The Monument of Rocks

April 5, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 3-4 and Proverbs 28

In the book of Joshua, an event occurs which has actually happened before, but only two people remember when it happened the first time. This time, it was the river Jordan, but last time, it was the Red Sea.

I guess seeing a major body of water part really is a once in a lifetime experience. In all honesty, I wish that I could see it just once. I would be remiss in my faith if I were to say that I would never see it. You never know. For all I know, I could see the whole ocean part.

I’m sure that if I ever did see some giant body of part, I would want to make a monument for it. Apparently, God was the one who had the idea of a monument, because it was he who wanted people to carry stones to make something to remember the occasion.

What I find the most interesting is the plan for the descendents, saying “what do these stones mean?” And then there is something that you are supposed to say afterward. You can then say how much God has done this.

There is one problem: where are these stones today? Seriously, I don’t think you can go and see these stones now. I mean, I heard that you can visit the spot that Jesus Christ was born (supposedly), and I think they have the traditional tomb of Jesus.

However, I’ve been looking up the place where the Bible says these stones are, which is called Gilgal. I can’t even find where the modern day location of Gilgal is.

In other words, I can’t find where those stones are, so how am I supposed to say this great inspirational thing that I am supposed to say? Why would God tell people this? Didn’t He preserve these twelve stones?

Who knows if those stones are still there. They apparently don’t have a metal placard on them, and I’m guessing they aren’t surrounded by velvet ropes.

Maybe it isn’t important that we go and see these things like a tourist. Do we really have to see it in order to remember this great event? I think it is just enough that we know that it happened.

We may never see it again, and it isn’t important that we do. In the end, the stones at Gilgal are just a bunch of rocks. They only have value because God and us assign value to them. They don’t have to be put on prominent display in a museum, or something like that.