Stones

I love stones. Not just diamonds and rubies but "normal" stones. I have always liked to find cool stones and I even lived in the "Gravel Capital" of the world for my first twenty years. However, it wasn't until we moved to Tatuí Brazil just a year ago that I literally stumbled into stone heaven. The stones here aren't particularly beautiful, just so different than what I have been used to. I like it here! 

Thinking about rocks and stones made me realize how often the same appear in the Bible. The first text is in Genesis 2:12, where onyx is mentioned and the last verse is in Revelation 21:11, where jasper appears. 

Abraham used stones to build an altar on which he was to offer his son Isaac (Gen 22:9). Jacob had several important encounters with stones. In one he had several stones for a pillow and during the night had a whopper of a dream about God. Jacob also set up an altar after God protected him from his dear brother Esau (Gen 33:20). He gave that altar a name which was, El Elohe Israel (mighty is the God of Israel).

Moses received the Law on a stone tablet, the first mention of a tablet in history. Moses then broke the tablet. It must have been a Nexus 7. JK Then there was Aaron's ephod that had a precious stone for each tribe. These all came from Egyptian donors.

Twice, water came from a rock in the wilderness. The first time with no problem. Though it is hard to imagine how a rock produced water enough for 2,000,000 people. The second time the rock produced water too but Moses lost his cool and his entrance into the Promised land because he disobeyed God's command. 

Joshua was commanded to have a man from each of the 12 tribes get a stone from the middle of the dried up Jordan River, and then to pile those stones as a reminder to future generations of how God had given the children of Israel the land and had stopped the river's flow in the process. 

Gideon offered a sacrifice to Jesus on a stone. Later, after Gideon's death, sixty nine of his seventy sons were all killed on the same stone. Only Jotham escaped. David took five smooth stones too battle the giant Goliath. Some believe that he took the other four because Goliath has brothers. 

In Nebucadnezzar's vision of the future in Daniel, he saw a huge stone crashing into his grand image, bashing it to pieces. Many scholars believe that this rock was none other than Jesus Christ. He is the stone that the builders rejected and had become the corner stone, which is the foundation of the Church. 

Now comes the very cool part of the story. We believers in Jesus the corner stone become lively stones according to Peter. Look at what he says in 1 Peter 2:5, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," 8 and, "A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

 

In Revelation, believers receive a white stone with a name on it that nobody but the receiver knows. 

So, it not just me that thinks that stones are cool. God talks about them a lot too. Ponder these things and God will help you to understand more about divine lapidary.