Title: Monument to Gilgal (Joshua 4:20-24)
Contents To believe in God means that we believe that only the Triune God is the Creator, and that he is the living God who still controls the history of the world and even the lives of individuals.
Then, today, who believes in God, I need to check once again what kind of God I really believe in.
Because what kind of God do I believe in? This is because the attitude of the mind to deal with the hardships of reality and the way to solve them vary greatly depending on the priests who do it.
If so, what kind of God should we meet in today's Word?
1. Miracle of the Red Sea
In a dilemma where the elite troops of Egypt were chasing after the Israelites, and the Red Sea was blocked in front of them, the Egyptian army, which was chasing after crossing the Red Sea like land by God's grace, experienced an exhilarating miracle.
At that time, the Israelites raised their voices and praised Jehovah God, saying, "(Exodus 15:2) The LORD is my strength and song and my salvation."
But even after experiencing the miracle, only three days later, when they encountered the bitter waters of Mara, they complained.
All those who complained like this died in the wilderness, and only Joshua and Caleb survived. This is a religious lesson not to be one who complains and loses hope for the future.
2. The Jordan River Miracle
God made the Jordan River cross through supernatural works such as the miracle of the Red Sea.
But God told them to take the twelve stones on land and set them up as monuments. The successful crossing of the Jordan River was an opportunity to strengthen the two branches.
㉮ reaffirming God's faithfulness and power, trusting God more, and o becoming more convinced that the God who used Moses is still with Joshua.
The authority entrusted to Joshua was not to be used for personal gain and selfish purposes, like many leaders in the world, but was given only to accomplish God's purposes.
3. The Twelve Stones of Gilgal
The reason people build monuments is to make a name for themselves, but Gilgal's monuments were to commemorate God's name for generations to come.
The twelve stones of Gilgal make known the power of God to all peoples of the world.
㉮ the all-powerful God who rules the seas (Job 42:2, Psalm 33:7); We testify of this excellent God to be feared (Psalm 33:8, Jeremiah 10:9).
From then on, Gilgal became a pivotal point in Israel's history until the temple was built in Jerusalem.
* Today's Gilgal monumental event in the Bible commemorates God's work of salvation, contains the message of salvation for all mankind, and commemorates God's miraculous power that divided the Jordan River.
What will our future be today? The reason why it is good to throw away your anxiety is because God, who has already divided the Red Sea and the Jordan River to cross like land in the past, will work in our tomorrow as it was yesterday through the great work of salvation that He has done for us. because there is
Even if there are things in our way that temporarily block our way, such as the Red Sea or Jordan, and put us into discouragement and frustration, now we are discouraged through the work of God as evidenced in the Bible, which is filled with monuments of the cross and resurrection that are more certain than the monuments of Gilgal. Instead of despair and despair, we should have hope and confidence.