What other biblical events involve setting up stones as memorials or witnesses? Verse in Focus “So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.” (Genesis 31:45) Stones in Jacob’s Journey • Genesis 28:18 — “Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.” • Genesis 35:14 — “So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him… then he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.” Sinai’s Twelve Pillars • Exodus 24:4 — “Moses… built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.” Crossing the Jordan • Joshua 4:7 — “Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.” • Joshua 4:9 — “Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan… and the stones are there to this day.” • Joshua 4:20 — “And those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.” Law on Mount Ebal • Deuteronomy 27:2–3 → Joshua 8:30–31 “At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal… an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool had been used.” Shechem’s Covenant Stone • Joshua 24:26–27 — “See, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD spoke to us.” Samuel’s Ebenezer • 1 Samuel 7:12 — “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’” Absalom’s Self-Made Pillar • 2 Samuel 18:18 — “During his lifetime Absalom had set up a pillar for himself in the King’s Valley… and he named the pillar after his own name.” Patterns and Purposes • To remember divine encounters (Jacob at Bethel) • To ratify covenant or law (Sinai, Ebal, Shechem) • To celebrate deliverance (Jordan crossing, Ebenezer) • To teach future generations (“these stones will be a memorial”) • To testify to promises or warnings (Shechem’s “witness” stone) From patriarchs to prophets, setting up stones created visible, lasting reminders of God’s acts and the people’s commitments—tangible witnesses that still speak through Scripture today. |
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