Remembering God in the Dry Seasons of Life
“And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 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. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.”
The above passage is a familiar account from Scripture. This event of crossing the Jordan signified the Israelites’ entrance into the Promised Land. At such an important milestone in their lives, it was fitting to build a monument to serve as a visible reminder of God’s faithfulness and provision. This makes perfect sense to me. After all, the children of Israel didn’t have the best of memories, did they?
But the part that always puzzled me about this story was the second monument—the one Joshua built in the middle of the Jordan. What was the point of that? As soon as the waters resumed, the entire thing would be covered. No one would see it, so what purpose did it serve? This has perplexed me for years, but this morning, realization dawned on me. (Sometimes I’m a bit slow.)
The Bible tells us that during this time, the Jordan was overflowing its banks. This happens every year at harvest time, and let me tell you, if you’ve never seen the videos of the Jordan River during harvest time, you need to check them out on YouTube. I promise you, it makes the miracle even more extraordinary.
Anyway, it’s true that the waters would likely cover up Joshua’s monument, but only for a while. Once harvest season had passed, the Jordan would return to its normal state of flow and would eventually dry out during the low-water period. Once that happened, Joshua’s monument would become visible.
But since there was another monument on the other side of the Jordan, what was the point of one in the middle? Did they both convey the same message? Yes and no. In my opinion, the message was the same but expressed from two unique perspectives.
On the one hand, the monument in Gilgal signified God’s goodness and faithfulness when life is full and overflowing. This was an exciting time for Israel. After years of wandering in the wilderness and years of captivity before that, they were finally entering their new home. A new door of opportunity was opening for them. Things were looking good. Just as the Jordan was overflowing its banks, these wanderers were overflowing with hope, joy, and excitement. And every time they looked at the monument there, they could relive those feelings, marveling in how God delivered them once again.
On the other hand, Joshua’s monument spoke of God’s goodness and faithfulness in the dry times of life. When it seems all hope is lost. When doors are closing, friends are turning their backs on you, and dreams are dying. Sometimes, when things are going well, it’s easy to forget to whom we owe those blessings. We grow complacent and forget about God. But, in the dry seasons, when everything else is stripped away (like the vanishing waters of the Jordan), we’re left with a substantial monument of God’s goodness, provision, and faithfulness. This reminds us that God came through for us before, and He will come through for us again.
Oh, I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad God commanded Joshua to build two monuments. Sure, it’s great to look back at the delightful times in life, but what a blessing it is to know that even in the dry seasons, God’s monument stands strong. We may have lost sight of Him for a while, but He’s still there. Still in the midst, waiting to do the impossible for us once again. What a monument!