Connect Exodus 28:9 with other scriptures emphasizing memorial stones or remembrance. Names Carved in Stone – Exodus 28:9 “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel.” Why Stones? Remembering Covenant Faithfulness • Onyx stones fastened to the high priest’s ephod were to be “memorial stones for the sons of Israel” (Exodus 28:12). • Each time the priest entered the sanctuary, the tribes were carried on his shoulders—an unspoken sermon that God never forgets His people. Other Biblical Moments Where Stones Speak • Genesis 28:18-22 – Jacob sets up the stone at Bethel, calling the place “the house of God,” pledging loyalty because “surely the LORD is in this place.” • Exodus 24:12 – The stone tablets of the covenant remind Israel of God’s written law. • Joshua 4:4-7, 20-24 – Twelve stones from the Jordan River create a permanent teaching tool: “When your children ask… then you shall tell them…” • 1 Samuel 7:12 – Samuel raises “Ebenezer” (“Stone of Help”), declaring, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” • Isaiah 49:16 – “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands”; God’s own body carries the reminder. • Revelation 2:17 – Overcomers receive “a white stone, and on the stone a new name,” a personal eternal memorial. Shared Themes Threading Through These Passages • Tangible reminders anchor spiritual truth in daily life. • Names engraved or recorded signify covenant relationship. • Stones, unchanging and durable, highlight the permanence of God’s promises. • God initiates remembrance so His people will not drift into forgetfulness (Deuteronomy 6:10-12; Psalm 77:11). From Shadow to Fulfillment: Our High Priest Today • Just as Aaron bore Israel’s names into the Holy Place, Jesus now bears believers’ names “before the Father” (Hebrews 7:25). • Living stones: those who trust in Christ “are being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4-5), becoming part of the memorial themselves. • The final white stone (Revelation 2:17) seals the promise—our identity eternally remembered. Practical Takeaways • Create visible reminders of God’s past faithfulness—journals, marked pages, even literal stones on a shelf. • Speak of these memorials to the next generation, echoing Joshua 4:6-7. • Rest in the assurance that your name is not only written but carried—first on onyx, ultimately on the shoulders of the Great High Priest. |
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