Stones Still Speak!

14th Sunday after Pentecost, 9/6/20 Joshua 4:1-9 Stones Still Speak! They’re so common, we don’t even notice them. I’m talking about stone markers. For example, when you entered our church this morning, did you notice the stone marker to the left of the church entrance doors? Probably not. It has “2001” engraved on it, the year this sanctuary was dedicated. Many homes in this area have a house number etched in stone. But you don’t notice it unless you’re looking for a particular address. Cemeteries are filled with them, each with a name and usually a date. Some stone markers are located on the spot of an historically important event, such as a battle or the birthplace of a nationally famous person. So, it comes as no surprise that notable figures in the Bible marked important places and events with stones, too. Noah disembarked from the ark after living in it for a year and the first thing he did was build a stone altar. Jacob had a dream of a stairway reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. When he woke up, he set up a stone and named the place Bethel. And in today’s sermon text we read of Joshua playing a large part in setting up two stone markers. Are you familiar with this event? If not, or if the details are a little uncertain for you, allow me to explain. As the Children of Israel left Egypt, God had promised to lead them to the Promised Land. It would have been a rather short journey, but the majority of them rebelled against the Lord, so he caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until all the adults had died. Now, in today’s text, the nation of Israel stood poised to enter the Promised Land at last. Moses and Aaron had died, and a man named Joshua, the main character in this event before us this morning, was leading them. There was only one thing standing in the way of God’s people entering the land he had promised them—the Jordan River. At most times during the year, that wouldn’t have posed to be much of a problem. It’s a shallow river. But the Bible informs us that this was the time of year when the river was at flood stage. So, once again the Lord came to help his people. The Lord instructed the priests to carry the ark of the covenant into the middle of the river. The Bible tells us that as soon as the feet of the priests touched the edge of the river, the water stopped flowing from upstream and the priests proceeded to the middle of the river. That allowed the entire nation of Israel to cross the river on dry ground. And that’s where our text picks up this account. It was a momentous event, something the Lord wanted his people to remember for generations. So, he instructed Joshua to choose twelve men, each of whom was to take a stone from the middle of the Jordan River and carry it to the place where the people were camping that night in order to create a stone memorial. The Lord told his people, “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” It’s as if the stones were there to speak to God’s people. If they could speak, what would they say? Well, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and finally reaching their destination, you might think the stones would say something about the admirable persistence of the Children of Israel. I mean, wandering in the wilderness for four decades is unthinkable to us, but they endured it. You might think the stones would commend the Israelites for a job well done. The Jews had reached their goal. But that would be spinning the story at best and completely dishonest at worst. Looking back on the past 40 years, there was little, if anything, for which to praise the Children of Israel. If the stones were asked to praise the Israelites, the silence would have been deafening. Instead, these stones existed to praise the Lord, the God of the covenant that he had established and fulfilled with the Children of Israel. It wasn’t persistence on the part of the Israelites that was to be admired, but the persistence of the Lord. More than a dozen times (and those are only the events recorded in Scripture), the Lord had every reason to let the entire nation die in the wilderness because of their stubborn sinfulness and unbelief in spite of the fact that they witnessed his daily miracles on their behalf. But the Lord persistently held fast to his covenant promises to them. Behind it all, was the truth that the Lord God is the God of grace. That’s the truth connected with his name, “Lord.” He is the God who is faithful to his promises, slow to anger, and abounding in love. That’s who he is and that doesn’t depend on the actions of the recipients of his grace. Grace is undeserved love. That grace abounded to the Children of Israel as the Lord led them up to and now into the Promised Land. These stones spoke of that saving grace. They also declared God’s power. Talk to a Jewish person today about the history of their people and you will undoubtedly hear about the many attempts throughout world history to exterminate the Jewish people. Nations exist today that are the sworn enemies of the Jews. So also in Old Testament times. I paged through the books of Exodus to Deuteronomy which cover the 40 years of Israel’s journey and I found at least five times that other nations rose up to destroy God’s people: the Egyptians, the Amalekites, the Midianites, the Amorites, and, most recently to this event in Joshua 4, the Moabites. Most, if not all, of these nations had military forces superior to the Children of Israel, but the Children of Israel had the Lord on their side. These stones shared the story of God’s power for his people. This journey to the Promised Land began with the parting of the Red Sea. The Children of Israel walked between walls of water safely, but then the Lord caused those walls of water to come crashing down on Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. So, now, too, the Children of Israel witnessed how the Lord used his power to cause the water of the Jordan River to pile up so that they could safely enter the Promised Land. These stones shared the story of God’s power for his people. But there was a much bigger story to tell. The focus of every event and every word in the Old Testament either directly or indirectly involves God’s promise to send a Savior into the world through this nation of Israel. The fulfillment of that promise depended on the Lord preserving and protecting his people. That’s what he was doing on this day in Joshua 4. Yes, this event was about leading his people into the land he had promised to give them. But the much bigger picture is that he did so in order to bring a Savior into the world. These rocks spoke about the promised Savior. And in this morning’s gospel, we see Jesus, the Rock of our salvation. And, once again, the grace and power of God are proclaimed. Here is the Savior we did nothing to deserve. God gave him to us solely by grace. He has saved us by his grace. And now our eternal future is built on him. Jesus has brought us into his Church by faith in him. In that Church we live in the forgiveness of sins and we have the guarantee of eternal life in heaven. That is the solid Rock of our faith and nothing, not even hell, can overcome it. These stones spoke about the Rock, Jesus Christ. And stones still speak. In today’s gospel, Peter, whose name means “rock or boulder” declared about Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus declared that confession to be the rock (this time using a word meaning a rocky cliff or ledge) on which the Church is built. On this day in the life of Christ, a stone—Peter—spoke about the Rock. And stones still speak. Later in his life, Peter would write that all Christians are spiritual stones built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. As those stones, believers exist to proclaim the praise of the God who has called them out of the darkness of unbelief into the wonderful light of faith (1 Peter 2:9). Our Lord Jesus did not make us stones to remain silent. We are members of his Church with the blessed and glorious privilege and responsibility to proclaim the most important words any sinner can hear and needs to hear— that Jesus Christ is the world’s Savior from sin. Stones still speak. I’m sure you think things are falling apart in our world. It’s been going on for months and there’s no end in sight. It’s likely you’ve never seen the people of our country and our world so divided. Satan has succeeded in doing what he does best—separating people from the love of God and love for each other. So, what’s the solution? First, turn to the Rock yourself. Confess the actions, words and attitudes that have not been Christ-like and receive from him the assurance of your forgiveness which he won for your when he died and rose again for you. That’s the Rock on which your faith is built. You are a living stone built on that Rock. And then be a stone that still speaks. True and lasting hope won’t be found in a vaccine or the “right” outcome in an election two months from now. There is true and lasting forgiveness, peace, and hope in Christ, and only in Christ. That’s the message we need to hear and believe daily. That’s the message we need to proclaim daily. Stones still speak! Let the world hear you speaking! Amen.