In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal”, and in chapter four and verse twenty-one of the book of Joshua, we learn how Joshua began to tell the people of Israel how to answer their offspring when they ask, “What mean these stones?” where we read,
And he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying,
When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
The verse reads, “And he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and he spoke” which means “and he, Joshua, uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto the children” or “to the offspring and progeny” “of Israel” which means “belonging to Israel whose name means ‘God prevails’ and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming” the following words. Joshua made a proclamation to the offspring of “Israel” which included the following statement.
The verse continues “… When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?” Joshua added the words, “when your children” or “at the time and moment your, the people of Israel’s, offspring and progeny” “shall ask their fathers” which means “will question and inquire of their immediate male progenitors and ancestors” “in time to come” or “in the future”, “saying” which means “uttering, declaring, proclaiming and asking”, “what mean these stones” or “whit is the intention and resolve of these stones or twelve rocks established by Joshua in Gilgal”? Joshua continued to present the idea of the offspring of the people of Israel asking questions about the “twelve stones” that were established by Joshua in Gilgal.
When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how Joshua was prepared to respond to the questions of the offspring and future generations concerning the memorial made with “twelve stones” from taken from the middle of the river Jordan and set up by him. He knew “children” would be curious, and when they asked, there should be an answer to their question. In like manner, God’s desire is to have a personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the grave after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit so we will live in such a manner that future generations desire to know what our lives like a memorial mean.
Next time we learn how Joshua says, “let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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