So That The Children Will Know: Building a Legacy of Faith
Joshua 4:1-9 (ESV)
Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan
4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,2“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,3and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”4Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.5And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’7then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
8And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down[a]there.9And Joshua set up[b]twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.
Introduction
When God brought Israel across the Jordan River, He instructed Joshua to build a memorial of twelve stones. At first glance, these stones appear to be a monument commemorating a great miracle. Yet God had a much greater purpose
in mind. He declared that one day the children would ask, "What do these stones mean?" That question would provide the
opportunity to tell the story of God's faithfulness.
The stones were never the legacy. They simply pointed to it.
The true legacy was the knowledge of God being faithfully passed from one generation to the next.
The word legacy refers to something of lasting value that is passed on. While people often think of wealth or possessions, Scripture points us to a far greater inheritance—a legacy of faith. Joshua 4 reminds us that God desires every generation to know Him, and He has entrusted His people with the responsibility of making Him known.
I. The Responsibility of Building a Legacy of Faith
The memorial at the Jordan was God's idea, not Joshua's. Before Israel moved forward into the Promised Land, God instructed twelve men to take stones from the riverbed and establish a memorial. The purpose was not simply to remember the miracle, but to create opportunities for future generations to hear about God's faithfulness.
This principle appears throughout Scripture. God commanded Israel in Deuteronomy 6 to teach His Word diligently to their children. The psalmist declared in Psalm 78, "We will not hide them from their children," affirming that God's mighty works are never meant to remain private. Jesus Himself welcomed children and made them an important part of His earthly ministry.
Building a legacy of faith is therefore not merely the responsibility of parents. Every believer has relationships through which God desires to reveal Himself. Whether we are parents, grandparents, mentors, teachers, neighbors, or friends, we all possess opportunities to influence someone toward Christ.
The responsibility God gave to Joshua has now been entrusted to the Church. Every generation must intentionally pass on the knowledge of God to the next.
II. The Purpose of Building a Legacy of Faith
Why has God chosen to work this way? Why does He entrust His people with the responsibility of passing on the faith?
First, because our God is a relational God.
Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself through
relationships. From the Garden of Eden to the ministry of Jesus Christ, God's desire has always been to have a relationship with His people. Jesus summarized the entire Law by pointing to two relationships: loving God and loving our neighbor.
Faith therefore grows best in the context of relationships. Joshua did not say that God Himself would answer the children's questions. Instead, he instructed parents to answer them. God intentionally chose people to reveal Himself to other people.
Every relationship we have becomes an opportunity to demonstrate Christ and nurture another person's faith.
Second, our God desires every generation to know Him.
Joshua reminded Israel that the God who parted the Jordan was the same God who had parted the Red Sea. The older generation experienced one miracle, while the younger generation experienced another, but both encountered the same faithful God.
The Lord's Table continues this same pattern today. Just as Israel remembered God's deliverance through the Jordan, we remember God's redemption through the Cross. Every generation receives the testimony of God's saving work and becomes responsible for passing it on.
Christianity has always advanced one generation, telling the next, "Let me tell you what the Lord has done."
III. Building the Legacy of Faith
How then do we build a legacy of faith?
First, we live a faith worth passing on.
Joshua could tell the story because he had personally
experienced God's faithfulness. Likewise, our testimony gains
credibility when it flows from a genuine relationship with Christ. Jesus modeled this perfectly. Before His disciples preached
the Gospel, they walked with Him. They watched Him pray, serve, forgive, and trust the Father. They learned as much from His life as they did from His teaching.
Our lives continue to teach those around us. People observe how we respond to trials, how we speak, how we pray, and where we place our trust. Before we ever speak about Christ, our lives are already communicating something about Him.
Second, we tell the story of God's faithfulness.
Joshua expected the children to ask about the stones, but the stones could never answer. God's people had to tell the story.
The same is true today. God has not called us to keep His faithfulness to ourselves. We are called to tell others how Christ has saved us, sustained us, forgiven us, and carried us through every season of life.
Ultimately, every testimony points beyond itself to the Cross. The Jordan pointed Israel to God's redeeming power. The Cross reveals God's greatest act of redemption through Jesus Christ. This is the story every generation must hear.
Conclusion
Looking back on our own lives, many of us recognize that God used numerous people to shape our faith. Parents, pastors, teachers, mentors, friends, and fellow believers all played a part. None of them fully knew the impact of their faithfulness, yet God used each of them to build a legacy that continues today. The same opportunity has now been entrusted to us.
We may never know the eternal impact of a conversation, a prayer, a lesson taught, or a faithful example lived. But God has not called us to measure the results. He has called us to be faithful.
One day our voices will be silent, but the Gospel must
continue to be proclaimed. May we therefore faithfully live for Christ and boldly proclaim His redeeming work so that those who come after us will know the Lord and place their hope in Him.
Church, let us be faithful to build a legacy of faith... so the
children will know.