Psalm 44:1

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

God’s mercy has an everlasting timetable, even though Korah and others were swallowed up by the earth as a punishment from the Lord for rising up against Moses, God does not lay the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons. Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” This is a great and merciful verse that we read here. It typifies the mercy God has on us, even though our first father Adam sinned against the Lord, God still had mercy on some and would not allow those for whom He died be sent to hell to pay for their sins.

Now, what was it that they heard? What work did God do for them? When were the times of old? Surely God has written so much in the Bible that we can turn almost anywhere in it and find some wonderful work that He did for a group of people or person in particular. All this took place at the earliest about 2000 years ago. So no matter where we read, it will always be “…in the times of old.” for us. But specifically we can turn to Joshua Chapter 4 and read how God had the children of Israel pass through the Jordan river.

Joshua 4:5-9 “And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.”

The stones that were brought out of the Jordan river typified those whose hearts were made of stone but which the Lord saved out of hell. This is God’s sovereign right to elect those whom He would. And the stones that were set up in the midst of the Jordan river are representing those whom God allows to continue in their sin and who must pay for their sins in hell at the end of time.

Pastor Alfred J. Chompff