Read: Joshua 4

1. What does the Lord tell Joshua to have taken from the Jordan River?
2. What purpose would these stones serve for the Israelites? (see V. 6-7; 21-24)
3. What does this chapter reveal about the role God intends for parents?
4. Look back at Joshua 1 and 3. What is the significance of V. 13-14 to the narrative of Joshua, both in this section and moving forward?
5. Why does the author emphasis the presence of the Ark of the Covenant in the middle of the Jordan River throughout the crossing? (see V. 15-18)
6. What does this chapter teach about God?
7. The stones taken from the river will serve as reminder to the Israelites and their children of the provision and power of God. How does this serve to point ahead to Jesus?
8. What are things you are tempted to look at for assurance that God is with you?
9. How are our thoughts about God impacted when we look in the wrong places for assurance of His love, presence, etc.?
10. How do the ordinances (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) serve as reminders for Christians and their children of the provision and power of God?

If you missed it earlier this week, check out Tom’s blog on Family Worship Resources.

Joshua 4 tells what happened as the nation of Israel crossed over the Jordan, as mentioned in Joshua 3:17. In this text, what is made abundantly clear is that the Lord is impressing upon the people that they are dependent upon him to have the land. It is his land that he is giving it to them.

Part of this is the continuation in the narrative to establish Joshua has the leader God had chosen to be over his people. We see this down in V. 14 where we read that “On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.” You might recall that the Lord had promised this to Joshua back in 3:7. The Lord is faithful. He will keep His word which is an important lesson for Joshua to learn if he is going to be “strong and courageous”, leading the people to take the land the Lord had given to them.

However, what is central in this text is the purpose served by the memorial stones plucked from the river. We first read about this in V. 6-7 where Joshua, in response to direction from the Lord, tells the people that the stones from the Jordan River are to serve as a reminder of the faithfulness of God. This reminder will be for them but more than that it will serve to teach future generations of Israelites about the Lord. This is to see worship of God continue throughout the years. Joshua comes back to this in V. 21-24. The Lord wanted the people to remember what He had done for them, delivering them out of bondage in Egypt and into the land He had promised to give to them.

This all comes back to seeing worship of the Lord spread. One generation of Israelites was meant to teach the next of the Lord’s greatness and to worship him. However, it was even broader than the people of Israel. V. 23 tells us that the Israelites remembering the works of the Lord and worshiping Him was also meant for the nations. It was the duty of the Israelites to bear witness to His glory to all peoples, declaring the greatness of the God of Israel.

When we gather as a church body, we too have markers that are reminders of the power and provision of God for us. Every time we observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, it is a reminder of God’s power to deliver us from bondage to sin. These means of grace point us to the lamb who was slain, the atoning sacrifice God provided in His Son, the Lord Jesus. When we baptize a new believer or we share in the Lord’s Table, we have an opportunity to teach future generations of the faithfulness of God to provide rest for His people through Jesus’ death for sins and resurrection from the dead. We also proclaim to the nations that God is King and that they too can find rest in Him.