So last week, I did the Scripture Writing Schedule on “Stones.” Now, this probably seems like a strange topic, but I found it so interesting! There are a lot of stones or rocks mentioned in the Bible!
Jesus used the analogy that upon the “rock” of Peter’s confession that “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), when Jesus replied, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). This is the “stone of foundation. When Moses was told to “stone” those who were gathering sticks on the sabbath, which was against “the Law,” they were “stones of consequences.” Jacob used a stone for a pillow (Steve named this one the “stone of discomfort!), but actually that night he had the dream of the staircase with angels going up and down. It was a “stone of vision” (Gen. 28:18-22). When Satan approached Jesus and commanded Him to “make these stones into bread” (Matthew 4:3), these were the stones of temptation. Of course, God provided Moses with two sets of stones with His commandments on them – these were the stones of the Law (Ex. 34:1). Joshua had stones picked up from the middle of the Jordan River as “stones of remembrance of the miracle” of Israel crossing over on dry land (Joshua 4:5), and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-tribe of Manasseh, built an altar of stones as a “witness” that they were part of the children of Israel (Joshua 22). The stone that was rolled before the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid, became the “stone of victory” because it could not hold Him in (Mark 15:46; 16:3). And because He lives – so can I!
But last night, after Steve and I had been talking about all of the different stones in the Bible, Aiden, my eight year old grandson said, “I can’t stand it anymore! You forgot the stones that David used to kill Goliath!” And you know – he was right! That’s probably one of the most obvious instances in the whole Bible, and neither of us had even thought of it. Yes, these were the “stones of deliverance.” Isn’t it amazing how God uses ordinary objects to teach us such lessons! Simply blessed, Courtney