Introduction: Moses had died and Joshua was now Israel’s leader to lead them into the Promised Land. When this story took place, Israel was camping on the east side of the Jordan River; Canaan itself was on the west. So that Israel would never forget what God did for them, God told Joshua to have the Israelites prepare two memorials. One of these would be visible near the place where they crossed the Jordan—but the other was to be placed in the Jordan River itself!
1 The memorial made of stones from the Jordan’s river bed
Text, Joshua 4:1-7, KJV: 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: 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.
The nation of Israel didn’t arrive in Canaan until they had finished their wilderness journey, wandering nearly 40 years after they left Egypt (compare Exodus 12:35-42 with Deuteronomy 1:1-3). While they were camped near the Jordan River, Joshua sent the two spies into Jericho to get whatever information they could (Joshua 2). What info they did find of military or strategic importance is not known to us, but they did find in the city a convert to the God of Israel, named Rahab. She was granted the privilege of marrying into the family who eventually brought the Messiah into the world (see Matthew 1)! These two spies returned before the rest of the nation crossed the Jordan River.
Then, chapter 3 records how God gave the command for the people to cross the Jordan but only after the priests led the way. These men carried the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders down to the edge of the river bank. This was a real test of faith for them because God promised He would take Israel across on dry ground (!)—but only after the priests put their feet in the river! That would be scary enough when the river was low but the Jordan was at flood stage. I’ve noticed a number of rivers over the years and while they may flow serenely during normal times, when the floods come, these rivers tend to flow very rapidly. Several commentators have observed that at this time, the Jordan was flowing swiftly indeed as it headed towards the Dead Sea. I wouldn’t have wanted to be either of the priests who were told to carry the Ark, heavy with its wood and gold construction, into a fast flowing river!
But these men did so and stepped into the Jordan. Once they did, and only when they did, God gave them the miracle He promised: the waters to the north stood up in a heap (3:16) and the rest of the waters “were cut off”. This makes sense, because if there is no water flowing downstream there won’t be any water to deal with.
And they crossed on dry—DRY—ground. Joshua, Caleb, and the survivors of those who left Egypt (they’d be in their 40’s to 60’s by now) might have remembered when Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. No miry clay or mud at this time in the Jordan’s bed: dry means dry and everybody was able to cross without fear. I can imagine some 50-somethings talking to one another, “Hey, Reuben, you gonna throw a rock in there like you did back in Egypt?” and in reply, “No way, brother! I’m looking for fresh fish this time!” Then again, maybe nobody said a word in their haste to cross over. The important thing is that they were about to see God’s miraculous power over nature.
Yet there was one more thing to do before the waters returned to flow in the Jordan’s channel. Joshua had commanded that each tribe provide one man, and each man was to take a stone from the river bed. Each one of these men was to take his own selected stone to “the lodging place” where they would lodge that night. This exact site is not named but it was near Gilgal (verse 19).
The last thing these men did once they got to the lodging place was to lay down their stones. Interestingly, there is no mention of these stones being named or even used for anything (like an altar) except to remind Israel what had just happened and why. This memorial probably wasn’t very big because each man carried the stone on his shoulder (verse 5). But no matter the physical size, the memorial was designed to show that the same God Who had taken His people out of Egypt, and had led the people through the wilderness and deserts, was the same God Who had taken them across the Jordan River and brought them to the Land of Promise.
They were home!
2 The memorial made from stones placed in the Jordan’s river bed
Text, Joshua 4:8-10, KJV: 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. 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.
The first seven verses told how the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River after the priests led the way. Each tribe, also, selected one man to take one stone each and place the stones “where they lodged (verse 8)” The exact location is never specified, but Israel did establish a temporary “settlement” at Gilgal (verse 19) so this lodging place may have been near there.
But then Joshua proceeded to do something that may have taken the other Israelites by surprise. Apparently the priests, holding the Ark of the Covenant, were still standing in the Jordan’s river bed! They had led the way and had stopped “in the midst of the Jordan (3:17), staying there until everyone in Israel had crossed over. Now Joshua himself took 12 stones from the land and set these stones in the midst of the Jordan’s river bed! This memorial was set up on the very day the Israelites entered Canaan and were still there “unto this day (verse 9)”, meaning the day when the Book of Joshua was completed.
One Bible commentator observed that the Jordan was usually low enough, and clear enough, so that this memorial could be seen for 10 months out of the year, excepting flood season (the time of this event).
Oddly enough, the Word does not mention the size of the stones, the shape, or the color or much of anything else. There are some clues: first, Joshua was around 80 years of age when this event took place. Even though he was in good shape, physically, there was probably a limit as to how heavy a stone he could lift and carry. Then, secondly, the ground or flood plain was sloping down towards the Jordan so he would have had less of a problem walking downhill with a stone. The twelve other men who carried their stones uphill, on their shoulders, towards the lodging place must have had a more difficult time. Bur even though few details about these memorials, they did have a specific purpose.
Joshua would explain why in the next several verses.
3 The meaning for why both of these memorials were constructed
Text, Joshua 4:19-24, KJV: 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. 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.
Something we might miss at first glance is the date when this event took place. Notice that the people of Israel crossed (“came up out of”) the Jordan on the 10th day of the first month (about mid-to late-April in our calendar). This was also the day, according to Exodus 12:1-3, when the Israelite people were select the Passover lamb! Just as the Israelites had prepared to leave Egypt years before, now they had crossed over, one could say passed over, into a new land by God’s direction and providence. How many of them recognized this significance is never stated but for some, namely those who remembered their days of bondage in Egypt, this was truly a day to remember. God had delivered them before, and God was going to deliver them now.
There was something else that I’m sure few of them would ever forget. They saw Joshua “pitch” the stones, from the Jordan, as a memorial in Gilgal, east of Jericho. This city would be their headquarters, more or less, until the time when each tribe received their promised section of land.
Not only did they see Joshua “pitch” those stones, they heard him give the true explanation as to why these two memorials were built. Joshua knew that in the days to come the younger generations, including perhaps those too young then to know and those not yet born, would ask what the stones really meant. People have said that Israel has had plenty of stones for many years but to see an arrangement would be something unusual, So, Joshua explains that when the question would be asked, the people could tell them, “We crossed the Jordan on dry ground! The LORD your God dried up the Jordan just like He did the Red Sea so we could come to this land.” This way, they could and would remember what God did and fear (reverence) Him forever.
Conclusion: How long these two memorials stayed in place is not known for certain. They’re not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture, to the best of my knowledge, but the intent was for these to last a long time. I’ve seen several memorials, from military aircraft on display to pillars listing the names of those who died in battle but nothing like these two sets of stones. Had Israel followed through and taught the coming generations what these memorials meant, the nation’s history might have been very different.
For those of us living today, our greatest memorial is an empty tomb, where the body of the Lord Jesus Christ had been laid. When questions come about our faith and our history, may we be ready to explain these things to those who ask.
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
