This Memorial Day we remember those who have fought in all the wars so that we could have the freedom we enjoy today. Many gave the supreme sacrifice of their lives to have the freedom we relish today. We have a Memorial as a reminder of what has been done on our behalf as citizens of the United States of America.
The Lord of glory gave Israel a feast of unleavened bread to observe and keep that is also more widely knows as the Passover. They were told to take a lamb without blemish on the 10th day of the first month and keep it up until the 14th day of the month and the whole assembly was to kill it in the evening. They would take the blood of the Lamb and sprinkle it on the two side posts and upper door posts of their houses. When the Lord passed through that night to execute the firstborn of every family and beast, he would see the blood on the houses and pass over that house so the first born was spared. There was a great cry in Egypt as all the firstborn was slain except the children of Israel which had the blood applied. Concerning this feast, the Lord told Israel, “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.” (Ex. 12:14). This was instituted as a memorial or reminder to Israel of the Lord’s deliverance from the curse of the first born.
Jesus Christ is the spotless Lamb of God that the Passover portrayed that shed His blood to spare the spiritual Israel family of God. God sees the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for specific sinners and those sinners are spared (passed over) and do not stand condemned but justified in the eyes of God. The Lord’s Supper of the bread and wine is a memorial to remind us of the tremendous sacrifice that Jesus made for our freedom from the curse of the law. This nation enjoys freedom because of the sacrifice of those who fought in all the great wars. The children of God enjoy freedom because Jesus Christ has fought and won the battle against sin that would have kept His children out of heaven. Isaiah crises out to, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. “Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.” (Isa. 40:2). Jesus is the only One who could win this war, and He was victorious. This is tremendous comfort indeed.
The children of Israel came to the Jordan River at flood stage and the priest’s feet entered into the water, and the Lord raised the waters in a a heap to make a passage for the people. Â Once they had came across, the Lord told Joshua to gather stones from the river and place them on this side Jordan where they would lodge that night. When their children would ask them in time to come “What mean ye these stones” they would say, “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.” (Josh. 4:7). Notice these stones (twelve stones) were to be a memorial or reminder of how the Lord made a seemingly impossible way for them.
Jesus was in the house of Simon, the leper, and there came a woman with an alabaster box of ointment most precious and poured it on the head of Jesus. There were those disciples that had indignation surmising that this might have been sold and given to the poor, but Jesus said “to let her alone” for she had wrought a good work on Him. She had come to anoint His body to the burying that would come. This that she had done was of such importance that Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.” (Matt. 26:13). This is a reminder that we need to be down at the feet of Jesus, but Jesus isn’t here in person, but His brethren are and Jesus says, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25:40).
The good things in service to God that we do also comes up before our God as a memorial as we have the example of Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian band. He was a devout man who prayed to God and gave alms always. The Bible says concerning this endeavor, “And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:4). Cornelius’ prayers and alms had come up as a memorial before God. God remembers all our good deeds no matter how small as Paul reminds us in Heb. 6:10: “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
There are some things worth remembering and there are some things worth forgetting, but the Lord is always worth remembering and thinking about. What a blessing to know what happens when those that fear the Lord  and think upon His name speak often one to another. “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” (Mal. 3:16).
What have we done that might be for a memorial in time to come? This is something to ponder and meditate upon in days to come.
