"...and Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.
He said to the Israelites, in the future, when your descendants ask their fathers,
'What do these stones mean?' Tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.'
For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over...
He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and that you might always fear the Lord your God."
Joshua 4:19-24
If you know me, you know I always have something to say. So as you can imagine, there's not been too many times in my life that I've been completely speechless. But believe it or not, that's what took place at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington DC a few years ago.
I remember walking through the halls of the museum in complete silence, tears randomly flowing down my face at the tragic story that was being told before my eyes. I'm really not a history buff, and I'll be honest with you -- at most museums, I like to take the "quick tour." If you're not a museum person, I dare say you know what I'm talking about. Get the overview, the three main points of the museum, see the featured display, take a picture, visit the gift shop, and move on, all in an hour or less. Details and me, especially historical details, well, they've never been a perfect match. But this time was different. I read each display. I wanted to read every single word. As I looked around, I couldn't help but notice the eery silence of others captivated just like I was. Not to simplify history, but in essence, I stood in awe of how one man could use propaganda to change the course of the entire Jewish race.
Propaganda. Dictionary.com defines it as "Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view." And that's exactly what Hitler did. He convinced the German people that what they were reading was true. He convinced them that the Jewish people were sub-humans and should be eliminated. It was an intentional path to promoting the Nazi regime. In his own book Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote, "Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people...Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea." After visiting the US Holocaust Museum, I can honestly say I finally comprehended the use of propaganda.
Now look at the passage of Scripture listed above. God had just done another amazing miracle. He had parted the Jordan waters so the people could walk through on dry ground. He had already done it for them to cross the Red Sea, and now He did it again for them to cross the Jordan. When they crossed, Joshua took twelve stones from the Jordan, and he then set up a memorial. Why did he do it? "...so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and that you might always fear the Lord your God!"
Much like the purpose of the Holocaust Museum, Joshua set up that pile of stones to bring the people to a point of remembrance. But this pile of stones wasn't propaganda, no, just the opposite. The stories told weren't biased or misleading. The stones weren't set there to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. On the contrary. They were there to remember the facts. The cold, hard facts of God's provision and how He changed the course of the entire Jewish race. In a sense, they were Living Stones. The story of how God provided a way for the Israelites to cross the Jordan would come alive with the twelve stones that Joshua layed, every time the story was told, and every time someone would pass.
I can't help but think that God wanted Joshua to do this. God wants us all to do this. When God shows His power, when God "shows up and shows off" like He always does, He wants us to talk about it. He wants us to take time to thank Him, praise Him, and give Him glory. He wants us to remember. And that's what took place with Joshua and the Israelites. I believe that memorial could talk for itsef. Everyone who passed by had heard the stories of God's provision. Those twelve stones were alive!
The last few weeks I've been consumed with remembering God's faithfulness in my life. If you've seen a few of my facebook posts, I've been consumed with this concept of Living Stones. It's been driving my thoughts. I'll write more about it tomorrow, but for now, just think about God's faithfulness. Even when I'm faithless, He never fails me. Yes, sometimes we have to face tough times, but God proves Himself over and over again. I can look back at all my God has done, and I can know with certainty there's nothing to fear. He holds my past; He holds my future.
Were the twelve stones propaganda? No, they were a living and breathing testament for all to know from that point forward that the God of the Jews was a powerful and mighty God. They were there to point people to Him. So today, as I close "Part One" of this blog, I've been asking God to help me grasp this concept of Living Stones. I've spent a tremendous amount of time contemplating and praying through this whole concept. I want to do something tangible so , "all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful." But more so, I want to be a Living Stone that points to Him, just like it says in I Peter 2:5 "And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple..."
Living Stones (part one)
A pile of rocks. Placed years ago.
A faithful God. A miracle.
And they were there. To not forget.
So all who passed. Knew what they meant.
They were Living Stones.
Breathing God’s faithful past.
They were Living Stones.
Predicting God’s future acts.
What He did back then, He’ll do for me.
Past performance predicts eternity.
I can look back and know the future.
Just look at the Living Stones.
To be continued tomorrow...
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com