A crown for Joshua
“The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God.”
“The crown will be given . . . as a memorial in the temple of the LORD.” To which action we hear the echo of the refrain, “And he shall reign forever and ever!” We are reminded; our church is filled with things to remind us. The Lord’s Supper is also “in remembrance of him.” The stained glass windows, the crucifix, the altar, and the colors of the vestments and altar cloths all serve to remind us.
We forget so easily.
The section closes with the words “This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God.” In the Hebrew language the condition is stressed by saying, “If you really, really listen!” Obedience is really, really listening to the Word of God. Our lives exist properly on a careful, diligent obedience to God’s Word. That seems self-evident to even a casual student of God’s Word. But we find ourselves in trouble time and again because we slipped in this most important condition to happiness and success—did we listen, really?