When Joshua placed the fourth set of memorial stones, Ai had just been defeated. Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal, and they offered sacrifices to the Lord. On this altar (made of uncut stones), Joshua wrote a copy of the law. It was at this point that Israel gathered on two mountains (Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal) and exchanged the blessings and curses that Moses had commanded them to do before they entered the promised land. In Deuteronomy 27:26 this ceremony ends with these words, "'Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'"
We can have Scripture cross-stitched in beautiful designs all over our house. We can post beautifully scripted verses on the internet. We can put verses on our clothing, our purses, our jackets, our coffee mugs. We can have ten Bibles, Bible apps, devotion books, commentaries, and reference books all over our house. But if we don't actually follow the commands of God, it's worthless. Jesus said it Himself in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." We can't claim we love Jesus if we don't live by His words. It doesn't work. Instead we show Him contempt when we refuse to obey Him.
In a later letter, John goes a little further. We don't only show love for God by obeying His commandments, but we show love for others. 1 John 5:2-3 says, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." When asked which of the commandments was the greatest, Jesus responded that it was to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others as yourself. Obedience shows love.
While not everyone in the world has access to a Bible, there are more options than there have ever been before. In America, most Christian families each own their own Bible - most likely several. We have a Bible app on every device we own. There are websites that we can go to and read the Word in multiple versions with commentary. We have so many ways to read God's Word. That makes it even more sad when we don't obey. It's right there, all around us, but we act like we don't care.
I think because we have so much access to the Word, we don't internalize as we should. Psalm 119:11 says, "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." It's important to have God's Word in our hearts, in our minds, because it helps us to avoid sin. I know that when I face temptation it's a lot easier to combat it when a verse comes to mind. We can post Scriptures everywhere, but unless they're in our minds and written on our hearts (Heb. 8:10) it's so easy to ignore them.
The progression of these memorial stones is amazing. First God is faithful - always. Second, we are not faithful. We will sin. Third, God gives us second chances. Fourth, we keep God's Word in our hearts so that we can be obedient to Him. When we manage to obey His commands, then we don't have to suffer through the memorial stones of unfaithfulness or be given a second chance.
I challenge you to add verse memorization to your quiet time. It can be a verse that stood out to you that day during your Bible reading. You can look up verses on a topic (maybe something that you're struggling with right now) and memorize those. You can try to memorize a psalm or a chapter that means something to you. You can even attempt to memorize an entire book of the Bible. Whatever you attempt, I know that God will bless it and use it in amazing ways.
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