Memorial stones
.
|
|
|
| 1 ¶ And it came to pass,
when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake
unto Joshua, saying,
2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, .3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. .4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: |
1 -
The Lord spake Evidentially through the priest, Eleazar nu2721.
2 - Twelve men Who had already been chosen, v4, jos0312. 3 - Where the priest' fees stood firm The place as well as the number of the stones was to be significant. The Lord recognized the important role of those who represented Him and taught the people. |
| 5 And Joshua said unto
them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan,
and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto
the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
.6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. |
6 - God knew how easy it would be to forget. We must never forget the way the Lord has led us. |
| 8 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.
9 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. |
8
- Took up ... stones At the divine command
the priests advanced to the middle of the channel and stood there while
the entire host descended and crossed to the farther side. Thus was impressed
upon the minds of all Israel the fact that the power that stayed the waters
of Jordan was the same that had opened the Red Sea to their fathers forty
years before. When the people had all passed over, the ark itself was borne
to the western shore. No sooner had it reached a place of security, and
"the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land," than
the imprisoned waters, being set free, rushed down, a resistless flood,
in the natural channel of the stream.
Coming generations were not to be without a witness to this great miracle. While the priests bearing the ark were still in the midst of Jordan, twelve men previously chosen, one from each tribe, took up each a stone from the river bed where the priests were standing, and carried it over to the western side. These stones were to be set up as a monument in the first camping place beyond the river. The people were bidden to repeat to their children and children's children the story of the deliverance that God had wrought for them, as Joshua said, "That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God forever." The influence of this miracle, both upon the Hebrews and upon their enemies, was of great importance. It was an assurance to Israel of God's continued presence and protection--an evidence that He would work for them through Joshua as He had wrought through Moses. (Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 484, 485). |
| 10 ¶ For the priests
which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was
finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according
to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. .12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: 13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. |
o |
| 14 On that day the LORD
magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they
feared Moses, all the days of his life.
15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. |
16 - Testimony See ex2521, de1002. |
| 18 And it came to pass,
when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come
up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were
lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their
place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
.19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. |
19 - Tenth day of the first month Four days before Passover ex1203,6. Gilgal became their headquarters. The exact location of this place is not known. Probably between the river and Jericho See map of area which includes the other Gilgal which is in SE Samaria (of course there was no Samaria at that time). For more detail of the second Gilgal see map. (SW area) |
| .20
¶ And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua
pitch in Gilgal.
21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? 22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: 24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. |
20
- Apparently set up on a mound unless the carriers had supernatural
strength to carry large stones
22 - Let your children know jos0305, ps11104. |
|
|
|
|
|
|