It took me 20 minutes to finish the book of Joshua. Joshua set up a memorial at Shechem; a very large rock. There was a large oak tree there and that is where Joshua had the rock moved. Joshua, speaking for God, had challenged the people to worship God and him only, forsaking all other gods. They had agreed to the challenge and would set aside the worship of anything else and holding only to God. What was the point of the rock? It was a memorial. Joshua personified the rock; “It has heard every word that God has said to us. It is a standing witness against you….”. I would assume that the rock was noticeably out of place there next to that oak tree. People would realize the rock was out of place and ask about it. Then the words of Joshua could be repeated to the questioner, and they would have the chance to agree to God’s challenge as well. We may need to do the same things in our lives. When we need a reminder of God’s call for us to be different from the world set up something that doesn’t belong. Maybe it is a rock in the refrigerator, or a work-boot tied to the TV remote-control, or perhaps a staple-gun next to the vanity mirror. God may want us to put something that is obviously out of place in the middle of a common space in our lives to remind us of the charge to be holy in his sight. It might be worth a try. You never know who may ask you about it, and then you’ll have an opportunity to tell them about Jesus’ sacrifice.
Stuart
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