And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,  Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,  And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

God commands Joshua to build a memorial

God's call and command to Joshua is clear. He did not need to pray or seek a sign. He understood exactly what God wanted, for God had told him plainly. “Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,  And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.”

Joshua did not question, hesitate or wait. He simply acted as God had commanded and he and the nation of Israel built the first memorial of the Promised land.

God Commands Us to Build Memorials

I believe based upon the word of God, that we are still to be building memorials. God speaks directly to us from His word and his instructions, His commands are never vague or difficult to understand. They are crystal clear and supernaturally recorded without error for us in scripture.

Isaiah 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Deut 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

When we hear God speak to us in His Word and submit to His authority, then just like Joshua and Israel the actions that follow our obedience is how we build memorials, not with stones but with our lives, our sacrifices, and our commitments.

I believe we should understand that every commandment of the Lord and our obeidance to that Word is the way in which we build a memorial with our life. Something that is lasting, glorifies God and tells others of our love and devotion to Him.

What are some of those commands that God gives us today. In a sense, these are the commands that we as Christians will act as we build our memorials to God.

Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Luke 17:3-4 If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Other scriptural commands that tell us to grow, to give, to raise up our children and love our spouses. Commands that like the memorials at Gilgal, will change the shape of our world.

Joshua and the Israelites were instructed by their God and they carried out those commands. Obedience to our God is not something that can be lightly passed over, it cannot be ignored, or pushed to the bottom of our list of priorities. God expects us to act, to obey

Here is what God said through Samuel, notice this sharp comparison.

1 Samuel 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

The Creator and Sustainer of the universe, our Redeemer, Savior and Lord speaks to us, calls on us, commands us and commissions us. Dare we not listen? Dare we not obey? Do we think that obedience and the commands of God are just an old Testament thing. A legalism that is now past.

The Last Lesson Jesus Taught the Apostles Before the Crucifixion.

Look what Jesus told the disciples in John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

That’s not legalism. That’s not the Old Covenant, that is the love of the New Testament written in the shed blood of Jesus, my Savior. A love that is seen by our obedience to the Word of God.

Jesus’ love enables and moves us to obey His commands. When we do what He asks us to do,  then like the people of Israel that day in Joshua 4, build a memorial for others to see what God has done and what He is doing in and through us.