The Keepers of the Memorial

And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
(Jos 4:5-7 KJV)

I find it kind of interesting that the job of passing down the importance of a memorial was not that of the leadership but rather of the parents. The longer I pastor the more I am amazed at the apathy of parents. I have watched husbands and wives allow their children to wear things and to go places that they would personally feel convicted over wearing and doing.

Could it be that we are not passing down the importance of visiting and protecting the memorials that were erected by generations before?

It is like a child taking a Stradivarius out of the case and using the million-dollar instrument to hammer a nail. To him it has no value, and if someone does not explain to him that what he is using for a hammer is a valuable instrumental work of art, he will destroy it without a second thought or any feeling of loss.

It is the job of parents to pass down to their children what is important and what is valuable. This is done through teaching and instructing consistently. Through taking them back to the memorials and the old landmarks and explaining to them why these things are so precious and why they must be defended at all cost.

Many parents want to place this responsibility on the back of the public school, the church or the pastor, but the truth is that God has chosen the parents to teach and train their children. He said:

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

(Deu 6:6-7 KJV)

It is not an easy job, journeying to these memorials, many new roads do not take you by these old landmarks, there are no tour guides, no plaques to elaborate on the importance of this monument, no recognition by society as being a place that needs to be remembered. But these old monuments have a story to tell. They tell of God's provision, God's protection and God's power. They convey the importance of remaining faithful to God and the rewards of faithfulness.

Some would like to tear these memorials down, they say we don’t need these anymore, they say, they are outdated and antiquated. But to those who must cross this way they are hope and help to the tired and worn traveler.

It does not take long to tear down a memorial, but once it is torn down it is impossible to rebuild. Nowhere in scripture is there another instance where the Jordan River opens to allow a nation to pass through, no one else ever had the opportunity to gather stones from its midst. There are some things that must be protected at all cost because they cannot be rebuilt or redesigned. There must be a journey made to these memorials with children in hand, there must be a time of teaching about the importance of this memorial and what it stands for and the power it represents. If this does not happen, the memorial will without a doubt be destroyed and never remembered again. Our sacred landmarks are one generation from extinction and only the parents can protect them