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Joshua 4:1-24 (NLT)

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¹ When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ² "Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. ³ Tell them, 'Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.'" ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' ⁷ Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's Covenant went across.' These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever." ⁸ So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there. ⁹ Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day. ¹⁰ The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the Lord's commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed. ¹¹ And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the Lord as the people watched. ¹² The armed warriors from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh led the Israelites across the Jordan, just as Moses had directed. ¹³ ¹⁴ That day the Lord made Joshua a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites, and for the rest of his life they revered him as much as they had revered Moses. ¹⁵ The Lord had said to Joshua, ¹⁶ "Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to come up out of the riverbed." ¹⁷ So Joshua gave the command. ¹⁸ As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the Lord's Covenant came up out of the riverbed and their feet were on high ground, the water of the Jordan returned and overflowed its banks as before. ¹⁹ The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. ²⁰ It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River. ²¹ Then Joshua said to the Israelites, "In the future your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean?' ²² Then you can tell them, 'This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. ²⁴ He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord's hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever."

This passage relates to the following topic(s):
(v. 24) Fear - Purpose for drying up the Jordan was for them to always fear the LORD
(v. 24) Strength / Sovereignty / Power - Purpose for drying up the Jordan was for God's power to be known

This passage is referenced in the following quiet time(s):
(v. 7) Teach Us To Pray - Alone and in Private (2008-09-10)
(v. 21) Power of Gratitude - Here I Raise My Ebenezer (2008-03-06)
(v. 22) Power of Gratitude - Here I Raise My Ebenezer (2008-03-06)

Definition(s):
Gilgal (Gil-gal): wheel; rolling; heap
Israel (Iz-rehl): who prevails with God
Israel (Is-ra-el): who prevails with God
Jordan (Jor-dan): the river of judgment
Joshua (Josh-oo-a): a savior; a deliverer
Joshua (Yesh-oo-a): a savior; a deliverer
Manasseh (Man-ass-e): forgetfulness; he that is forgotten
Moses (Moh-ziz): taken out; drawn forth
So (Soh):