Memorials of Grace - 250403

SPEAKER 1 Hello, I'm Lazio Crescentini. Welcome to Let God Speak. When the Israelites left Egypt, they were confronted by the Red Sea, an impossible barrier to cross. But God miraculously parted the sea and the people walked across on dry land. Now, 40 years later, between them and the promised land is another body of water. This time it is the Jordan river in spring flood. Stay with us as we discuss how their faith was tested and God's memorial of grace. On our panel today, we have Rosemary Malkiewycz and Kaysie Vokurka Welcome. SPEAKER 2 Thank you. SPEAKER 3 Thank you. SPEAKER 1 All right, before we start our study, let's open with a word of prayer. Our Father is in heaven. Thank her. We can come and we can look into your word that's written for us. For today as we study this crossing of the Jordan river, we ask that you be with us now as we open. It is my prayer in Jesus name. Amen. To start our study today, I would like us to look at the two spies that had returned from Jericho and gave their report. Let's look at Joshua, Joshua 2, 24. And it says. And they said unto Joshua, truly the Lord have delivered into our hands all the land where for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. Rosemary, based on that report, what does Joshua do? SPEAKER 3 Well, he acts immediately. And we need to remember that Joshua and Caleb were the ones who gave the good report 40 years earlier when the rest of the spies didn't and they wanted to immediately enter the promised land as. As God had said, as he had promised to give it to them. But this time, 40 years later, Joshua is the leader and he didn't waste any time. Let's look at Joshua 3. SPEAKER 2 1. SPEAKER 3 It says, then Joshua, Joshua rose up early in the morning and they set out from the acacia grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel and lodged there before they crossed over. So he rose up early to get the people ready. He wasted no time. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, thanks for sharing that. Well, when we look at the Jordan river today, with all modern development, the pumping that's coming out of the river in that valley, the river is not a big river in some places. I would say it's more like a creek. Same. But, Kaysie, what was the condition of the Jordan river at that time when they came to it? SPEAKER 2 Well, we need to find out what time of year it was. And in Deuteronomy 1, verse 3, it says that the Israelites arrived at the Jordan on the first day of the 11th month, which, in terms of our understanding of the calendar, that would be around February in the Northern hemisphere. And then in Joshua 4:19, it says that they crossed the Jordan on the 10th day of the first month. So that's now about April. So we're entering kind of springtime. And so they were on the edge of the river for about two and a half months before they crossed. But springtime is when all the snow melted. It's when there was a lot of rain that came through. And so the river was. It would have actually been flooded. It would have been, like, overspilling its banks. And even at some times of the year, it was a small creek. It wasn't at this time when they crossed it. It was a significant flooded river. And the significance of that is that God waited for the river to be the most impassable. And then he said, okay, let's go over. SPEAKER 3 Was that impossible or impossible? SPEAKER 2 Oh, yeah, exactly. From a human point of view, absolutely. Yeah. It's part of God's miracle. SPEAKER 1 Absolutely, yeah. Thanks for sharing that. So before I go to the next question, let's look at Joshua, chapter 3, verse 3. It says, and they commanded the people, saying, when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God and the priest, the Levites bearing it, then he shall remove from your place and go after it. It's quite an interesting fact, Rosemary, that the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them and it led the way. What is the significance of the Ark of the Covenant here, leading the way? SPEAKER 3 Well, the Ark was the most important possession that the Israelites had all through from the time of the building of the sanctuary. And, excuse me, it represented God leading them in the ark was the ten Commandments, Aaron's rod that budded, and the pot of manna as a memorial for what God had done to them in the wilderness. And the Shekinah glory was the place above the Ark where the mercy seat was. And then the angels were above that, and it was God's presence with them. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, Kaysie, you mentioned earlier about the river, but before they actually crossed the river, Joshua asked them to do something. What did Joshua get the people to do before they crossed the Jordan? SPEAKER 2 This is a very important question. And in. In Joshua chapter three and verse five, it says, and Joshua said to the people, sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And you say, oh, what does sanctify mean? Well, in a nutshell, it means to make holy. But when we look at previous examples of when this happened, when the children of Israel were at Mount Sinai, says in Exodus 19:10 that he told them to consecrate or sanctify themselves. They had to wash themselves three days, get themselves ready for this event when God would give the ten commandments. And then Aaron, the high priest and his sons, they also had to have a purification process as part of their entrance into the priesthood. And so the idea here is that the person, the people, had to be physically as well as spiritually clean in order to be prepared for a special event where God was going to do something. And here it says do wonders. And so really it's also helping the people enter into a mindset of faith and trust in God. And that's going to be a better place for them and their hearts when God does something miraculous. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, and what I found is when you read through the scriptures, there's a lot of detail, a lot of instructions in there. I want us to go and look at these instructions. This is from Joshua, chapter three, verse four. And verse six it says, yet there shall be a space between you and it, about 2,000 cubits by measure. Come not near unto it, that he may know the way by which ye must go, for ye have not passed this way before in verse six. And Joshua spoke unto the priests saying, take up the ark of the covenant and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. Rosemary. I found it quite fascinating where it says there should be a space, it says that the ark was supposed to be a half a mile and out, leading in front. Why? Why is that? SPEAKER 3 Well, as I said before, God had been leading the children of Israel through their wanderings with a pillar of fire by day and a cloud of. Sorry, the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day, so that they knew exactly where to go. And it was a similar idea here. The ark represented two different things to the people. One, God was still leading, and two, they weren't doing this in their own strength. And it's interesting there in verse four that it said that it was to be out in front so they knew which way to go. They knew how God was leading them because they could see it. The whole camp could see it. A long way in front. SPEAKER 1 Yeah. Such beautiful. SPEAKER 3 So it's lead them the right direction. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, that must have been beautiful. It makes me think this conquest would only be successful if they would follow God's way and his instructions. But surely it does not only apply to them. What's the lesson for us for today? What can we learn out of that, Kaysie? SPEAKER 2 Yeah, we can learn a similar lesson, you know, when we are wanting to Follow God's leading in our lives. Part of that means we need to obey what he says. We need to take notice. What are his instructions? He's given us a lot of instructions in His Word. And following those instructions is part of following his leading. It says in John 17, verse 17, it says, Sanctify them through your truth. Your word is truth. And so that's one. One example there. But also in Psalms, Psalms 119, verse 105, it says, your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. And so as we follow His Word, he will guide us. As we obey it, he will lead us. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, just like he led the Israelites. SPEAKER 2 Definitely. SPEAKER 1 That's really nice. But apart from crossing the river, raise me. What other important miracles do we have? SPEAKER 3 Okay, let me first read Exodus 14:22, because this gives us an idea. Sorry, went to the wrong page. And it says, so the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground. And the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And then I'll go back here to Joshua, and we'll look at verse 17 of chapter three. And it says here, then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan. And all Israel crossed over on dry ground until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan. So, as you can see here, first of all, the water was heaped up because God had stopped the water from flowing. And the people walked across on dry ground, not in through the water. So even though it was in flood, God stopped the water and it was dry. And the Canaanites were watching this. And they knew about the crossing of the Red Sea. And to see the Israelites cross the flooded Jordan on dry ground, and the water as a heap, coming down from there up above, and it's all heaped up, filled them with terror. But it was a similar thing. SPEAKER 1 Yeah. And it's quite fascinating when you look at it. So the crossing of the Jordan River, I want to say it was a bit different. It was something that was quite different from. To the Red Sea, which you just mentioned Rosemary. And if we look at Joshua chapter three in verse 15 to 16, it says, and as they that bare the Ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the Ark were dipped into the brim of the water. For the Jordan overflowed all his banks, and at the time of harvest and in 16, that the waters which came down from above stood and rose Upon a heap very far from the city, Adam, that is beside Zaretan. And those that came down towards the sea of the plain, even the salt sea failed and were cut off and the people passed over. Right against Jericho. So what happened before the water parted? There's something specific which this text highlights. Kaysie. SPEAKER 2 Yeah, there was. There was something it noted which was that they had to put their feet in the water first, didn't they? SPEAKER 1 Yes. SPEAKER 2 So normally you might expect, if it's a flooded river, you know, I mean, we're taught today, don't go into floodwaters. Like, just stay away, they're dangerous. And here they were in faith, putting their feet in the water and, and walking through, and then God opened it. So, yeah, that was a real. A real. A test of faith, but also a demonstration of their faith that they did that. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, no, thanks for that, Rosemary. What else is similar in this miracle from parting to the Red Sea? Like you mentioned earlier, there's some similarities. SPEAKER 3 Another. Well, apart from the fact they went on the dry ground, the water was still standing up on a heap. The fact is that God was leading them across a way that they couldn't get over by themselves. Let's just read here in Joshua 3, 9 and 10. So Joshua said to the children of Israel, come here and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, by this you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girges Ites and the Amorites and the Jebusites. So God was the one who was going to deliver them. As he had delivered them from Egypt and had taken them through the Red Sea, delivering them from the Egyptian army, he was now going to deliver them from the people by scattering the people out and taking care of the people for them. They had to fight. But God was going to win for them, so he was leading. SPEAKER 1 And always as a child, and I always imagined these pictures, how the water must have been when it opens up. I can just imagine how spectacular that scene would have been. Right, Macy, what's your thoughts on that? SPEAKER 2 Yeah, well, I mean, we can imagine that there was at least hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people we don't know, but who are crossing the river. So that would have been a sight in of itself. It would have taken a while, hours probably, for all those people to cross. So this river is dry for all of that time. And in verse 16 of Joshua chapter 3, it talked about how the water was banked back a long way away from where they crossed. And at face value, looking on a map, and it could have been like 15 km upstream that the waters banked back, at least. SPEAKER 3 It had to be a way. SPEAKER 2 It was a long way. And who sees that? Like, anyone who suddenly saw the river turn dry would be thinking, what on earth is going on today? This is so weird. So it would have had a huge impression on the people, obviously, crossing, but everyone else in that region as well. SPEAKER 1 Yeah. So Kaysie mentioned earlier about the faith aspect where the priests had to put their feet into the water first. Is there a parable or parallel to our lives, Rosemary, that where the priests need to put their feet in the water, is there like God answers to our prayers, like we pray and then God answers. Is there maybe a connection to us today? SPEAKER 3 I really like this story because the priests had to get their feet wet. They actually had to have the faith in what God said to walk into the water, get their feet, water, feet wet before God parted the waters. So it was showing faith in what God said. And our faith gets tested by many different things that happen to us. But we've got to keep trusting God, regardless of what's happening around us, because we will go through some very difficult things. Isaiah 43, 2 says, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. So regardless of how God allows our faith to be tested, he says he'll be there with us. He'll be in it with us. SPEAKER 1 Yeah. SPEAKER 3 And that's a really wonderful thing to remember. SPEAKER 1 It's like God doesn't do it for us. We need to step in. He does it with us. We need to take that and we'll. SPEAKER 3 Get our feet wet. SPEAKER 1 Yes, I like that. Yeah, we need to get dirty in that sense. So Joshua 4, chapter 4, verse 1 to 3. And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke unto Joshua saying, take ye 12 men out of the people, out of every tribe and man, and command ye them saying, take ye out of the midst of the Jordan and out of the place where the priest's feet stood firm, 12 stones, and he shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where ye shall lodge this night. Cayce, why is God commanding Joshua to do something like this, to pick up these stones and place them? SPEAKER 2 Well, it's because he had a plan for these stones, he had a purpose for them. And, of course, this was a miraculous occasion. So you never usually would have the chance to pull big rocks out of the river. No, because, like, they're in the middle, flooded. Right. Who's going to do that? SPEAKER 3 So this. SPEAKER 2 This was a unique opportunity. And in Joshua 4, 5, it says Joshua said to them, which is the guys from the tribes that he called over, cross over before the ark of the Lord your God in the midst of Jordan. And each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder. Okay, so this is a big stone. If you have to carry it on your shoulder according to the number of the tribes, the children of Israel. So probably very big, large, smooth rocks is what he's taken here. And God had a plan for these. So that's. That's why we're looking at this. SPEAKER 1 Yeah. Thank you. And I want to continue that. So Joshua 4, it says that this may be a sign among you that when the children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, what mean he by these stones that he shall answer them that the water of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant. And of the Lord, when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off, and the stone shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever. God did not want the subsequent generations of Israel to forget this miracle, to forget what happened. Right. The parting was Jordan. So in what way was this, then, a sign? These stones. SPEAKER 3 Okay, the purpose of the 12 signs, 12 stones was as a sign. And the Hebrew word for sign also means. Means wonder. So this is a wonder, and it's to remind them of the miraculous work of God, what he has done here for them. And it can carry this, the same meaning as symbol or token. If we look at Genesis 9, verses 12 and 13, it tells us of another sign that God had. And God said, this is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you, Noah, and every living creature that is with you for perpetual generations. I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. So the rainbow was a sign of God's covenant. It was for all generations to remember that God promised to never flood the earth, the whole earth again, with water. But then in Exodus 20, verse 11, God tells us that the Sabbath is a sign of his creative ability and of his sanctifying presence in our lives. And so, once again, that is a sign. Now here is a memorial reminding each subsequent generation of Who God is, what he can do, the wonderful miracles that he does so the people won't forget in future generations. It's also the location of their first camp in the promised land at Gilgal. And that is something to memorialize. SPEAKER 1 The Scriptures tells about. Joshua did something else, basically. What else did Joshua do? He did something else. SPEAKER 2 Yeah, he did. It's very interesting what he did. In Joshua 4, 9, it says, and Joshua set up 12 stones in the midst of the Jordan in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant stood. And they are there to this day. So it's like, it's not enough. Let's just have a memorial outside on the banks of the river. Let's put one right in the middle for good measure. So you see the river running past it, you'll think, what on earth happened there? You know, just. Just extra. Exactly. So this was like a double impression of just the incredible nature of this miracle which God had done, and a double reminder for all around to point to God and what he. What he'd done. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, that raised me. A question I have is, say they put a memorial into this Jordan, but why did they not do that in the parting of the Red Sea? SPEAKER 3 Well, we don't know if they actually did anything to memorialize it, but they did celebrate it when they got over to the other side. And in a way, you could say the memorial was all the bits and pieces from the Egyptians that washed up from the ocean or from the Red Sea. But God wanted to take them into the promised land, and he would have done so if they had obeyed. But the people rebelled instead of doing what God wanted, and they were given judgment instead. And all over 20 years of age could not enter into the promised land. This is the new generation, and they are going to be going in with Joshua as the head. So read Joshua 4. 23. SPEAKER 1 It says, for the Lord your God shall dry up the waters of the Jordan from before you until you were passed over as the Lord your God did the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us until we gone over. SPEAKER 3 Very good. And what God was doing was giving them a memorial to keep alive for each generation. When they say, what is it? And they can retell the story as though it just happened. SPEAKER 1 Okay, but surely these memorials, that's what it's all about. Surely these memorials, they remembered, right? Isn't that the case? Like they were faithful once they conquered the land because they remembered these memorials, they could look back on it. Is that the case? SPEAKER 2 Well, I think that was the intent. But unfortunately, it wasn't the case. It was for a while, though. So if we have a look in. In the Book of Judges, chapter 2, in verse 10 and 11, this is talking about when Joshua died. And it says that when all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord, nor the work which he had done for Israel. That was verse 10 and verse 11. The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the baals or the idols. So they were faithful. They remembered all the time Joshua was alive and all the elders that outlived Joshua. But once that generation was gone, unfortunately, forgetfulness set. SPEAKER 1 In the New Testament, we have Paul, and Paul talks about a memorial and the importance of the memorials in the early Christian church. And what I want to take to is First Corinthians, and it's chapter 11, verse 24, 25. And says, and when he had given thanks, he broke the bread and said, take it. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. After the same manner also, he took the cup which he had supped and saying, this cup is the new Testament in my blood. This do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me. Rosemary, what is the. Why does it emphasize the Lord's Supper? Why is that a memorial? SPEAKER 3 Because the Lord's Supper reminds us of what Jesus has done for us. Every time we do it, we remember again that Jesus died for our sins. He shed his blood. He broke his body for us. And it's so important that Christians remember that. SPEAKER 1 Okay. It's. How effective is keeping these two events alive today? Like, do we need to keep it today? SPEAKER 2 Yeah, absolutely. That's why we have memorials to help keep it alive, because these things are important. If we forgot what God had done, you know, where would we be? And in Psalm 66, verse 6, it says, he turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in him. And again in God's word, we have memorials of what he's done in the past. It reminds us of his power. SPEAKER 1 Yes. Today it's important to remember the past and how the Lord has worked in our lives. We need not to stay in the past. Is that correct? SPEAKER 2 Yeah, that's it. We need to remember these so it can fill us with faith, so we can live for him now, today in the present. That's what it's for. SPEAKER 1 Absolutely. We look at these things, we don't get caught up, but it's keeping us focused forward like these memorials. It happened in the past, but it's keeping an eye. It's like that arc went ahead of them. God needs to be ahead of us and we need our feet in the water. SPEAKER 3 We need to know the Word of God and remember it by putting it into our memories so that we don't forget. SPEAKER 1 No worries. Thank you so much for going through the Scripture today with us. From the crossing of the Red Sea to the crossing of the Jordan River, God's people faced impossible barriers on their way to the Promised Land. God left them memorials of his grace in saving them from the impossible. We must remember that nothing is impossible with God if we have an insurmountable problem. Before you consecrate yourself to God by confessing and repentance and trust him to answer your prayers, to pass through the obstacles in your life. We are glad you joined us today on Let God Speak. Remember, all past programs plus teacher's notes are available on our website 3abnaustralia.org.au. Email us on [email protected] we'll see you next time. God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.