The Twelve Memorial Stones
The Twelve Memorial Stones Joshua did not immediately advance against Jericho. He had been commanded otherwise. As the people were crossing Jordan, he had appointed twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes, to carry each a great stone and place it in the midst of the river where the priests had stood with the ark. These twelve stones were to remain in Jordan’s channel as a memorial forever. Furthermore, twelve other stones were plucked out from the bed of the river where they had lain for ages and were borne ashore. With these stones, the Israelites proceeded in triumphant procession to the nearest high point on the western bank of the Jordan, a place called Gilgal. Here they set up the twelve stones as a monument to God’s power; and here at Gilgal, they made their first camp in the promised land. The tabernacle was reërected, and a week was devoted to religious ceremonies. The Passover was celebrated as it had not been celebrated all those forty years in the wild...