Living Stones


The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.
(Joshua 4:19-24 ESV)

- For Indonesian version please click here.

The background of the above verses are probably something that has often we hear. The Israelites were formerly under Egyptian oppression for several hundred years, in her laments, God sees and God led them, deliver them out of Egypt. God used Moses to lead Israel out. God punished the Egyptians with plagues. God then led the Israelites through the Reed Sea. Several times God showed His power when they wandered in the wilderness. And now, after they wandered for 40 years they crossed the Jordan under the leadership of Joshua. They have to pass the Jordan river to be able to come to the land of Canaan - which is the promised land that God promised for Israel. Upon crossing the jordan river, which in joshua 3 we know that the river was swollen and overflowing. God represented by the ark of covenant then once again lead Israel crossing the jordan river. Once the ark of the covenant went into the water, the river becomes dry. Now the story in Joshua 4, God asked Israelites to set up 12 stones.

The question for us now: what is the significance of this story for us today? What is the relationship of this story to our lives today? Now, to understand the intent and meaning of this story for us today, we need to pause, and we should try to see and hear what the author wants to say to us: What did the writer want to tell us about God, about ourselves and how we should respond towards God in our lives.

There are many things that we can learn from this passage, for example, the event of crossing over the Jordan itself is something that is very important, but this time I want to invite us to see to an element that is emphasized in the above passage, namely: "the stones". The end of chapter 4 is not covered by their success story through the Jordan river, but it is closed with the meaning of these stones. We can see clearly that the purpose of the stones is as a memorial. When later in the future, their children ask the meaning of the stone, then they can say that the stones reminds them of the greatness of the Lord, His power, His providence, His guidance and mercy to them. This story is not just any story about the story of a nation; instead the story has the aim so that all peoples on earth to realize and know that "strong hand of the Lord, and that ye might fear the LORD your God." All men and generations need to know who is God, His deeds and power! Even for us who have experienced moments of God's presence also need to keep remembering the moment.
The next question is: why is it so important to re-tell this story (or this kind of moments in Joshua 4)? Let’s look at some of the future events after the Israelites through the Jordan. The people of Israel will eventually get the promised land (Canaan), not with an easy effort; there is struggle in it. Lots of new things that they will encounter in future: they don’t know what’s going to happen in future, trouble after  trouble will make their future into something unexpected: starting from facing  a formidable walls of Jericho, then they will face the strong army of Philistine where compared to them, the Israelites has less training in war. Next, they will face religious threat from the culture of the Canaanites: cultural worship of Baal, and many other things.

But also if we look through the history we know God will help them. One by one God was leading them and God is helping them: the walls of Jericho collapsed, Gideon defeated the Midianites with only 300 men, David beat Goliath, etc. God did great deeds for His people.

Yet among all those moments where God showed His faithfulness and mercy, Israelites still have to live in this sinful world. They must continue to face the struggles of life, obstacles and even periods of “drought” in life: after the walls of Jericho fell, Israel was defeated against the people of Ai because of their disobedience; after the miracles that happen to Gideon, Gideon plays harlot which makes the nation of Israel to worship idols, after David succeeded in killing Goliath, David killed Uriah because he wanted his wife. We can see here, the people of Israel who previously have experienced God's miracle in crossing the Jordan, but then they declined and become less loyal. They had moments where they can not see and feel God's presence in their midst. They are not even sure if God is in their midst at a time when the state of the world is changing and uncertain, or when they face difficult times, or when they face moments of “drought” and emptiness  in their lives.

Perhaps at those times, they need to pause and look back on the "strong hand of the Lord" that has guided, and saved them. Those times are the time where they need a point of reference which reminds them that God is a living God who is always present. They need to remember the "stones" which reminded them that "the LORD your God dried up the waters in front of you." They need to remember the "stones" and said: "Now, we may not feel the presence of God in the midst of us, but we believe that God is a living God who has made great things; for these rocks has been the witness of His faithfulness and mercy". The Stones may be their past, but the stones could be a past moment that give them strength and encouragement in their present time that allows them to see into the future with faith and hope.

There's another interesting thing in this passage verse 23: There, the author reminds us to also remember about the parting of the Reed sea event in Exodus. That moment of exodus where Israelites went out from Egypt is also a point of reference in the earlier decades. The story is not a coincidence, but the event was held for a purpose so that they (and we) remember as well. There may be no "stones" in that incident, but in Exodus 12, we can see that the event is a moment in which the nation of Israel later on commemorate the day and become the day of celebration (read: Exodus 12:14)

Why? Again with the same reason, when we look forward from that day, Israel will face a lot of difficulties in the wilderness. There are times when they will withdraw and their faith becomes weak. It is a long journey from that moment of exodus to the moment of crossing over the jordan river. The people that are now crossing the Jordan are not the same people who crossed the Reed,  but they remember what happened in the previous generation, that’s what give them strength, and now they draw a line from the Reed sea, to the "stones" and then to the uncertain future.

When Jesus was together with his twelve disciples about to commemorate the feast of unleavened bread, Jesus asked them to remember him. Then after that in Mark 14:27 Jesus said to them: "You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." The disciples would face a difficult future, there will be obstacles, they will face persecution, fear, and even doubt. At times like this, again they need to look back and remember the Lord's promise that says "...teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.: and, lo, I am with you always, to the end of time. "(Matthew 28:20). When they can not feel and see with their eyes that God is present with them, they can look back to the promises of God, and that they knew that the tomb was empty which signifies Christ is the living God.

Now, the same question applies to us today: How do we face an uncertain future, in the world that does not belong to us, in the world that goes often beyond what we had plan? We may currently not "see" God works His miracles like in the old covenant, or we do not hear God's voice directly; We know God exists, but life has so much struggle in it, and sometimes it pushes us to the limit. At those times, the same as what the bible has noted, we need to look back to the "stones" as a sign of God, we need to look back to see God’s power that split the Reed Sea, we need to remember God's guidance to His people throughout history, or even in our own life: was there "stones" that remind us to the miraculous work of God? Salvation - Have you been saved? Have you taste and see His mercy to you? You can remember and always be thankful for what He has done to you: that He is a God that able to save, and He is your savior.  That is the power that God has done in the past both for ourselves, or through the testimony of others, that would strengthen us.

This passages also teach one another important lesson: to tell and keep re-telling the story to our children (to the next generation), to everyone in our surroundings. It is important to tell such a story about God’s wonderful work, about His saving act - the salvation, the gospel. This is for the very same reason: “...so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever”. The stone is a non living thing, and can’t speak on itself, but it signify and become something that people can look to point to God’s wonderful work; but we as Christian, as His people, are called to be the living stone, that through our life, we can speak of His wondrous love. This is what this passage wants us to learn, so that our life may be a life that shares about God’s love that has saved us (a sinner), and the same love could save others too!

Let us pray, first to thank God, for He has preserved us, God is so good because He gave us stories and experiences like these that we could remember and strengthen us when we are weak, pray that we can live in faith in our daily live, to step forward into the uncertain future by relying on what God has promised in the past. Lastly, let our life be a living stone that obey God and shares about His glory, so that  if anyone, let it be our brothers, our friends, our children,  even strangers ask us: "What do these stones mean?" We can say: "Let me tell you the story of the stones: the story about my God, my Savior, His greatness and grace ..”

1 Peter 2:5 “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Soli Deo Gloria,
~ Paul Hartono

Comments