They come to the edge of the water and find themselves in what you would call a conundrum. The pursuing army is approaching from the rear, and the sea lies in front. But God, who has led the Israelites out of captivity, surely isn’t going to let them die here, is He? When the hopelessness of the situation seems apparent, the waves miraculously part, allowing them to walk across on dry land. The Israelites, who were once slaves in Egypt, are now free and headed to the land promised by God. And oh, how glorious it would have been had they just keep walking that straight line right into that land, because as everyone knows, “the shortest distance between two places is a straight line.” But alas, it was not to be so. They were a flawed people, and their sin kept that direct flight from happening. So instead, they had the longest layover in history…40 years. FORTY YEARS! I used to travel a lot for work, and I disliked any layover longer than 40 minutes. But 40 years? You have to be kidding me. However, actions and choices have consequences, and in this case, they were a tough pill swallow. Can you imagine just wandering around the same piece of land for 40 years? The Israelites were probably like, “Hey, Moses, didn’t we pass that same rock last week?” Or, “That looks like the same tree we walked past last month. I remember carving my initials into it.” (And then, upon checking said tree), “Yep, it’s the same one.”
It was tragic. On many levels. First up, Moses. He leads an ungrateful, narcissistic, unbelieving, disobedient group of people around for 40 years and doesn’t get to enter into the promised land, because he hits a rock when God says to simply speak to it. I get it. He was disobedient. But I have to be honest. If I’m leading this bunch around for this many years and constantly have to hear their whining about how it would have been better to stay in Egypt as slaves, I am pretty sure I would have done more than just hit a rock. Then there is Joshua and Caleb. You might remember that these two were the only ones who returned from the recon trip into the promised land, who believed they could enter in and win victory in battle. They were like the original special forces. They snuck in and back out without being detected. They believed the Lord would provide, and yet, because of everyone else’s unbelief, they suffered the same punishment of walking around for four decades. Or how about the innocent kids crawling around in diapers? What did they do, except to be conceived and born out of two parents who complained about eating the best take out meals anywhere. They would have some credibility had they been forced to consume Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) like deployed military personnel used to chow down on. And they would get bonus points for eating the old school egg MRE. Trust me when I say, you do not want to experience that.
But, nonetheless, here they are, wandering in the wilderness until one day, God says, “Time to move into your new home.” But it presents a challenge that they have seen before. Ahead of them, lies another body of water…and just like last time, there are no bridges.
The plan this time is a little different than before. The priests carry the ark of the covenant into the water, and the waves, once again, miraculously part, leaving dry ground for the people to walk upon. (It’s a good thing the ark of the covenant is now in an old Army warehouse…you never know what people would do with it). God tells Joshua to have 12 men to each grab a stone from the middle of the dry riverbed. They will later take those 12 stones and build a monument.
This short account of what occurred following the crossing of the Jordan River, seems rather inconsequential. They stack 12 stones and move on with their next phase of life. But it’s the purpose of those 12 stones that matters. They will serve as a reminder of how the mighty hand of God dried up the river and brought the people into the new land. It was always meant to be a conversation starter. When the generation not yet born, would see the 12 stones, then the story of the divided waters, and of God’s provision, would be shared.
So, here’s the deal…what moments do you have in your life that you will pass along to your children and their children? What stones tell a monumental story that will ultimately guide future generations? You might tell yourself that they are inconsequential, but you would be wrong. Every success…and failure. Every challenge fulfilled…and discarded. Every test passed…and botched. Every celebrated victory…and disastrous loss. Discover their purpose. Each stone put in its place is a story…your story. Now share that story.
Fabula est vestri…the story is yours.
