“Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.”
My Notes
What Does Joshua 4:7 Mean?
"Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever." After Israel crosses the Jordan on dry ground, God commands them to take twelve stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial. When future generations ask "What mean these stones?" — the answer is ready: God stopped the Jordan for us. The stones are a permanent, physical prompt for a story that must be retold.
The memorial is designed for children's questions. God expects future generations to be curious about the pile of rocks, and the curiosity is the entry point for the story. The stones don't explain themselves — they provoke questions that parents are prepared to answer.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'stones' — tangible reminders of God's faithfulness — have you set up in your life?
- 2.What questions do your children or community need to be asking that would lead to your faith story?
- 3.Why does God choose curiosity-provoking memorials rather than self-explanatory ones?
- 4.What God-story from your life needs a physical reminder so it won't be forgotten?
Devotional
Twelve stones from a dry riverbed. That's God's memorial for the Jordan crossing. Not a golden monument. Not an elaborate temple. Twelve ordinary rocks pulled from the bottom of a river and stacked where your kids will trip over them.
The genius is in the design: the stones are meant to provoke questions. "What do these stones mean?" That's what the children will ask. And the answer is a story: the waters of Jordan were cut off. God stopped a river for us. We walked through on dry ground. The rocks don't explain — they invite. They create the curiosity that produces the conversation that transmits the faith.
God could have written the story in the sky. He could have built a monument that needed no explanation. Instead, he chose something that only works if someone tells the story. The stones are meaningless without the narrative. And the narrative only gets told if someone asks.
What are the stones in your life? What physical, tangible reminders of God's faithfulness are you setting up for the next generation? Not just mental memories — actual, trip-over-them reminders that will make your children ask: what does this mean? The photo on the wall. The journal on the shelf. The scar on your skin. The place you visit every year. Memorials work when they provoke questions that lead to stories that transmit faith.
If your children don't know your God-stories, it might be because you haven't set up the stones.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then ye shall answer them,.... By informing them of the design and use of them:
that the waters of Jordan were cut off…
We may well imagine how busy Joshua and all the men of war were while they were passing over Jordan, when besides their…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture