Series Introduction: 

My daughter recently posted some photos of her visit to Corinth. There she sits among ribbons of crumbling walls backdropped by ancient monolithic pillars. I gasped and thought, If only stones could speak! If rocks could talk… That got me thinking about the role of stones in the Bible. 

Stacks of random-rock reminders; gems of divination; obelisk monuments or tiny polished treasures; high-rise citadels or hidden places of refuge. And altars! A ton of altars. Our world has changed, that’s for sure. But not God, who seemingly speaks through stones. Let’s dig up some treasures from his rock-talk.   

Reflection: Pure Gems  

I have never understood why people treasure rocks. Why people pay millions for stones, especially when fakes can be so convincing. But I do get the allure of sparkling colour. Years ago, I put together two little velvet bags of sparkly plastic jewels (collected from a bazaar backstreet haberdashery) and labelled them for our two toddlers: Joel’s Gems; Nate’s Treasures. Something deep inside all of us – not just little boys – delights at the beauty of sparkling coloured treasure. And apparently there are hints of that at the dawn of creation. 

Until now, I never paid attention to Eden’s tangible sparkle. But there it is in Genesis 2:12 where God adorns creation with shimmering-pure gold, crystals of sweet-smelling resin, and layered black-to-every-colour-on-the-spectrum, sparkling onyx. And why? It’s meant to be dazzling imagery of God’s holiness and beauty. And not just that, but of us in his image, and of us in a place of perfect worship and intimacy with him. 

But the stone-story doesn’t end there. When God rescues his people from Egypt and sets up a system for worthy worship, guess what the high priest is to wear on his shoulders as a memorial? Two gold-mounted onyx stones, engraved with the names of the 12 tribes. Wear it as a memorial of what? Well, maybe of that tangible beauty back in Eden. And the stone-story continues. He’s also to wear a breast-piece on which is gold-mounted a ruby, a topaz, an emerald…a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond…a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst…a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper (Exodus 28:9-21). In wearing these, the high priest will carry judgement representative of each treasured tribe. So, look at your priestly go-between and remember that I’m redeeming you, my precious people, and restoring perfection. 

Prophets pick up on this symbolism as in Ezekiel’s lament over the king of Tyre [above], and Isaiah’s picture of God’s people renewed in dazzling holiness: I will rebuild you with precious jewels and make your foundations from lapis lazuli. I will make your towers of sparkling rubies, your gates of shining gems, and your walls of precious stones.(Isaiah 54:11-12 NLT) 

Prayer:

Rescuing Father, thank you for the unspeakably rich hope of perfect intimacy that, because of Christ Jesus, I share with your long-ago chosen people. The thrilling pleasure of being your pristine and treasured gem motivates me as I step into this new day.  

[Repeat this prayer again in slow, thoughtful phrases.] 

He will gather… 

The gems for His kingdom; 

All the pure ones, all the bright ones, 

His loved and His own.  

Like the stars of the morning, 

His brightness adorning, 

They shall shine in their beauty, 

Bright gems for His crown. (When he cometh, hymn by William Cushing)