When Israel entered the promised land, the Lord cut off the waters of the Jordan river so the people crossed on dry ground (Josh. 3:14-17). God commanded a man from each tribe to take a stone out of the midst of the Jordan. Joshua relayed the Lord’s commands to Israel and explained, “…these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day” (Josh. 4:7-9).
In Joshua 22, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned over the Jordan to the land they desired for an inheritance east of the river; they built an altar at the Jordan, not for sacrifice, but as a witness of the common heritage they had with the other tribes of Israel that were in the land west of the Jordan. Their concern was that their children and future generations would remember their tie with the other tribes (vv. 24-28).
As generations come and go, truths that were once evident can become forgotten. After the death of Joshua and the elders that outlived Joshua, Israel forgot what the once knew, “And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10).
The need to be reminded of important truths is obvious from these accounts. Forgetfulness is not only a transgenerational problem, but can plague an individual’s life. While a man may have a memory of a past event, that does not guarantee that it will remain dear to him. Love can grow cold so that truths are no longer held fervently. What God has done for us must be more than facts that we are intellectually able to recite; it must be functional momentum of our entire lives.
Christ instituted a memorial for His followers to remember His death until He returns (1 Cor. 11:23-26). The church gathers on each first day of the week to observe this memorial (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-23; Acts 20:7). Is Christ’s death for you the driving force in your life? Or is there something else that occupies your heart and deepest aspirations? Perhaps one of the reasons we may often find ourselves worried, angry, or depressed is that we allow other loves to occupy center stage on our hearts. Our love for security, popularity, a relationship, money, control or whatever else we feel like we cannot live without comes to the forefront of our hearts and pushes Christ’s love for us demonstrated on the cross to the background. The fact that God loves you so much that His Son died for you on the cross so that you could have fellowship with Him should be the engine that drives your love and service to God and others. Will you let your heart be reminded of this most-important truth today as we partake of the Lord’s Supper?
-Mark Day
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