The Victory side of Life. # 5 of a series.
The Memorial of Victory by Gerald Van Horn
Joshua 4:19-24, 5:9
In today’s setting Israel has crossed the Jordan and is on the other side. They are about to establish a beachhead in Canaan. Battles and blessings lay just ahead. There is no way that you can have one without the other. Israel comes to a place called Gilgal. Gilgal means rolling off or rolling away. Gilgal becomes a place for all the operations for Joshua. Time and time again he returns to Gilgal. It was a place of victory.
Many of God’s people have established a beachhead in the land of blessing. They have entered by faith. They are overcoming sin. They are filled with the Holy Spirit. They are under the guidance of the Word of God. They have committed the battle to the Lord. But what about you? Where are you in this journey? People have said to me, “I’m behind you 100%.” Bless your heart I needed them beside me and at times in front of me.
There are six essential lessons to learn from this section of Scripture. Today I will mention two of them.
1. Gilgal is a place of remembrance.
The stones were placed in a pile in the middle of the Jordan (4:9) and one pile on the other side (4:3) as a token of victory. The ones in the Jordan could only be seen at certain times of the year. The stones on the bank of the river were later set up at Gilgal.v.20. God said they were to be a reminder to Israel and to generations to come. When one would ask, ”What meaneth these stones?” The elders could explain to them why they were there. “These stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel.”4:7.” then ye shall let your children know, saying, “Israel came over this Jordan on dry ground.” 4:22.
The Bible tells us some things we are to remember.
*Remember the commandments. Number 15:39-40
*Remember God. Deuteronomy 8:18
*Remember the Creator. Ecclesiastes 12:1
*Remember the former things. Isaiah 46:9
*Remember Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. 2 Timothy 2:8
*Remember those in bonds. Hebrews 13:3
*Remember those who have rule over you. Hebrews 13:7
*Remember from whence you are fallen. Revelation 2:5
(taken from Dake’s Annotated Bible)
There is one more to remember. The Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 “And when he had given thanks, he brake it (referring to the bread) and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do also, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me”.
The Lord‘s supper is the place of remembrance for God’s New Testament church. We remember His death on Calvary. It was there that the awful price for our sins was paid.
As the Priest stood firm v.10. Jesus also stood firm. He finished all that the Father had commanded Him to do. When He was on the cross He said, “It is finished”. The word in the Greek is “Tetelestai.” It is a commercial word. It means there was a price to be paid and Jesus paid it in full. The wages of sin is death. Now there are no little sins. There are no big sins. All sin questions were settled at Calvary.
Illustration: There is no way that we can come to God on our own merits. Suppose that in order for you to get into heaven you had to broad jump 28 feet over a bottomless pit. Some people would try their best but they would always come up short. Others would not even try. They would say, “What’s the use I’ll never make it!” They are so right for even an Olympic jumper could not do it.
Jesus made a way where there was no way. On the cross Jesus endured the wrath of God, the infinite wrath of God. Even the sun hid its face as the God-Man descended into hell for us.
Not only did the priests go into the water but all the people as well 3:17. Not only did Jesus die on the cross but you and I died with Him.
Galatians 2:20 “ I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
2 Corinthians 5:14 “for the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that, if one died for all, then were all dead.”
Romans 6:4 “Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
2. Gilgal was a place of Resurrection.
The very meaning of the word Gilgal that means “ rolled away.” This suggests that it was a new beginning for them. The children of Israel are in the land of promise. A new place. No more wilderness wandering. The reproach of the old life is rolled away. If we have died with Christ then we have also risen with Christ. The stone was rolled away over 2000 years ago. Our Lord is triumphant! We are triumphant! Ephesians 2:5-6 “as many as were dead in sin, God hath quickened us up together with Christ.”
3. Gilgal is a place of obedience.
Joshua 1:16 And they answered Joshua saying, “All that thou commandest us we will do, and wherever thou sendest us, we will go”.
* They followed Joshua
* They followed the priests into the water.
* They went across on dry ground.
* They placed the stones of remembrance.
* They prepared for warfare.
I Samuel 15:22 “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams.” Jesus said; “if you love me keep my commandments.”
* We are to obey the Lord.
* We are to follow the Lord.
* We are to obey our spiritual leaders.
* We are to remember the Lord’s death.
* We are to live like new creatures in Christ Jesus
