Jacob experiences difficult conditions while receiving the blessing of heaven’s manifestation (Genesis 28:10-22).
1. The Stones of Difficult Conditions
Jacob put a lot of effort into everything, right and wrong. He deceived both his father, Isaac, and his brother Esau. He wrestled an angel and labored for 14 years to wed the woman that he loved.
The story of Jacob teaches us that a powerful leader can also be a servant. We additionally perceive how wrong activities can and will constantly catch up with us.
Jacob was also offered God’s covenant promise, just like Abraham and Isaac were. However, just being Abraham’s grandson was not enough. Jacob needed to lay out his very own relationship with God.
God does not have any grandchildren; every one of us needs to have a close relationship with Him. It is not enough to learn about wonderful Christian stories from our families. We must have our own. According to Galatians 3:6-7, we must become a part of the story ourselves.
Jacob has used a stone as a pillow and has a dream of angels traversing up and down a ladder from heaven, where the Lord is at the top. When Jacob wakes up, he realizes that this is a holy place.
He takes the stone and sets it up as a pillar, and anoints it with oil as a symbol of consecration. He calls it Bethel, the house of God. With the act of anointing the stone, Jacob demonstrates his faith and trust in God.
2. The Stones of Benevolent Redemption
In Gilgal’s memorial, the Stones of Benevolent Redemption were made clear. They declared that Egypt’s criticism of Israel had been removed (Joshua 4:1-24).
What would come next after the people had successfully crossed the river? Taking over the land? It was not yet time to. In the first place, God guided them to fabricate a landmark (memorial) from 12 stones drawn from the river by one man from each tribe.
Even though this may appear to be a minor step in their mission to conquer the land, God did not want His people to jump right into it without being prepared. They were to concentrate on Him and keep in mind who was directing them.
We are to build our own memorial altar to God’s work while we are occupied with our God-given responsibilities. We can lose sight of God if we engage in too much activity.
A memorial to the end of the wandering and the beginning of a new life in a new land was built by Joshua and the people of Israel.
Individual lives also have memorials that are not visible as often, such as a special event, an answer to a prayer, or a miracle, whereas momentous events or heroic deeds typically merit the construction of monuments.
Our memories should serve as monuments and reminders of God’s work in our lives and His concern for us as we reflect on what He has done.
Joshua earned the respect of the Israelites because he led them across the Jordan River. Like Moses, he would gain praise from Israel for many generations.
Joshua’s reputation for acting in accordance with God’s will earned him more praise than if he had been a hero in a “superpower” nation, even though Israel was not a world power at the time. It is essential that a Christian do what is right than do what he or someone may think is better.
The 12-stone monument was intended to serve as a constant reminder of the day when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.
They would teach their children about God, the story, and the stones. Do we have special dates, customs, or locations that help our children learn about the ways in which God has worked in our lives?
Do we make an effort to explain to them what God has done for us — giving us forgiveness, saving us, granting our prayers, and meeting our needs? The retelling of our story will help our family remember God’s faithfulness.
3. The Stone of Help
The stone called Ebenezer testified of the help that the Israelites had received from God against the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:12).
Just a few chapters prior, Israel had been at war with the Philistines and the Philistines had captured the Ark. But after a few months, God punishes the Philistines and so they return the Ark to Israel and dropped it off at Beth-Shemesh. Unfortunately, some people were killed for looking into the Ark.
Why were they killed after they investigated the Ark? The Israelites had attempted to harness God’s power and use it to obtain victory in battle by making an idol of the Ark. However, humans cannot exert control over the Lord of the Universe.
To shield the Israelites from His power, God had warned them that they would perish if they even looked at the sacred objects of the sanctuary in the Most Holy Place (Numbers 4:20). God carried out the promised punishment because of their disobedience.
The Ark was taken to Kirjath-Jearim, and it stayed there for about 20 years while the Israelites lamented after the Lord. Now we come to the point when Samuel becomes a judge.
Samuel had let people know that they needed to go back to the Master and serve Him. Choosing a course of action is part of this kind of commitment, not resigning but moving forward toward the objective we have established. If we have gone with the choice to follow God, we should not permit excuses, interruptions, or doubts to dissuade us from accomplishing our objective.
Samuel compelled the Israelites to purge themselves of their foreign gods or idols. Today’s idols are just as dangerous as gods of wood and stone, despite being much more subtle. Our god is whatever controls us or occupies the first place in our lives.
If they take precedence over God in our lives, anything can become an idol — wealth, fame, material possessions, pride, or anything else. There is no distinction between devotion to these idols and devotion to stone and wood idols.
We should serve and worship only the Lord, and nothing should be able to compete with Him. We must ask God to assist us in deposing any foreign gods in our lives and prioritize the true God.
The Israelites had incredible trouble with the Philistines, yet God saved them. The people responded by erecting a stone to commemorate God’s great liberation.
In difficult times, it may be necessary to recall significant turning points in our past to assist us in navigating the present.
Even though we need to be careful not to turn the memorials into idols, they can assist us in remembering God’s victories in the past and gaining confidence and strength for the present.
4. The Stone or the Stones of Triumph
The stone of David kills the giant named Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40).
Has anyone at any point asked why David “chose him five smooth stones out of the brook?” It only took one stone to bring the giant down, but yet David picked up five stones.
Some people would agree that David chose these five smooth stones so that, in case he missed his initial shot, he could use one or more stones.
David, in my opinion, did not intend to miss his target. Why, then, did he select these five stones? We might be able to locate the response if we look at 2 Samuel 21:15-22. David was certain that Goliath’s four sons would have come after him if he had killed their father.
Retaliation for the death of a relative would have been common practice. However, if we look at biblical numbers, we see that the number five represents God’s goodness or grace, and David received grace that day.
5. The Stone of Death
The stone that was rolled away announced the victorious resurrection of Christ (Luke 24:2; Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-11; John 20:1-2).
Even if the stone had not been rolled away, Jesus could still have easily left the tomb at any time. It did not have to be moved for Him to get out.
However, the stone was rolled away so that others could enter and witness Jesus’ true resurrection from the dead, as He had promised.
6. The Stone of Limitation
This is a request that the disciples (followers) of Christ are to work actively (John 11:39).
At this time, a tomb was typically a cave carved into a hillside’s limestone rock. Most of the time, a tomb was big enough for people to walk inside.
Typically, more than one body was buried in a single tomb. A substantial stone was then rolled across the tomb’s entrance following the burial procession.
The people near Jesus only saw the Dark (a cave) (John 8:12), an Obstacle (a stone) (Romans 8:35), and a Negative (death) (Mark 11:22). What we notice here is that the people harbored doubt. There was something that stood in the way of their faith.
Their focus was on something other than Christ. In verse 39, Jesus tells them to remove the stone. In verse 40, He gives them the reason why.
Then in verse 41, they do as He has instructed. Unfortunately, many Christians today still have not removed the stone of hindrance from their lives.
7. The Stone of Confirmation
A white stone was given as a reward “known only to the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).
The spiritual nourishment that the devoted believers will receive is referred to as the “hidden manna.”
God had provided manna from heaven for the Israelites’ physical sustenance as they made their way toward the Promised Land (Exodus 16:13–18). In his role as the Bread of Life (John 6:51), Jesus satisfies our greatest spiritual hunger.
The names that will be written on each of the white stones are not yet known. They may represent the believers’ eternal nourishment or life because they relate to the hidden manna.
Each of the stones will bear the brand-new name of every genuine believer in Christ, making them significant.
They demonstrate a person’s acceptance by God and qualification for eternal life. The character of a person was represented by their name. We will receive brand-new names and hearts from God.
How many stones are in use within our lives today?
For further reading:
What Is the Significance of the Stones of Remembrance?
Why Did God Promise He’d Give Every Place Joshua Set His Foot?
How Old Was David When He Killed Goliath?
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/RobertLukeman
