Stones and Mountains
More Reminders of the Covenant
Stone in the Bible often served as visual Covenant Reminders
One of the earliest references to stones being used as covenant reminders is found in Gen. 28:18-22
"Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God 22and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
Another example of stones being used as a covenant reminder is found in Gen. 31:45-43.
45
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46He said to his relatives, "Gather some stones." So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha ["the heap of witness" in Aramaic - in other words, a reminder of witness to their covenant], and Jacob called it Galeed [which also means "the heap of witness but in Hebrew].48Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today. That is why it was called Galeed."The Intergenerational Reminder.
In Josh. 4 the stones were to be a reminder to the next generation. Remember that covenant is always multigenerational.
Joshua 4:4-7
"Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7tell 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."
(Josh 4:21-24)
"In the future when your descendants [read children] ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."
This was a reminder of a covenant that God had not only made but also kept. And, He had them set up a reminder of this covenant for the future generations.
The "Stone of Help."
In 1 Sam. 7:5-12 Samuel then took a large stone and he named it Ebenezer - which means "the stone of help."
This stone was not so much a reminder of a covenant made but a covenant kept - on the part of God.
The stone of warning: If a stone is a reminder of the covenant blessings, it can also be a reminder of the curses that can befall one who does not maintain the covenant.
In Josh. 24:26-27:
"Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD. 27"See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God."
God as Stone
God himself is referred to as "the Rock of Israel" in Gen 49:24.
Both the Old (Psalm 118:22) and the New (Matt. 21:42) Testaments portray Jesus as the cornerstone, the main stone of the building.
Eph. 2:19-22 Jesus Christ is the cornerstone by which the entire building is held together.
As a visual aid, God used mountains to be reminders of the covenant He had with Israel.
The Hebrews were reminded that if they obeyed the Lord, they would experience blessings and if they violated God’s ways, they would bring curses upon themselves.
Deut. 11:26-29,
"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—27the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; 28the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. 29When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses."
Moses identified Mt. Gerizim with blessings and Mount Ebal with curses.
Deut. 27:12-13.
Joshua 8:33-34 says: "All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it—the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. 34Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law."
Hebrews 12 contrasts two mounts: one is a place of fear; the other is a place of hope.
Hebrews 12:18-22, 24: "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." 21The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." 22But you have come to Mount Zion ... 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."
Mount Sinai was a place of law, judgment and destruction.
We have come to Mount Zion (which generally refers to the church) and to "Jesus the mediator of a new covenant."
Jesus died for all of us covenant breakers - so we would not have to die.
Gen. 4:10-11 says, "Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand."
Able’s blood said that Cain was cursed and that he would die. But, Jesus blood says that though we deserve to die, we have blessings instead.