Stones, Ruins, and Deliverance

The same God who cuts a path through the river also leaves ruins as a warning. Israel took stones from the Jordan so that later generations would ask and remember. Psalm 107 also teaches remembrance: the redeemed must say what the Lord has done—how He gathers the scattered, feeds the hungry, stills the storm, and brings down proud strength. But Jeremiah shows what happens when men remember God’s works and yet refuse His commandments. They fled judgment, carried their idols with them, and called stubbornness devotion. So their exile was not healed by travel, because the sickness was in their worship.

Origen says, “For “God sent forth his Word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions,” as the prophet taught in the book of Psalms.” Healing comes by the Word God sends, not by the false incense men devise for themselves. Therefore crossing over must not be slow, half-hearted, or divided. As Origen says elsewhere on Joshua, “we should not do it idly or negligently, but we should hurriedly press on all the way until we cross over everything.”

Paul in chains shows this same obedience. He does not save himself by deceit or rage. He stands under confused rulers, false charges, and delay, yet he remains steadfast, appealing lawfully and bearing witness patiently. The faithful man may be hemmed in by plots, but he must not return to Egypt in his heart.

So let us keep memorials that lead to obedience: psalms on the lips, alms in the hand, idols cast away, and endurance under unjust treatment. Give thanks to the Lord, but do not flatter Him with words while keeping rival loyalties. The God who gathers also judges; the God who wounds also heals; and both works teach us to fear Him and obey.