Memorials Are for Victories -Not Failures!

'The Survivor Tree'

     After 9/11, there was great debate what to do with the site where the Twin Towers fell in NYC. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should never be rebuilt, and a memorial was erected in its place instead. Today, millions of people go to the 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial & Museum to remember those who died from the 2001 attacks, and our countries response to them. There is also the famous 'Survivor Tree' that was found still alive in the rubble. It was removed for rehabilitation where it healed and regrew. Once the memorial was completed the tree was brought back where it now "stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival and rebirth."

     From the earliest recordings of man we read about memorials being built as testimonies for victories and major events of the time. Tombstones are put up to remember loved ones passed, landmarks are preserved to remind us of history, and monuments are erected for every great event, both glorious and tragic. It is the way of man to remind ourselves of who we are, where we come from, and what we can do.

     Our topic in Sunday School this morning was about Joshua and all the things the Lord did through him. The two primary focuses today were the crossing of the Jordan River and the Fall of Jericho. Before Israel crossed the Jordan, the Lord had promised Joshua "I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you." (Joshua 3:7) With this promise stored in his heart, Joshua brought the people of Israel to the Jordan river where they crossed 'on dry land.'

     Just as God parted the Red Sea for Moses and the people 40 years prior, He parted the Jordan River for Joshua and a new generation of Israelite's. In faith they had packed up their camps, and prepared to cross over, the priests carried the Ark into the river in faith that the Lord would preserve them, and the moment their feet touched the edge the waters parted and they stood in the midst on dry ground while all of Israel passed over.

     After they had all crossed, Joshua 4 tells us that the Lord commanded Joshua to have the 12 tribes of Israel take 12 stones each from the place where the priests had stood and lay them down where they would lodge that night. Verse 5 describes that each stone was carried on their shoulders, indicating that they were large stones, and not small souvenirs. Classmate's in my Sunday School pointed out two things: One, 12 stones x's 12 tribes made 144 large stones. Two, the stones from a river would be noticeably different from land stones due to their smooth and rounded shapes. Indeed, a pile of such large stones would attract notice on dry land.

     What was the purpose of this? To set up a memorial of what the Lord had done for Israel that day. So, that every generation would see these 144 large stones and ask why they were retrieved from the river bed and why. And every generation would be told how the Lord parted the Jordan River for His people.

     Joshua Chapter 6 describes the marches around Jericho for seven days, the fall of the city, and faith and preservation of one prostitute woman because of her faith:

     The Israelite's obeyed the Lord completely, despite how illogical the instructions might have sounded to them. And because of their absolute faith and trust in the Lord, He brought down the walls of Jericho. (Archaeological findings reveal fallen brick walls where the city once stood. It is widely believed they had fallen due to an earthquake.) Now, while the falling of the walls is an incredible story, we have to remember that verses 20-21 state that the Israelite's still had to go in and take the city. God merely removed the walls. The people still had to fight for the victory. Yes, God could have just caused everyone to be swallowed up by the same earthquake that brought down the walls, but He wanted the Israelite's to earn their part in the victories too. (To this day He still does that with us. He tears down walls barring our way, but we still have work to do as well. God has not promised to everything for us, but rather that He will work together with us. The victory is ours when we fight on the side of the Lord.)

     The second part of that story is of Rehab, and how her faith saved both her and her families life. Both the Lord and Joshua honored the promise the two spies had made to her when she had helped them escape. And besides being accepted as a part of their nation, one of the two spies took her as a wife, and she became a part of the genealogy of "Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born." (Matthew 1) -I think that was God's way of setting up a memorial for Rehab. And I believe she must have been a woman of great faith and love throughout all of her life. The evidence is that of her son, Boaz, when he showed a considerable amount of compassion on the Moabitess woman, Ruth, when she left her own homeland to take care of her mother-in-law in a foreign land. Again, another memorial of God's love and compassion that happened because of Rahab's faith. (I believe that every person, whose life we have touched in some way for the Lord, is a memorial of our faith and obedience to God. Just as Boaz's heart was a tribute to his parents, so are the hearts of everyone who received Christ because of our faithfulness and love.)

     Joshua is remembered for his many victories and his faithfulness to God. He is revered throughout scripture, and some believe his faith was even stronger than Moses. In fact, the name 'Joshua' is actually from the Hebrew name   יְהוֹשֻׁעַ   (Yehoshu'a) meaning "YAHWEH is salvation." The Greek translation of the Aramaic short form   יֵשׁוּעַ   (Yeshu'a), which was the real name of Jesus, the Christ.

     Yet, the Joshua of the Old Testament was not perfect. In Joshua 9 we read about the 'Gibeonite's Deception.' Knowing they could not stand against the Israelite's they disguised themselves, pretending to be from a distant land, and persuaded the Israelite's to make a covenant of peace with them. Afterwards, Joshua discovered their deception. But he could not kill them because he had made the covenant. So, the Gibeonite's became of thorn in Israel for generations to come. -But what was Joshua's sin in this? Verse 14 tells us that Joshua and the elders made the covenant without seeking counsel from the Lord. Had they done this, they would not have been deceived, and the Gibeonite's would not have caused Israel grief years later.

     Thinking on these things in class, I realized something: While the incident is recorded in the Book of Joshua, it is not what he is remembered for. Rather, he is remembered for his faithfulness and obedience. His foolish decision resulted in generations of grief for Israel, but the Lord did not hold it over his head. And even Joshua did not let his error prevent him from moving forward for numerous victories and establishing the people of Israel in their inheritance. There are no stones erected to remind us of the consequences of Joshua's mistakes. They are only erected as a testimony of what God did through him.

     It is the same with us. God doesn't hold our sins and mistakes over our heads for us to be ashamed of. He wants us to blossom and thrive like the 'Survivor Tree' at Ground Zero: Rescued from death, healed, and restored, this tree bears many scars. Yet, it continues to blossom and bear fruit 'to this day.' It is no longer just another pretty fruit tree, but a symbol of hope to all who look upon it. Bad things happen, and there will always be pain and grief in our lives. But the beauty of belonging to the Lord is that He forgives us everything that we have ever done, and lifts us up from all the horror and devastation that once broke and buried us. Sadly, many of us build memorials of our failures in our hearts and minds. We allow them to weigh heavily on us, preventing us from being victorious in our lives, but that is not what He created us for.

     We have to give everything to the Lord and allow Him to tear down those Memorials of Fear and Failure just like He tore down the walls of Jericho. And in their place He will erect Memorials of Hope, Joy, Love, and Peace. These are the memorials that the Lord wants us to carry in our hearts. These are the memorials He wants at the foremost of our hearts and minds. And when conflict arises, and the enemy speaks out accusations against us, we can look to our memorials and remember where we came from and all that He has done for us, who we are in Him, and all that we can do through Him.


     Those are the memorials He remembers us for.  

"I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

-Hebrews 8:12 (ESV)

The Survivor Tree in Blossom.