Question #1

Picking up with our "stones of remembrance"

According to Joshua 4:3-9, 20-21, what is another reason for having "stones" of remembrance?

Joshua 4:3-9 (New International Version, ©2010)

³ and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

 ⁴ So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵ and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” 

Joshua 4:20-21 (New International Version, ©2010)

²⁰ And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. ²¹ He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’

Good Morning Jan. 17th, 2011

Father I come to you in the name of Jesus Your Son. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Father please bless our digital time together and help Michele and me to heal from our foot injuries. Also, I pray that Michele finds the time to get caught up in this study. Amen.

Farewell Jan. 13th, 2011

God consistently prompted His people in Scripture to remember and commemorate His benefits, most often with the use of stones. They rested on the shoulder of the ephod, acknowledging the 12 tribes. Stones were the first host of the written law of God; stones formed altars, and they were even used to represent a covenant in Genesis 31:44-54. 

Genesis 31:44-64 (New International Version, ©2010)

⁴⁴ Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”

 ⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.^[a]

 ⁴⁸ Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why it was called Galeed. ⁴⁹ It was also called Mizpah,^[b] because he said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

 ⁵¹ Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. ⁵²⁵³ May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me.

   So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴ He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

 ⁵⁵ Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.^[c]

 ^{Monday we will pick up our conversation about "Stones of Remembrance" Have a good weekend. ~Judy}

Question #8

Sometimes we are truly forgetful and sometimes we just choose not to remember. Remembering is a discipline that takes effort and focus. That's why God commanded remembrance and even provided ways to help His people remember. 
In the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy, God urged His people at least eight times not to forget what He had done for them. He told them to remember sixteen times. His reminders are like sticky notes or maybe even neon signs to help us reinforce and recall God's benefits, especially when our thought closets get cluttered or dim.

What did God have the nation of Israel use to prompt their memory? Read Exodus 28:9-12 and Deuteronomy 27:1-7 for  a hint!

Exodus 28:9-12 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ⁹ “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel ¹⁰ in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. ¹¹ Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings ¹² and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD. 

Deuteronomy 27 (New International Version, ©2010)

Deuteronomy 27

The Altar on Mount Ebal

 ¹ Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today. ²³ Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. ⁴ And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. ⁵ Build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them. ⁶ Build the altar of the LORD your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God. ⁷ Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God. ⁸ And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.” When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the LORD your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster.

Question #7

What do you think causes you to remember certain things and forget others?

Question #6

The first assessment simply shows how good you perceive your memory to be. But the two that follow tell a lot about what you "choose" to remember.

What do the number values in your last two posts reveal about your true ability to remember?

Question #5

When it comes to successes, compliments, or God's benefits, how good is your memory?
Same point system 1 being poor, 1 being excellent.