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The Rock of Remembrance


Joshua 4:5-7- “And Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

When the Jewish people visit the grave of a loved-one, they have a unique custom.  They leave a small stone on the grave marker.  This is called the rock or stone of remembrance.  This probably dates back to ancient times when a pile of stones would have been the grave marker.  The stone is left on the grave to show it has been visited and the deceased is not forgotten. 

When the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan River at flood time and entered into the promised land of their inheritance, they were to take twelve stones and build a memorial. What was the purpose of this memorial?  Joshua 4:7 reads, “Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

When the children of Israel journeyed out of Egypt in the wilderness they came to Rephidim.  There was no water, and the people began to murmur and complain against Moses.  Moses cried out to God, and the Lord instructed him to strike the rock with his rod.  Listen to the words of the Lord in Exodus 17:6, “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

1 Corinthians 10:4 reveals, “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”  The rock in the wilderness was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is our rock. He was struck so that the water of life may flow to all who will drink. In John 4:13-14, Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but  whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him  will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

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