Stones of Remembrance

“So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the LORD had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there. Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.”


Josuha 4:8–9


Have you ever seen a woman wearing a huge diamond ring and said, “Wow, look at the size of that rock!” I was watching an ad for a ring company called, “Modern Gents” that sells fake wedding rings. The founder of “Modern Gents” was with his wife in Hawaii and I am not sure if they were on their Honeymoon or not but the guys wife dove into a natural pool that formed below a waterfall and her engagement/wedding ring fell off and they were unable to locate it. It was lost, and because it was an expensive diamond ring they immediately contacted their insurance company to file a claim to replace it. In the process of getting a new ring they got an idea that ultimately became a lucrative business venture. They said to date they have sold over a million rings in the short time they have been in business.

They decided against buying another expensive wedding ring and instead set out to make a nice looking cheap wedding ring and then use the extra insurance claim money that they would have spent on a wedding ring to travel to places they have never been. They said they wanted a cheaper ring so they could invest more money in making memories together. No argument here just an observation the Lord brought to my mind and an opportunity for me and you to join forces today and pray for marriages everywhere because the statistics show a decline in successful marriages. Sadly, divorce is on the rise so I invite you to join me in praying for the institution of marriage. Pray for the married couples the Lord puts on your heart today.

Diamonds have symbolic meaning and for centuries been the preferred stone chosen for wedding rings for the bride and for good reason. The stone has a long history of significance. First, diamonds are created by God just like marriage is. Not man made, and the bible makes clear, “What God has joined together let no man separate.” Marriage is ordained of God, between a biological male and a biological female. He created and established it. Second, diamonds like marriage are forged under heat and pressure. The Bible teaches that the “two shall become one”. It’s more than the physical act of intercourse, marriage is every bit as much a spiritual relationship in that God knits or (forges) two hearts and souls together as one. The pressure of a biblical marriage is experienced in the denial of self that is required of couples if they are to enjoy the oneness as God intended. True love is always sacrificial. Third, a quality diamond is expensive, there is a price to pay and often times it requires a significant investment on our part. A great marriage comes at a high price to both the husband and wife but well worth the effort they put in. More than the dollars spent, the true value is in the amount of time and thought, effort and energy that goes into possessing the ring.

Maybe, even more than everything I just shared I believe a diamond ring was intended to be like the stones of remembrance we read about in the Bible. God established stones of remembrance to be erected in honor of His faithfulness to do something that would be impossible for man to accomplish without the help of God. In one instance the children of Israel set up stones of remembrance so they would not forget the faithfulness of God when they crossed over the Jordan River on dry land when the Lord parted the waters when the water level was at its highest. They took stones from the deepest part of the riverbed that the Lord dried up so they could cross over and then he told them to stack up those rocks in a place so they would remember each time they passed what God had done for them. They also stacked up rocks at the deepest part of the Jordan with the same purpose. They wanted people to see the stones and ask whats with the rock? The stacked rocks also became a testimony they could share with future generations about the goodness of God. A diamond wedding ring is a rock, a stone of remembrance that communicates to the world the faithfulness of God in your life for providing you a husband or a wife.

A diamond wedding ring not only is a reminder that God has been faithful to us in bringing us from our singleness to married life, our wedding ring also serves as an opportunity to testify of our love both of God and our spouse. How healthy would marriages be if those of us who are married took time each day and looked for opportunities to brag about our spouse. A wedding ring worn in public communicates to the world that we belong to someone. Even if we are half way around the world our wedding ring is a stone of remembrance of God’s faithfulness and ours.

I can’t even count the number of men and women through the years who found themselves in a relational temptation and the way of escape the Lord made for them was their own wedding ring. Both men and women have testified that their wedding ring is the very thing God used to get them to focus on their marriage when they faced a temptation and it helped them to flee youthful lusts. Isn’t it interesting that often times when a husband or wife cheats on their spouse the first thing they do is remove their ring? They remove the stone of remembrance so to speak and with it their devotion and commitment to the marriage.  

Stones of remembrance are important and needed in our lives to help us remember and to testify of the goodness and faithfulness of God. Don’t get me wrong, I really do get the whole cheap ring concept and the desire to invest in memories but the words of King David keep ringing in my ears when he spoke of the type of sacrifices he would offer to the Lord, “I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing.” No wonder God called David, “a man after God’s own heart.” God doesn’t need our sacrifice, but we need to make sacrifices that help clearly communicate our love and devotion to God and one another. Again it’s not the cost of the gift, it’s the sacrifice thats made that speaks the most. None of us want a cheap imitation marriage so be careful in choosing a symbol of your love. Let whatever you give to one another as tokens of your love be the truest indication of your heart for your spouse understanding the best marriages reflect Christ to one another and the world.

“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her”

Ephesians 5:25


I LOVE YOU!