Memorials Remind Us

Memorials are to help us remember. The word memorial is found in the Authorized Bible 31 times. The first use is in Exodus 12:14 in reference to the tenth plague that God used to cause Pharoah to let His people leave bondage in Egypt in His institution of the Passover. It is to be rehearsed every year as a memorial of what God did for them then. It is also used in Joshua 4:7 when the leaders of each of the twelve tribes of Israel were told to pick up a stone as they crossed the Jordan river on dry ground when God parted the waters for them to cross into the Promised Land.  God wanted them to stack the stones on the other side of the Jordan as a memorial to remind them and to inform future generations of what God did for His people. The Hebrew word that is translated as memorial is also translated “remembrance” five times in several different books in the Old Testament. That Hebrew word is defined as a memento, a memorable thing, day, or event. Several places the Scriptures speaks of a memorial being written down so it would be recorded for future reference by others who did not actually experience the moment themselves. In fact, Jesus declared that the actions of a woman who honored Him before His crucifixion would be spoken of as a memorial of her in the future. Our nation is filled with memorials to remind us of the sacrifices others have made for our freedoms and the blessings of God on our nation in the past. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it is a time to remember and remind us of those who have sacrificed and made an impact on the freedoms we enjoy in our nation today. It is a time for us to recognize, reflect, and remember those who have touched our lives but are no longer with us. Jesus established a memorial with His disciples the night before His crucifixion when He took the bread and cup after the Passover to give them a remembrance of His suffering, shed blood, and death on the cross for them. The Apostle Paul called it the Lord’s Table in I Corinthians 11:20 when he was correcting the church at Corinth for not observing it properly and worshipfully in accordance with the record of Scripture.