How do these stones connect to other biblical memorials of God's deliverance? Stones in the Jordan: God’s Rescue in Rock Form “Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.” (Joshua 4:9) • Twelve stones match the twelve tribes, capturing in solid form the moment God cut off the flood-stage Jordan so every Israelite passed on dry ground • Set “in the middle” where the priests had stood, the stones forever mark the exact spot of divine intervention • Their permanence turns a fleeting miracle into an enduring witness for later generations Earlier Stone Pillars That Tell the Same Story • Genesis 28:18-22 — Jacob’s pillar at Bethel after the dream of the ladder signaled God’s promised protection and future deliverance • Exodus 24:4 — Moses built twelve pillars at Sinai, representing the tribes when the covenant of redemption was ratified with blood • Deuteronomy 27:2-8 — Joshua later erected plastered stones on Mount Ebal, inscribed with the Law, reminding Israel that rescue leads to obedient living Feasts and Signs That Echo the Stones • Passover (Exodus 12:14) “a memorial” of liberation from Egypt, retold annually with lamb, bread, and bitter herbs • Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 13:3) calls Israel to remember the day the LORD brought them “out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” • Rainbow (Genesis 9:12-16) stands as a visible covenant sign that God rescues the world from judgment by His mercy Ebenezer and Other Later Markers of Help • 1 Samuel 7:12 — Samuel set up a stone called Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us,” after God thundered against the Philistines • 1 Kings 18:30-32 — Elijah rebuilt the ruined altar with twelve stones before fire fell from heaven, spotlighting God’s power to turn hearts back • Esther 9:28 — Purim established as an annual remembrance that the LORD delivered His people from annihilation in Persia Thread Running Through Every Memorial • Each marker—stone, feast, or sign—anchors memory in a concrete object or practice so future generations know the God who saves • The events celebrated are historical, tangible moments of rescue, not myths or abstractions • Every memorial calls for renewed faithfulness, urging Israel to walk in covenant loyalty because the LORD has already acted mightily Completed in the Greater Memorial of the Cross • Luke 22:19 — “Do this in remembrance of Me” institutes the bread and cup as the ultimate memorial of deliverance • The stones at the Jordan foreshadow a singular, once-for-all act where the Greater Joshua leads His people through death’s flood and into life • As long as the Lord’s Supper is observed, believers proclaim that deliverance, just as Israel once pointed to those twelve stones amid the Jordan |
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