Memorial stones were monuments set up by God’s people in the Old Testament to celebrate and commemorate His goodness, faithfulness and interventions for them. The Bible is replete with such monumental events. For example, Jacob set up a memorial stone and called the place Bethel when he had an open vision of God reaffirming the covenant He had with Abraham, his grandfather (Genesis 28:10-22); the Israelites were instructed by God to celebrate the Passover as a memorial of how they were delivered from bondage in Egypt. The Passover feast is a memorial stone (Exodus 12:21-27); Joshua was instructed by God to take out twelve stones from the Jordan River after the river was parted by God for the Israelites to pass through. The stones were set up at Gilgal (Joshua 4:1-8,21); Samuel, after the Israelites’ decisive win over their Philistine arch enemy, took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called it “Ebenezer”, saying, thus far the Lord has helped us. (1 Samuel 7:12). Some significance of memorial stone includes the following:
Reminder of Divine Help: The spot where the Israelites defeated the Philistines (after national repentance and fasting) was the same place Samuel set up a stone, calling its name “Ebenezer”. Twenty years before, they had been defeated by the same Philistines at the same place. However, this time round, God turned the tides against their enemies and gave them victory, and hence the memorial name “Ebenezer”. Thus, the place of their former defeat now became the place of their victory.
Reminder of Divine Encounter: Jacob saw a vision of open heaven and angels descending and ascending. He set up a stone and called the place “Bethel”, meaning the house of God (Genesis 28:18-20). At salvation, when a sinner genuinely repents and turns to Jesus, the light of Heaven shines into his or her soul, and inexplicable joy invades the soul. This experience is a divine encounter. Reliving past encounters is always a spring and motivation to ride on with God!
Reminder of Our Divine Inheritance: Another memorial instituted for Christians by our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord’s Supper, also called Holy Communion (Luke 22:17-21). Rightfully partaking in the Lord’s Supper brings to our benefit the redemption riches and treasures we have in Christ (e.g. divine healing, protection, illumination, etc). It also reminds us of the great sacrifice which Jesus undertook on our behalf. And for this, we should be eternally grateful to God. When we participate in this sacred memorial, we obey our Lord Jesus and declare that He is our eternal portion.
Reminder to Future Generations: Because God wants His people to always remember what He has done, and also relay same to succeeding generations, He asked Joshua to pick out twelve stones from River Jordan and set it up as a memorial. We have celebrations, thanksgiving services and testimonies because we want to communicate God’s faithfulness, goodness and mercy to generations coming after us. Similarly, the Thanksgiving was started in 1621 by the early settlers in North America to celebrate God’s goodness. Today, it has been statutorily adopted as a national holiday, serving as a memorial to this and future generation of the goodness and faithfulness of God to their ancestral parents.
CONCLUSION: Memorials are necessary because humans have a propensity to forget God’s goodness in times of adversity, turmoil and challenges. Many look back at the end of the year and feel God hasn’t done much for them. Many may have real reasons not to grateful, but God still wants us to set up memorials for what He has done – however great or small they might be. We may have lost certain things, but He is the reason we have not lost all.
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