Stones of remembrance
This month’s book selection for the First Tuesday Book Club at my local town library was Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr. A friend and I started this book club five years ago as a way to meet more people in our communities. We both worked out of our area, loved discussing books and neither of us had children in the communities where we lived. We attended church together but lived in separate villages within the same town. The book club pushed me out of my comfort zone and has proven to be a blessing. Not only have I read books I won’t have read if left to my own choices but I have met some lovely people. This month’s book was a delightful read and learning that Harriet Doerr didn’t publish her first novel, Stones for Ibarra, until age 73 was an encouragement to me as a writer. The book is about two North Americans who move to a small Mexican village. The story ends with Sara noticing that people are leaving stones across the road from her home. She asks a local why and he comments to remember what happened here.
Leaving stones to remember reminded me of the story in the book of Joshua about God commanding the people to leave stones after they crossed the Jordan River.
“When the whole nation was finally across, God spoke to Joshua: “Select twelve men from the people, a man from each tribe, and tell them, ‘From right here, the middle of the Jordan where the feet of the priests are standing firm, take twelve stones. Carry them across with you and set them down in the place where you camp tonight.’” Joshua called out the twelve men whom he selected from the People of Israel, one man from each tribe. Joshua directed them, “Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the Chest of God, your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, so you’ll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.’” The People of Israel did exactly as Joshua commanded: They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan—a stone for each of the twelve tribes, just as God had instructed Joshua—carried them across with them to the camp, and set them down there. Joshua set up the twelve stones taken from the middle of the Jordan that had marked the place where the priests who carried the Chest of the Covenant had stood. They are still there today. The priests carrying the Chest continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything God had instructed Joshua to tell the people to do was done (confirming what Moses had instructed Joshua). The people crossed; no one dawdled. When the crossing of all the people was complete, they watched as the Chest of the Covenant and the priests crossed over. The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had crossed over in battle formation in front of the People of Israel, obedient to Moses’ instructions. All told, about forty thousand armed soldiers crossed over before God to the plains of Jericho, ready for battle. God made Joshua great that day in the sight of all Israel. They were in awe of him just as they had been in awe of Moses all his life. God told Joshua, “Command the priests carrying the Chest of The Testimony to come up from the Jordan.” Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” They did it. The priests carrying God’s Chest of the Covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan. As soon as the soles of the priests’ feet touched dry land, the Jordan’s waters resumed their flow within the banks, just as before. The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They set up camp at The Gilgal (The Circle) to the east of Jericho. Joshua erected a monument at The Gilgal, using the twelve stones that they had taken from the Jordan. And then he told the People of Israel, “In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What are these stones doing here?’ tell your children this: ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ “Yes, God, your God, dried up the Jordan’s waters for you until you had crossed, just as God, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed. This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong God’s rescuing hand is and so that you would hold God in solemn reverence always.”
Joshua 4:1-24 The Message
This is Joshua’s first big assignment as the leader of the Israelites. God promised to be with him.
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous,because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””
Joshua 1:1-9 NIV
In Joshua 2 we have the story of Joshua sending spies to scope out the situation and that leads to help from Rahab, a prostitute, whose name appears in the genealogy of Jesus.
“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.” Matthew 1:5 -6 NIV
In Joshua 3 & 4 we have the people crossing the Jordan and setting up stones. Stones to be used to tell the children what happened here. Stones to teach the next generation.
May we be willing to set up “stones” to remember and teach all who pass what God has done for us.
“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.” Psalm 78: 1 -8 NIV emphasis is mine
Take care. Be well. Serve Him.
Ann
Thanks for sharing this story. I have a fascination with stones. When and where ever we travel, I pick up stone to remember our journey. I display them in different locations in my home. I love the biblical stores where the Lord tell them to set stones of remembrance.
What a lovely way to remember your travels. When my daughter was young she collected rocks from our camping adventures. I think some of them are still in my attic.
Thank you again for the reminder to pause and remember. And again , I love that your writing contains so much Scripture. Blessings today, Ann.
Thank you.
Awesome reminder! I’ve got some stones I need to lay. ?
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