4).
A man must
establish monuments in his life for two reasons. First, so he might bring the
story of God’s deliverance to his family so they will, “never forget and always fear our God.”
Second, they speak as a reminder to God’s many blessings and
provision. That tear-stained Bible is a monument of God’s
salvation. That baptism certificate is a monument to God’s obedience. That
membership towel is a memorial of the God who washes the feet of his men, asked
you to do the same and you said, “Yes!”
Build your
monuments of faith and fear.
