legacy

  • The Victorious Life of Joshua Part 26

    Jos 4:4 Then #Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

    Jos 4:5 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:

    Jos 4:6 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?

     

    Exd 12:26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

    Exd 12:27 That ye shall say, It [is] the sacrifice of the LORD’S #passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

    Exd 13:11 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,

    Exd 13:12 That thou shalt set apart unto the #LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males [shall be] the LORD’S.

    Exd 13:13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

    Exd 13:14 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What [is] this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

    Exd 13:15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.

    Exd 13:16 And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.

     

    All that openeth

    1) firstborn, firstling, that which separates or first opens

     

    Matrix

    1) womb

    a) #womb

    b) womb-man, woman-slave, woman, two women

     

    This reference to the womb occurs a total of five times in scripture.

     

    Exd 34:19 All that openeth the #matrix [is] mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, [whether] ox or sheep, [that is male].

     

    Num 3:12     And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

     

    Num 18:15   Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, [whether it be] of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

     

    Opening the matrix is a reference to the firstborn, which opens the womb; among men, those shall be redeemed when brought to the priests, as well as any unclean animals. The redemption price at that time was five shekels, which were like the shekels of the sanctuary; or 20 gerahs.

     

    Shekel

    1) the chief unit of weight or measure

    a) gold – 1/10000 of a #talent and equal to 220 grains

    b) silver – 1/3000 of a talent and equal to 132 grains

    c) copper – 1/1500 of a talent and equal to 528 grains

     

    Gerah

    1) a weight, a 20th part of a shekel, equal to the weight of 16 barley grains or 4 to 5 carob beans

     

    Deu 6:20 [And] when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What [mean] the #testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?

     

    Jos 4:6 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?

    Jos 4:7 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.

     

    Effective #leaders look for ways to use the successes of today to empower their people for the challenges of tomorrow. Joshua did exactly that. Although God would work a miracle to allow the people to cross the Jordan on dry ground, Joshua knew that only those who saw the incident would remember it-and he wanted to leave a #legacy for the next generation, born long after the miracle occurred.

     

    The purpose of setting up these various types of stone #monuments, is to help the people of #Israel remember what God has done for them, and to pass on this information to their children, so that they remember and reverence the Lord as well.

     

    To accomplish this goal, Joshua devised a plan called, “The Stones of Remembrance.” The stones severed as “handles” to communicate what #God had done. Good leaders always provide “handles” to enable their people to grab hold of the vision.

     

    Jos 4:8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of #Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

    Jos 4:9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the #priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

     

    Effective leaders find a way to communicate future #vision and past victories, because their people need to be constantly reminded of both.