Visual Reminders: Standing Stones

Joshua 4:1-10

¹When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ²“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, ³and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” ⁴Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. ⁵And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, ⁶that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ ⁷then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” ⁸And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. ⁹And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. ¹⁰For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.

One of the pages I watch on my Facebook feed is a collection of old photographs posted by one of my distant relatives. Almost daily, pictures from the past are put up for the extended family to view and enjoy. I’ve been blessed to see pictures of a grandfather we died 20 years before I was even born; pictures of my Gran, and even a few of my mom as a small child. Those pictures stand as a memorial to generations past. We generally like to be reminded of the past – if it’s the good things. And we even build memorials to the negative events in our history. Consider those monuments to war veterans or battles. We need visual reminders of what has gone before us.

God knows this about us and engages that need regularly. In the crossing of the River Jordan, we find just such a reminder. As the Children of Israel experience this miracle, they are also charged with setting up a monument that will remind them of what God has done and so that they have an object lesson for the teaching of the faith to their children and grandchildren. He instructs the people, through Joshua, to have a representative of each Tribe pull a large rock from the river – from the exact location where the priests holding the Ark were standing. Those rocks were stacked as a permanent memorial to the miraculous events surrounding the crossing of the Jordan on dry ground. It was worth remembering!

One of the significant things the people need to remember is that God was right there with them. He is instructing them and moving them, through His representative, Joshua. The Ark itself is the locus of His presence and all of the people know that. They had to walk by the Ark in order to cross the river. These stones stand as a reminder that God is ever in their presence and works to save them. He does the same for us. Visible reminders of God’s commands, promises, and actions can serve a valuable purpose for His often-forgetful people. We too may be well served by those physical reminders. I wear a black onyx ring with a white Chi Rho engraved upon it that was given to me by my parents when I was 12 as reminder of who I am and to Whom I belong.

As we read the story of these standing stones, one cannot help but be reminded as well of Jesus' words when He rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. As the people cry out their praises before Him, the Pharisees are offended, and Jesus sets the records straight.

Luke 19:37-40

^37b ... already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” ³⁹And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

What cries out as a reminder of God’s goodness in your own life? What are your standing stones? If you don’t have any, maybe it’s time to set up a little pile of stones yourself in honor of something God had done in your life.