Signs that Serve as Proof of the Truth...

Yesterday, we talked about the reality that signs remind us of a story. There are material objects that are a part of our lives that remind us of a part of the story of our life. And in the Book of Joshua, we saw Joshua explain to the twelve representatives that these stones that they were asked to carry out of the Jordan River as the Jewish nation crossed into the Promised Land would be a sign among the Jewish people. These stones were to be a sign that reminded them of a story.

And as this story continued, we see Joshua do something that seems most unexpected and unusual in Joshua 4:9:

Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day.

After the twelve representatives left the Jordan River with the rocks that would serve to remind the Jewish people of the story of the evidence of God’s activity in their lives, Joshua, at the place where the Ark of the Covenant stood in the middle of the Jordan, proceeds to set up a monument right there in the middle of the Jordan. It is as if Joshua was marking the spot in the Jordan as if to say “God was here”. We are told that this monument remains there even at the time of the writing of this letter.

Now a natural question that arises here is why construct a monument in the middle of the Jordan that would only end up being covered up by the River later? Most historians believe that this monument that Joshua constructed in the Jordan River became visible during the times of the year when the waters of the river were low. During the hot and dry seasons, the water of the Jordan would decrease to the point that this monument would rise out of the Jordan for all to see. And in rising up for all to see, this monument provided the proof of the truth of the story of God’s activity for all to see. It was though the writer was saying “if you do not believe the story, you can go check it out for yourself, go and look at the monument”.

And in the same way, monuments reinforce and remind us of the activity of God in our lives. We then receive another summary of God’s activity that resulted in this monument as the story continues in verse 10:

For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the LORD had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed; and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed before the people. The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; about 40,000 equipped for war, crossed for battle before the LORD to the desert plains of Jericho. On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life.

In these verses, we are reminded of three different aspects of the impact that God’s activity had on the Jewish people. First, we are reminded of the obedience of the priests, who faithfully remained in the middle of the Jordan River until the entire nation crossed. I mean, imagine standing in the middle of the Jordan and watching between 1.5 and 2 million people walk past you to enter into the Promised Land while you are holding the Ark of the Covenant where the presence of God resided.

Second, we are reminded of the obedience of the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who remained faithful to the commitment that they had made earlier to the Jewish people, which is recorded for us in Numbers 32:20-22. As part of that commitment, these tribes would be allowed to settle in land that was east of the Promised Land on the condition that they would help the remaining Jewish nation take over and possess the Promised Land from the Canaanite people. And we see these tribes were faithful to their commitment by accompanying the rest of the Jewish people into the Promised Land and to future battles.

Third, we are reminded of the faithfulness of God to keep the promise that He had made not only to the Jewish people, but also to their leader Joshua. Joshua was now firmly recognized as God’s man to lead the nation into the future.

And as this story concludes, we see another timeless principle that is necessary when it comes to restarting our lives revealed for us. We will look at that timeless principle tomorrow. In the meantime, what signs do you have around you that remind you of the proof of the truth when it comes to God and His existence and activity?