Joshua 12:1-6: a reflection

1Now these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel struck, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah eastward: 2Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the middle of the valley, and half Gilead, even to the river Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon; 3and the Arabah to the sea of Chinneroth, eastward, and to the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward, the way to Beth Jeshimoth; and on the south, under the slopes of Pisgah: 4and the border of Og king of Bashan, of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, 5and ruled in Mount Hermon, and in Salecah, and in all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. 6Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel struck them. Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession to the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

The book pauses to record a list of the kings whom Israel defeated and the lands God gave them to possess, a kind of memorial of God's faithfulness in giving what he had promised. These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel struck, the account begins, and possessed their land; and it lists them, king by king, region by region. The list is not merely a record of conquests, but a memorial of God's faithfulness: what God had promised, to give his people the land, he had done, and here the account records it, king by king, land by land, as a testimony to what God had accomplished for his people. Recording God's past faithfulness helps us remember it. This shows the value of recording and remembering God's past faithfulness. Keep a record of God's faithfulness, to remember what he has done. Recording God's past deeds is a memorial of his faithfulness. Remember what God has done, lest you forget it. God's past faithfulness, recorded, testifies to what he has accomplished.

Notice what this list really is: a memorial of God's faithfulness. On the surface it is a dry catalog of defeated kings and possessed lands; but beneath it is a record of God keeping his promise. God had promised to give his people the land, to bring them in and give them the inheritance; and here, king by king, land by land, the account records that he had done it. The list stands as a testimony, a memorial, of God's faithfulness in accomplishing what he had promised. This holds a lesson about remembering. It is good to record and remember the things God has done, his faithfulness in our own lives and history, lest we forget them. We are prone to forget God's past faithfulness, to lose sight of the specific ways he has helped, provided, delivered, and kept his promises; and forgetting his past faithfulness weakens our trust for the present and future. But recording and remembering God's deeds, keeping a memorial of his faithfulness, whether in writing, in memory, or in regular remembrance, helps us hold onto what he has done, and strengthens our trust that the God who was faithful before will be faithful still. We do well to keep a record of God's faithfulness, and to remember it. Record and remember God's past faithfulness, lest you forget it. Forgetting God's past deeds weakens our present trust. Keeping a memorial of God's faithfulness strengthens our trust. Remember the specific ways God has kept his promises.

That is worth taking to heart, for recording and remembering God's past faithfulness helps us hold onto what he has done and strengthens our trust, as the list of defeated kings stood as a memorial of God's faithfulness in giving the land. We can forget God's past faithfulness, losing sight of how he has helped and kept his promises, which weakens our trust; but the account recorded, king by king, that God had done what he promised, as a memorial. Remembering strengthens trust. Keep a record of God's faithfulness in your own life, and remember it, that you may trust the God who was faithful before to be faithful still. Keep a record of God's past faithfulness and remember it, lest you forget what he has done, as the book paused to record a list of the kings Israel defeated and the lands God gave them to possess, a memorial of God's faithfulness in giving what he had promised; for the list is not merely a record of conquests but a memorial beneath which lies God keeping his promise, since he had promised to give his people the land and here, king by king, land by land, the account records that he had done it, standing as a testimony to what God had accomplished, which holds a lesson about remembering, that it is good to record and remember the things God has done, his faithfulness in our own lives and history, lest we forget them, since we are prone to forget God's past faithfulness and lose sight of the specific ways he has helped, provided, delivered, and kept his promises, and forgetting his past faithfulness weakens our trust for the present and future, but recording and remembering God's deeds, keeping a memorial of his faithfulness, helps us hold onto what he has done and strengthens our trust that the God who was faithful before will be faithful still, so that we do well to keep a record of God's faithfulness and to remember it.

Lord, the book pauses to record a list of the kings whom Israel defeated and the lands you gave them to possess, a kind of memorial of your faithfulness in giving what you had promised. These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel struck, the account begins, and possessed their land; and it lists them, king by king, region by region. The list is not merely a record of conquests, but a memorial of your faithfulness: what you had promised, to give your people the land, you had done, and here the account records it, as a testimony to what you had accomplished for your people. Recording your past faithfulness helps us remember it. Show me what this list really is: a memorial of your faithfulness. On the surface it is a dry catalog of defeated kings and possessed lands; but beneath it is a record of you keeping your promise. You had promised to give your people the land; and here, king by king, land by land, the account records that you had done it. The list stands as a testimony, a memorial, of your faithfulness. This holds a lesson about remembering. It is good to record and remember the things you have done, your faithfulness in my own life and history, lest I forget them. I am prone to forget your past faithfulness, to lose sight of the specific ways you have helped, provided, delivered, and kept your promises; and forgetting your past faithfulness weakens my trust for the present and future. But recording and remembering your deeds, keeping a memorial of your faithfulness, helps me hold onto what you have done, and strengthens my trust that you who were faithful before will be faithful still. Take that to my heart, for recording and remembering your past faithfulness strengthens my trust. Help me keep a record of your faithfulness in my own life, Lord, and remember it, lest I forget what you have done, that I may trust you who were faithful before to be faithful still.