Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Have You Forgotten God? | Historical Books | Joshua 4

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

Do you forget the ways God has acted in your life? Do you have "stones" to remind you of God's provision? What is true rest? In today's episode, Tanya shares how Joshua 4 encourages us to trust in God's faithfulness to his people. Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Joshua 4

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. On my country road, there are two houses currently under construction. One is almost ready for the concrete driveway and landscaping. It's almost complete. When you look at it, you see a complete house with a roof, brick walls, doors, and windows. You can see the gables and the roofline and imagine what it might look like inside.

Soon there will be a family moving in. and I'll be able to see the garage door open and the kids running around in the yard. The other house, though, well, it's just in the framing process. Every day this week, there's been a new section of the house coming together. First, it was the footings, and then they poured the basement. That was hard for me to see from the road. But then they framed the first floor, and I could see the large opening for the front door. I can see a big window in the back where the new homeowners are going to be able to watch the sunset.

The second floor is in the works right now. and the roof will be next. Watching this house come together reveals all the pieces that must perfectly align to make the beautiful homes we see. This process reminds me of studying the history books in the Old Testament. Some of us come to faith only knowing about Jesus at first, his birth, death, and resurrection, which might be enough for us at the time, but the Old Testament reveals all that happened leading up to that moment, and all that God did to perfectly align the world for the coming of our

Savior. It deepens our faith when we see how history reflects God's faithfulness in keeping his promises to His people through Jesus Christ. Joshua 4 is one of those chapters that stands as a landmark in Israel's history. It shows how God took care of his people uniquely and gave them a ceremony to help them remember what he did for them. Today we're going to look at Joshua chapter four to understand what God did for the Israelites at the Jordan River, what he instructed Joshua to do to remember that day, and how that day uniquely points to Jesus.

First, what God did. See, as soon as the feet of the priest, who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant, touched the Jordan River, the water instantly stopped flowing, and it piled up in a large heap, and it allowed all the people to pass over the river on dry ground. Now the men holding the Ark of the Covenant, they stood there in the riverbed until everyone

had safely crossed. The water did not resume its flow south toward the Dead Sea until the feet of those carrying the Ark of the Covenant came out of the River. This act showed that it was God's presence, symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant that enabled the crossing into the promised land. It wasn't Joshua's leadership or the people's faithfulness. Though those were important, it was God, present with them who parted the waters and allowed them to enter a land of rest. This is significant because in the New Testament, a new group of Israelites will emphasize obedience and leadership above all else. And yet they will miss the central message of the Bible, the coming of Jesus Christ, the one who alone can save his people and let them enter into true rest. So what were God's instructions to Joshua on this day?

Well, God wanted the memory of this event, where he held back the waters of the Jordan, to extend beyond the generation that actually crossed the Jordan. He instructed Joshua to build a memorial for future generations to sea. Now, surely, as those actual people crossed the dry Jordan Riverbed, they must have remembered how God had parted the Red Sea for their ancestors 40 years earlier during their escape from Egypt. However, we know that generation quickly forgot God's provision. They complained about the daily manna and the quail. They built a golden calf to worship. We can relate to this, can't we? We know what Jesus has done for us to give us peace and rest,

but we often forget, and we search for peace and rest in our new possessions, in our increased responsibilities, hoping they will provide what only God can. So to help, These Israelites remember, God gave Joshua specific instructions. Twelve stones were to be taken from the riverbed while the Ark of the Covenant was there and while God held back the waters. One man from each of the 12 tribes was to carry a stone on his shoulder out of the riverbed and bring it to the west side of the river. There, they built a memorial to remind future generations of God's miraculous provision. When this happened, Joshua said to the Israelites, In the future, your children will ask, what do these stones mean?

Then you can tell them, this is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground. For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea, when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. He did this, so all of the nations of the earth might know that the Lord's hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever. Now, the memorial's location on the west side of the Jordan meant that not only Israel, but also the surrounding nations would see and would remember God's power and faithfulness. So how does all of this point to Jesus?

Well, this stone memorial was assigned to remind God's people of his faithfulness. However, we know that some people in generations would forget, just as we often forget how God has cared for us in the past. In His grace, God has given us a sign to remind us, us of what he has done and to make us look forward to an eternity of rest with him. Instead of a stone memorial, like this one on the west side of the Jordan, we have a memorial meal, the bread and the cup of communion. Luke tells us how Jesus instituted this meal. It says, and he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying, this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance

of me. And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. See, this meal with Jesus and its disciples look forward to the life-saving work he was about to do on the cross. For us, communion reminds us that we can look forward to life with God, a life of true rest because of what Jesus has done. So when we take communion, or when our children ask, what does this mean? We can echo Joshua's words. So all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord's hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever. Understanding the history of Israel gives us a framework to see how God has faithfully kept his covenant promises. It helps us see how the entire Bible, from creation to the cross and the new

city, point to Jesus. This understanding grounds us in God's truth, especially when it clashes with cultural values that make us feel like outsiders. See, true rest, it isn't found in perfect circumstances. It isn't found in flawless parenting or obedient children. True rest is knowing that we are safe in Jesus. It is the peace he has given us and the peace he leaves with us. It is remembering what he has done so we don't search for it elsewhere. Lord, we thank you for the rest you have given us through your work on the cross. Help us look forward to a life enjoying your rest when we partake in your memorial. Teach us to share this. truth with the children in our lives, pointing them to Jesus. Amen.