The Biblical Message of Memorial Day (2023)

On Monday, the nation will be remembering those who have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that we, the people of the United States, could continue to live in peace and prosperity. It should be a very sobering day, and one that should be commemorated down through our generations. My own father served in WW II, and I have had the privilege to serve those who have served us through a ministry at one of the Fisher Houses at Fort Sam Houston. 

Those who have gone before us [and paid the price] should never be forgotten. I hope that everyone honors Memorial Day for what it really is: a day to remember and commemorate the people and events of our history.  And in context of the Bible, the meaning of the Hebrew word for memorial is actually “to remember.”  And God makes it very clear that He feels memorials serve a valuable purpose: to remind us of all He has done for us. 

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Joshua 4:1-24.  The Lord was finally delivering His People into their inheritance, and had appointed Joshua to lead the tribes of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua was given very specific directions ... have the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of the people into the Jordan, and God would stop the flow of the river (which always overflowed its banks during this harvest time). The priests were to stop on this dry ground, in the midst of the Jordan, while the people of Israel passed to the opposite shore.

Then the Lord instructed Joshua to send one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to where the priests were standing, and to gather a rock from the riverbed. They were to bring them back to where the people were lodging on the west bank.  The purpose for these 12 stones was very important to God: "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever."

This very visible memorial would be a reminder to all future generations that the Lord of all the earth had delivered them out of the land of Egypt and into the Land that had been promised to their ancestor, Abraham.  The memorial of stones would cause each succeeding generation to ask of their meaning, and then be reminded of all that the Lord of all the earth had done for them.  It would be a lasting reminder and memorial forever of the goodness of God.

 

But I love it that Joshua, himself, also erected a memorial in the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood in the dry riverbed.  Perhaps he wanted to offer a personal memorial to God, separate from the corporate one that would be erected on the west bank of the Jordan.  But I think there is a much more consequential meaning to Joshua's actions. We must take note that once the priests continued with the Ark of the Covenant and set their feet upon dry ground on the opposite bank, the waters of the Jordan were released and this memorial was buried under the raging waters, never to be seen by anyone. Is there significance to this memorial, as well?

 

Perhaps we can glean some meaning from the waters of the Jordan as being symbolic of judgment, just as the waters of The Flood condemned all corrupted flesh in Genesis 6; and the waters of the Red Sea buried the Egyptians; and Jonah was buried under the waters during his own judgment.  Then there is Hosea 5:6, when God says, "I will pour out my wrath on them like water".

 

 If this is interpretation is a possibility, what is the difference between the two memorials?  Why is one established in the Promised Land, and one is buried under the Jordan River?  If water is judgment, then it makes sense to me that the memorial on the west bank is a picture of being saved from the waters of Judgment.  The Ark of the LORD, which typologically points to Christ, stood in the midst of the Jordan, holding back the waters and allowing the stones to be brought up and erected on the shore as a memorial and sign of God's Deliverance.

 

But the other memorial of stones was covered by the Jordan. They cannot be a sign of deliverance because they cannot be seen. Those stones are a warning! It was Joshua alone (whose name means YHWH is Salvation) who did the work of setting up the twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan.  It is not only Joshua's name that points to Jesus, but his actions. Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead. Those 12 stones are a warning about death and judgment! If people do not repent and trust in Jesus, they remain in the miry clay of a river— and that river will overflow in judgment at death.

 

Those 12 stones represent the unredeemed, who have rejected Jesus and are buried in death by the righteous judgment of God… “and they are there to this day”.  But here is the really sad part... they will never be seen or inquired about. They were quickly forgotten and there would be no evidence of them for the rest of eternity.

 

As we celebrate this Memorial Day established by our nation, it is my prayer that we would share our own memories of what the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has done in our individual lives. Don't let the unsaved think they are safe on whatever dry ground they are standing upon. Tell them how they can be saved from the waters of judgment. Tell them how, through the work of Jesus in saving and sanctifying them, they can be a memorial stone of remembrance of God’s goodness and saving grace.  Let this Memorial Day mark a new remembrance of the work of the Lord in our nation. 

 

Now, in the patriotic sense of this holiday, I am dedicating this post and blog to the memory of Captain John Hardy, USAF, a pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam. At the age of 16, I wore an MIA bracelet bearing his name, and I wore it for years. It wasn't until around the year 2000, that I discovered that there was a website where you could find out the status of MIA/POW soldiers in the VietNam War, that I learned of his fate. Throughout the years, I had always prayed for him, and hoped he had made it home. I was devastated to find out that he died in the jungles of that far-off country.  I never knew him, but he was more than a name on a silver bracelet.  In the year 2004, I had the opportunity to visit the VietNam War Memorial in Washington D.C., and the impact of that long black marble wall with all those names on it was overwhelming.  I have a pencil rub of his name, and I keep it in the Bible my grandmother gave me, and I will honor his memory for the rest of my life. Here is his official status as listed on THE WALL, a website devoted to those who gave their lives in that war:  

 

Captain John Charles Hardy, USAF

Length of service 8 years

His tour began on Jan 15, 1968

Casualty was on Apr 3, 1968

In NORTH VIETNAM

Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - CREW

AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND

Body was recovered

 

Psalm 116:15     Precious [and of great consequence] in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them].

 

 

 

  

Memorial Day 2021: Honoring The Sacrifice

Today begins "Memorial Day weekend", although the official holiday is Monday, May 31st.  It is the day that our country remembers and honors those men and women who have died in the service of our country.  It is also a day that we honor all veterans who have selflessly contributed to the safety and protection of our nation.

The Bible is full of stories of such warriors ... Samson, David and Joshua are memorialized as valiant protectors of their people.  And from Isaac Davis, the first officer to be killed in the American Revolutionary War, to Nathan Chapman, the first American soldier to be killed in combat in the war in Afghanistan, this nation has seen no shortage of men and women who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the ideals this country stands for.

Sure, we all like to hang flags [and wave them] on this day, but let's not let the celebration with BBQ and beer exceed the spirit of this solemn holiday.  Don't just hang a flag outside your door.  Tell your children and grandchildren why you are making that statement.  And then make sure they know the cost of their freedoms.  The numbers don't lie.  Historians think that nearly 25,000 Americans died establishing our freedom from Great Britain.  Over 600,000 soldiers died in the Civil War; over 500,000 in WWI and WWII, with 140,000 buried throughout military cemeteries in Europe.  We lost nearly 68,000 brave Americans in the rice fields and jungles of VietNam, and, as of February of this year, 7036 have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Have these all been "righteous" wars? ... I think, you know the answer to that. But that is squarely laid at the feet of politicians and the New World Order. Today, my goal is to recognize and commemorate the memories of those who fought for the right reasons.  This is about one person laying down his life for another.  This holiday is about what America stands for, and those who fought to preserve that ideal.  Let's recapture what America symbolizes.

This weekend, through Monday, let's be reminded of what William Gladstone, the leading British statesman of the Victorian era, who served as Britain's Prime Minister [four times] said, "Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals." For me, those high ideals are the moral principles established by our God in His Word. These are all principles we are in danger of losing [as evidenced over the last couple of years]. And I would like to offer them to all of you .... those who served and are remembering their fallen comrades; and to those of us who have not served on the battlefield, but will pray with you [and for you] as you salute and mourn those that have died. Think upon these Scriptures and these sentiments as you celebrate Memorial Day this year ...

• No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. (John 14:13)

• "The brave never die, though they sleep in dust: Their courage serves a thousand living men." –Minot J. Savage (Pastor and Author, 1918)

• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

• "Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it." –Unknown

•  Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my great strength, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle; My [steadfast] lovingkindness and My fortress, My high tower and my rescuer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge.... (Psalm 144:1-2)

• "This nation will remain the land of the free only as long as it is home of the brave." –Elmer Davis, Director of the United States Office of War Information during World War II 

Finally, reflect upon those words and the principles that motivated our citizens to pick up a gun and fight for freedom, both here and abroad. Memorial Day represents those who died protecting these important principles.  The memories of our Fallen Heroes deserve to be recognized.  Monday is not about hotdogs, hamburgers and family gatherings.  It's about restoring respect for the sacrifice made for you and me.  Let each of us do our part in restoring the true meaning of Memorial Day.  Dedicate one moment out of the day to give thanks to a veteran who did his part for this great country of ours.  We owe them that .... and so much more.  

I am dedicating this post and blog to the memory of Captain John Hardy, USAF, a pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam.  At the age of 16, I wore an MIA bracelet bearing his name, and I wore it for years. It wasn't until around the year 2000, that I discovered that there was a website where you could find out the status of MIA/POW soldiers in the VietNam War, that I learned of his fate.  Throughout the years, I had always prayed for him, and hoped he had made it home.  I was devastated to find out that he died in the jungles of that far-off country.  I never knew him, but he was more than a name on a silver bracelet.  In the year 2004, I had the opportunity to visit the VietNam War Memorial in Washington D.C., and the impact of that long black marble wall with all those names on it was overwhelming.  I have a pencil rub of his name, and I keep it in the Bible my grandmother gave me, and I will honor his memory for the rest of my life.  Here is his official status as listed on THE WALL, a website devoted to those who gave their lives in that war:   

Captain John Charles Hardy, USAF

Length of service 8 years

His tour began on Jan 15, 1968

Casualty was on Apr 3, 1968

In , NORTH VIETNAM

Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - CREW

AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND

Body was recovered

 

Psalm 116:15     Precious [and of great consequence] in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them].

 

 

 

John 15:23

Greater love has no one than this, 

that someone lay down his life for his friends.

 

 

     Today the nation will be remembering those who have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that we, the people of the United States, could continue to live in peace and prosperity. It should be a very sobering day, and one that should be commemorated down through our generations. My own father served in WW II, and I have had the privilege to serve those who have served us through a ministry at one of the Fisher Houses at Fort Sam Houston, and to work with a special group of female veterans who have hearts to serve their own.  But those who have gone before us [and paid the ultimate price] should never be forgotten.  

     I hope that everyone honors Memorial Day for what it really is: a day to remember and commemorate the people and events of our history.  And in context of the Bible, the meaning of the Hebrew word for memorial is actually “to remember.”  And God makes it very clear that He feels memorials serve a valuable purpose: to remind us of all He has done for us. 

      One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Joshua 4:1-24.  The Lord was finally delivering His People into their inheritance, and had appointed Joshua to lead the tribes of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua was given very specific directions ... have the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of the people into the Jordan, and God would stop the flow of the river (which always overflowed its banks during this harvest time).  The priests were to stop on this dry ground, in the midst of the Jordan, while the people of Israel passed to the opposite shore.  

     Then the Lord instructed Joshua to send one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to where the priests were standing, and to gather a rock from the riverbed. They were to bring them back to where the people were lodging on the west bank.  The purpose for these 12 stones was very important to God: "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever."

     This very visible memorial would be a reminder to all future generations that the Lord of all the earth had delivered them out of the land of Egypt and into the Land that had been promised to their ancestor, Abraham.  The memorial of stones would cause each succeeding generation to ask of their meaning, and then be reminded of all that the Lord of all the earth had done for them.  It would be a lasting reminder and memorial forever of the goodness of God.

     But I love it that Joshua, himself, also erected a memorial in the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood in the dry riverbed.  Perhaps he wanted to offer a personal memorial to God, separate from the corporate one that would be erected on the west bank of the Jordan.  But I think there is a much more consequential meaning to Joshua's actions.  We must take note that once the priests continued with the Ark of the Covenant and set their feet upon dry ground on the opposite bank, the waters of the Jordan were released and this memorial was buried under the raging waters, never to be seen by anyone.  Is there significance to this memorial, as well? 

      Perhaps we can glean some meaning from the waters of the Jordan as being symbolic of judgment, just as the waters of The Flood condemned all corrupted flesh in Genesis 6; and the waters of the Red Sea buried the Egyptians; and Jonah was buried under the waters during his own judgment.  Then there is Hosea 5:6, when God says, "I will pour out my wrath on them like water".

     If this interpretation is a possibility, what is the difference between the two memorials?  Why is one established in the Promised Land, and one is buried under the Jordan River?  If water is judgment, then it makes sense to me that the memorial on the west bank is a picture of being saved from the waters of Judgment.  The Ark of the LORD, which typologically points to Christ, stood in the midst of the Jordan, holding back the waters and allowing the stones to be brought up and erected on the shore as a memorial and sign of God's Deliverance.

     But the other memorial of stones was covered by the Jordan. They cannot be a sign because they cannot be seen.  Those stones are a warning! It was Joshua alone (whose name means YHWH is Salvation) who did the work of setting up the twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan.  It is not only Joshua's name that points to Jesus, but his actions. Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead.  Those 12 stones are a warning about death and judgment!  If people do not repent and trust in Jesus, they remain in the miry clay of a river — and that river will overflow in judgment at death.

     Those 12 stones represent the unredeemed, who have rejected Jesus and are buried in death by the righteous judgment of God… “and they are there to this day”.  But here is the really sad part... they will never be seen or inquired about. They were quickly forgotten and there would be no evidence of them for the rest of eternity.

    As we celebrate the Memorial Day established by this nation, it is my prayer that we would share our own memories of those who so bravely gave their lives as a testimony of their belief and faithfulness to this country. Do not let those memories be buried and those men and women forgotten. But let us also share what the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has done in our individual lives. Don't let the unsaved think they are safe on whatever dry ground they are standing upon. Tell them how they can be saved from the waters of judgment.  Tell them how, through the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, and the work of Jesus in saving and sanctifying them, they can be a memorial stone of remembrance of God’s goodness and rulership. Let this Memorial Day mark a new remembrance of the work of the Lord in our nation.