An Old Testament Devotion for the Anxious Covenant Child’s Heart
And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
In Joshua 4:5-7, Joshua and the rest of Israel were finally done wandering the desert. The forty years of discipline that God promised them for their unfaithfulness had passed, and a whole new generation of Israelites had come to adulthood. This, of course, was exciting because it meant they would finally go to the Promised Land–the land that God had promised to give to Abraham’s descendants.
To get to the Promised Land, however, they had to cross over a famous river called the Jordan River. To help them do this, God gave them a sign similar to the one He had performed when they escaped Egypt when He had split the Red Sea. This time, God stopped the Jordan River so that the Israelites–the hundreds of thousands of them–could cross the river on dry ground. And when they were finally finished, God gave Joshua a command. He told Joshua to have the elders of the twelve tribes of Israel take up twelve very large stones and pile them on top of one another.
Now that might sound silly. After all, you’ve probably made piles of rocks in your backyard and at the park. Why would the Almighty God want Israel to make a pile of big rocks? Well, God tells us.
…that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.
This pile of rocks that God wanted the Israelites to build was meant as a gift to their children. God cared so much about the Israelite children that He didn’t want them to forget the wonderful things He had done for their parents and grandparents. He wanted to share His faithfulness with those children so they would grow up knowing God keeps His promises.
Isn’t that wonderful? Not only did God provide for the parents, but He made sure their children would know about His promise-keeping as well. He wanted the children of Israel to trust Him.
Just as He wants children like you to trust Him today.
God’s command for Christian parents to teach their children about Him and His promises is still active today. Parents aren’t supposed to hide their faith from their children, nor should they let their children choose their own way. Just as it’s a mom or dad’s job to teach a small child not to play in traffic, parents must also teach children the danger of sin and the safety to be found in God.
Sadly, however, many churches today believe children aren’t able to learn the truths of God. They’re worried children will get confused or bored with church. So they separate the children from the rest of the congregation. And instead of including them as part of God’s covenant family, the children are sent to something called “children’s church.”
Now, many of these churches mean well. “Children’s church” often includes fun programs with crafts, plays, and games for children, and many times, these fun activities mention Jesus in them. They might even sing fun songs about Jesus.
But when these churches send their children away from worship with the rest of the congregation, they end up hiding God’s promises and faithfulness from the children–even if they don’t mean to. And this is not what Jesus tells us to do. Instead, in Matthew 19:14, Jesus says,
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them…”
When children are kept out of worship with the rest of God’s family, they’re being hindered, or kept from coming to Jesus. By being sent away, the children aren’t hearing God’s Word preached. These churches are basically telling the children that God’s Word is too hard for them, and they shouldn’t even try to understand it.
God didn’t tell Joshua, “Give the children only fun arts and crafts with a Bible story, and one day—only after they grow up—will they be ready to hear God’s Word with the grownups.” No, He commanded the Israelite adults to teach their children the truth about God and His promises. And He even gave them signs, such as these stones, so they wouldn’t forget.
And just as God didn’t want the Israelite children to forget, He doesn’t want you to forget today, either. Because all of God’s covenant children are precious to Him. He wants them to know of His love and faithfulness. He wants children like you to know, too.
So sleep in peace. The God who loves you is a Promise Keeper. And He will keep you tonight.
Discussion Questions
1. Why did God want the Israelites to make a big pile of twelve stones?
2. Why was it important for the Israelite children to learn about all that God had done for them and their parents and grandparents?
3. Why is it important that you know all about the promises God kept in the Bible? How are you learning about God’s promises today?
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