Why Thanksgiving? (Joshua 4:1-9 )                                                            2009.11.15                                 Pastor Bernie Chung

We have many reasons to be thankful for when we celebrate Thanksgiving Day.  It is about giving thanks to the Lord for His saving grace and for watching over us through the storms in our life.  We ought to be the most thankful people in the world.

It is our human nature that we tend to forget more than we can remember.  Because we are forgetful, that is why we need various things to remind ourselves of special events.  The first thing that may come to our mind is an Old Testament event.  After the flood, God told Noah, “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13) Whenever we see the rainbow, we are reminded of God’s promise that He will never destroy the earth by water again.

Another interesting reminder was when Joshua led the people of Israel across the River Jordan. Remember, the water stopped flowing just as the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the water.  While they were crossing, Joshua asked twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes, to go into the middle of the riverbed and pick up twelve large stones upon their shoulders.  They brought those stones up onto the riverbank and made a monument out of them there.

Today when we express our Thankfulness we should know clearly why we should give thanks to God, and how we should give thanks to Him.

After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, Moses and the Israelites under Moses leadership arrived at the River Jordan.  In Joshua Chapter 1, Moses is dead and the Lord now commands Joshua to lead the Israelites to cross the river and enter into the land He had promised.  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

We all like to be successful.  Some people dislike failure to the point that they give up in making goals so that they can avoid failure. One should not give up when we encounter difficulties. With the encouragement and promise from the Lord, Joshua now makes plan and attempts to cross the river.

According to Joshua 3:1-4, we noticed that they had to wait for three days.  They had been wandering and waiting for 40 years.  Three additional days would not make a drastic difference.  Yet this delay is a necessary preparation for the entire people of Israel.  This is the moment they need to make up their mind before they set foot into the river.  This is the moment for them to focus on God’s promise if anyone of them decides to cross and enter into the Promise Land.

Moses got to the edge of the river and never crossed over. In fact many of us arrive at the edge of a river in our lives and never cross over.  Some of us can only see the promises but never obtain them because it requires us to leave our comfort zone before taking the first step of faith.   If we ever expect to get past our obstacles and enter our Canaan, the Promise Land, we must learn to follow God and keep our eyes on Him.

The people of Israel stayed for three extra days, waiting for the direction of the Lord.  Now, Joshua asked the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5) Sanctify yourselves simply means to set yourselves apart and be consecrated.  Adequate preparation is very essential in accomplishing a set goal.  One may realize that opportunity may pass before our eyes because we have not prepared well. 

Upon crossing the river, one from each tribe is asked to carry extra burden, a large stone from the middle of the river.  Moving multitude of people across the river is not an easy task.  Why the added weight and seemingly unnecessary burden?  Actually, these stones were to be a sign to future generation, reminding them of the power of God, and His faithfulness.  We all need to be reminded from time to time.  It varies, though, only in a matter of degrees.

The purpose of the twelve stones, in addition to being a sign for future generation, is to remind them to express their thankfulness to God that is due Him.  Let us not pass the opportunity to make our thankful heart known during this season of Thanksgiving, or at any time during the year.  Surely, we ought to be the most thankful people in the world for what the Lord has done for us.  In fact, each one of us can stand before God to be a living stone (a member of the Body of Christ, 1 Peter 2:19), a witness for His goodness and grace in our life.  

In the midst of good and fun activities of the season, may our Thanksgiving be a time ever close to our Lord and savior.