And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. | ||
| Joshua 4:8-9 | ||
| Twelve men were to place twelve stones from the bed of the Jordan River on the west bank of the Jordan. Of them, they were to make a monument, a memorial. In our country, sites like the Vietnam Memorial and Lincoln Memorial help us to remember and to reflect. So too, the twelve stones would enable the Israelite fathers to tell their children how God miraculously stopped the Jordan for His people. In addition to the twelve stones placed on the side of the Jordan, Joshua was instructed to place twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan itself. This means that when the water came rushing in after everyone had passed over, Joshua’s monument would not be seen by any man - only by God. There were two monuments. One was visible. One was out of sight. And that’s the way it is with any work of the Spirit. The outward manifestations are only as valid as the inward, hidden work in one’s heart. Pastor Jon Courson | ||
