NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Black Church Ministries and Leadership and Adult Publishing teams, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the YOU curriculum.
Bible Passages: Joshua 4:1-7, 20-24
Discussion Questions:
— What are some things that God has done in your life that you will always remember?
— What types of memorials help you remember God’s work on your behalf?
— How can we help those who come after us remember God’s faithfulness and power?
Food for Thought:
It’s amazing how the memories from our childhood can shape the course of our lives. I still remember being picked up, along with my cousins, by a kind woman named Ms. Hughes. She would load us into her station wagon every Sunday morning and take us to Sunday School.
Before then, I had never attended. Because of Ms. Hughes’ dedication to the Lord, she saw the value in planting seeds of faith in young hearts, mine included.
Recently, I had the chance to return to my home church. As I shared a few remarks, I was able to express how the people there laid the spiritual foundation of my walk with Christ. I stand today on their shoulders, deeply grateful for their obedience to the call. Sometimes we don’t see the fruit of our labor right away. But like Moses preparing the way for Joshua, we too are called to lay a foundation for others to grow in the Lord.
Read Joshua 4:1-7, 20-24. Joshua, son of Nun, certainly had many significant events in his life that he could remember. He was likely by Moses’ side when the Israelites left Egypt. He had served as one of only two faithful spies surveying the promised land. He had also served as Moses’ attendant at the tent of meeting when Moses met with God. But now Moses was gone, and Joshua had been tasked with leading God’s people into the promised land for good.
All the help God had promised to Moses was now true for Joshua. “I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you” (Josh. 1:5). Just as his mentor Moses had done, Joshua sent spies to survey the land. The report came back positive. God had prepared the stalwart city of Jericho for the taking. The spies told Joshua, “The LORD has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us” (Joshua 2:24). This was yet another confirmation of the promise God had made to Joshua; it was all he needed to hear to begin executing God’s plan.
Then, before proceeding to their next victory, it was time to remember. And to continue a pattern of remembrance that would carry God’s people through challenging times.
Priests carried the ark of the covenant into the Jordan River. The river rolled back, leaving the priests in the center of the riverbed with the ark. Soil and rocks that had not seen the light of day in perhaps a millennium were now exposed. And 12 men were chosen, each representing a different tribe, to obtain a stone from the riverbed.
These stones would represent the 12 tribes of Israel as a symbol of unity for the Israelites. God had done this mighty thing for all of them, and for each of them. Then Joshua described how this memorial would play a role in the lives of their people, giving them a short catechism of sorts. The question: “What do these stones mean to you?” (v. 6). The answer: “The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the LORD’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off” (v. 7).
The fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers would have many opportunities to tell the great story of what God had done on this day. In turn, these generations would tell of God’s greatness to their children and grandchildren and countless generations to come. In fact, we’re still recounting this historical event today!
Joshua went on to explain why this memorial was so important, why these questions were so important. This was a mighty thing God had done in the life of His people, not once but twice. Not only would they remember crossing the Jordan River when they saw these stones, but they would remember crossing the Red Sea as well.
But as the LORD shows Himself to be powerful on our behalf, He displays His strength to the nations, to “all the peoples of the earth” (Joshua 4:24). More than the events themselves, the Israelites would remember who God is, and by extension, who they were.
YOU
YOU is committed to providing a complete Bible study experience for small groups and classes. Every session is written through an urban and multiethnic lens that provides relevant, engaging and applicable studies that not only encourage and equip people, but also motivate them to mission. This flexible, non-dated, all-in-one quarterly resource offers weekly Bible study for leaders and learners, devotionals and teaching plans, as well as articles on hot topics and missions. For additional downloadable online teaching resources, visit Lifeway.com/YOU.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by Lifeway can be found at Lifeway.com/SundaySchool.
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