Holy History
Joshua 4:1-10a, 19-24
Review:
1. We need memorials to remind us of what God has done for us in the past because, under the pressure of today’s problems, we quickly forget His blessings
2. Memorials fuel our faith by giving us reason to rely upon God’s providence in the future
3. Remembering and rehearsing the truth about Jesus helps all of us to know Him or know Him better
Go further: Read Psalm 136
1. The second half of every verse says that God’s mercy, his faithful, covenant love for His people lasts forever. How is this thought a comfort to you? Why do you think the Psalmist repeats this same idea 26 times?
2. Why does the Psalmist thank God in verse 1? Why is this attribute of God so important to us?
3. How does the Psalmist identify God in verses 2 and 3 and 26? What do these titles tell us about God’s power?
4. Verses 4 through 9 describe the way God has revealed Himself in creation. What do we learn about God from these verses?
5. Verses 10 through 15 describe how God brought His people out of Egypt during the Exodus. What does this event tell us about God?
6. Verses 16 through 22 tell about how God dealt with His people during their time of wandering in the wilderness and then how He brought them into the land He chose to give them. What do these events tell us about God?
7. Have you ever been in the sort of situation described by verse 23? How has God demonstrated His love for you in times like these?
8. Verse 24 describes how God rescued His people. From what sort of dangerous situations has God rescued you?
9. What sort of blessing does verse 25 describe? How has God provided for your own daily needs?
Apply:
1. If you were going to write a song like Psalm 136 for yourself, celebrating how God has shown His love to you personally, what sorts of things would you include?
2. Since you know about the history of God’s people after the time Psalm 136 was written, how might you continue this psalm? What noteworthy events throughout church history would you want to include in it?
3. How might you extend this psalm to include the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as reasons to give God thanks and praise?
4. How does meditating on God’s mighty works in the past build your faith in God for the future?
