Gilgal: The Stones of Memorial in the Jordan and at Gilgal.
God has thus given us eternal life in His Son—a life on the other side of death and judgment, which were borne by Jesus before it was bestowed. This life is a witness that the sins we had committed are all forever put away. When He was passing down in holy love into those depths where we lay “dead in sins,” He found our sins: He took them up and made them His own—died and rose, leaving them all behind Him at His cross.
We have also been introduced, “in Christ,” into a new sphere on high with God; a fitting place for the life He has bestowed. He has given us in title the glory He possesses as Man, and the possession too of all He will inherit by and by. Thus, in this new place, we have wholly left the Egypt to which we once belonged, and the wilderness which we traversed, as we look at ourselves “in heavenly places” “in Christ.”
And here comes in the double character of the Christian state, as we have before said. If he looks up he is in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, united to Him by the Holy Ghost sent down. But he is traversing the desert as a pilgrim and stranger, if he looks below; a place in which every breath is noxious to the heavenly life he possesses in Christ. He has begun in the glory, and he is in the race which leads to the attainment of the goal; the mark for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus. He looks at himself and can truly say, “As having nothing;” he looks at Christ, and says, “Yet possessing all things.”
The first spot where Israel’s feet stood after crossing over was at Gilgal. There is no student of Scripture who will not have noticed the deep importance of this spot subsequently, in all the wars of the Lord, as also in the history of the people. (See ch 4: 3, 8, 19; 5:9; 6:11, 14, 23; 9:6; 10:6, 15, 43; 14:6.)
Here I may remark that Canaan is not the type of the Father’s house where we hope to be when the Lord comes and receives us to Himself, and conducts us to that scene of bliss. There will be no conflict, no enemies found in that place of rest. Canaan is a figure of the heavenlies which we are in, as a present thing by faith; and as united to Him who is there. All is yet in possession of the foe. The heavenlies are the abode, for the time, of wicked spirits—the rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph. 6:1212For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)). We have therefore, to maintain our place as heavenly men, under the Lord, against all the hosts of Satan’s power.
Gilgal has five characteristics, of which we shall now hope to speak in detail. They are—
First, The stones of memorial set up at Gilgal, and those in the Jordan.
Secondly, The characteristic of the place—Circumcision.
Thirdly. The eating of the Passover there, on the plains of Jericho.
Fourthly, Feeding upon the old corn of the land of Canaan; and—
Lastly, The presence of the Captain of the Host of the Lord, who now presents Himself to lead a circumcised people to victory.
If all things then are ours, there is that which we never may and never would lose sight of; nor would our God allow it to be so. I mean the way into this new sphere, and what it cost the Lord of glory that He might have us there. It would seem as if He only waited until His people were safely over, to speak of that which was nearest to His heart (Josh. 4:22Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, (Joshua 4:2)).
There were two heaps of stones of memorial set up. One, at the command of Joshua, by twelve men, in the place where they lodged at Gilgal. This was composed of twelve stones taken out of the spot where the Ark stood firm till all had passed across dry shod. The other by Joshua himself, in that spot where the feet of the priests bearing the Ark stood, in the bed of the river of death. No doubt both are attributed to Joshua (v. 20), but there is a striking significance in the difference.
There are two ways of looking at these stones. They point to the Lord Jesus Himself at the moment when the waves were flowing over His holy soul in death. And they point to Him as the risen One, who was dead, and is now “alive for evermore.” They also point (for such is the perfect identification between Him and His—He the Redeemer, they the redeemed; He the Sanctifier, they the sanctified) to our being now one with Him in life who was dead, and who lives forever; also that as thus risen with Him, we are dead with Christ.
The moment we are introduced into this life in resurrection, the remembrance of the path into it for us—the path of death for the Lord, is the constant food of the soul. Instead of death having fed upon us, its lawful prey—we feed upon death; but this death is the death of the Lord. It was thus we received this life at the first; eating the flesh, and drinking the blood of the Son of Man. Thus appropriating Him in faith, and in the consciousness that except thus we have no life in us. (John 6:5353Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. (John 6:53).) Having fed upon Him by faith in death, and having received eternal life in Him, we live by that which produced it. We feed upon Him as risen, and who was dead, and thus we live by Him. “He that eateth me, even he shall live by me” (John 6:5757As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:57)). This is practical life: all else is death. It is but the Adam life (if you can call it such), and God owns it not.
The Lord instituted the supper when here below on the same night on which He was betrayed; but this was not enough. We do not (as the Church of God) eat the Lord’s supper merely as thus appointed. He has gone on high in glory, and again—as the true Joshua, type of a heavenly Christ, by power of the Spirit, Leader, and Guide of His people—has He re-instituted the feast. It is from the heavens He speaks through Paul, by the Spirit of God sent down; and thus does the Church of God partake of it in the unity of one body. It had not this character as at first given, and the Church of God partakes of it, as the symbol of its unity as one body—breaking one loaf, which expresses this unity. “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The loaf which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (i.e., His own body). For we, being many, are one loaf, one body (i.e., the Church, His body); for we are all partakers of that one loaf” (1 Cor. 10:16, 1716The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16‑17)). With Israel, it was twelve stones, as the symbol of the unity of the twelve tribes. With the Church it is “one loaf”—because it is “one body” in union with its Head in glory. There is no room in this for the independency of the present day. There is no room for the self-will of man in having as many tables as he pleases, or each one for himself; as many have done through the “commandments and doctrines of men.”
Thus the Church of God, if obediently acting under a glorified Christ, by the power and direction of the Spirit of God, has the precious memorial in that feast (in its verity), the touching and heart-searching remembrance of the death of the. Lord, antitype of these stones taken from the bed of death. We carry with us death, which once was our enemy, but now our ally, to this place of strength. She is conscious of her union with Him who died. There was no union with Him till He rose. Till then He abode alone. But also (now that we are in union with a risen Christ), we know that we have died with Him, and are now risen with Him, and thus introduced into this sphere of glory.
O what a crowd of thoughts would freely flow through our hearts, by the Spirit of God, were we to meditate further on those that present themselves as we contemplate this feast! But we must be satisfied in presenting the meaning as far as we can in this meditation; bearing in mind the basis of our thoughts as noted in our introductory chapter.
The other heap of stones was set up by Joshua, in the bed of the river Jordan. The first heap, set up at Gilgal, was placed there by the twelve men, at his command. These he is said to have placed himself, in the place where the priests’ feet stood firm with the Ark. To me this difference conveys a most touching truth. We are told in v. 18, that the waves flowed on, over this second heap of memorial stones, as soon as the Ark of the covenant, borne on the priests’ shoulders, came up out of Jordan: “and there they are unto this day.”
Both these heaps of stones refer to Him in His death, and in His resurrection. They also speak to us (because twelve were thus used in the type) of our being risen with Him who was dead; and as risen, we know too that we have died with Him.
One heap—that at Gilgal—was ever to be seen; while the other was hidden, deep in the waves of the river. There are two sides, so to speak, amongst the host of thoughts which encircle the Lord’s Supper, one of which the church has always—but I do not think that practically she invariably enjoys the other. The stones which the twelve men took under Joshua’s command (or with us, the church acting under the power and directions of a heavenly Christ), are ever to be seen and enjoyed. She always has the remembrance of Him in His death, carried to the place of communion—the ever freshly-speaking memorial of her blessing, and of the death of Him who gave Himself for her. “Till he come” marks its continuance. But, let me ask my reader, do we always have that of which the second heap of stones speaks? Is Christ always free (it was Joshua’s action in the type) to lead us to the brink of that river? —are our hearts always in order that we may be led there? Yea, more; are our souls spiritual enough to be so led? Can He, I say, ever freely lead us back to the river—while we have only stepped to that spot from the Gilgal where self is gone, and put back the stream—draw aside the vail of waters, and allow us to gaze down into their depths, and behold the spot where His precious feet stood fast; and let us read His heart, and His sorrows—His cry!
How blessedly have we enjoyed Him speaking to our hearts, of our blessing in feeding together in peace at the Supper of the Lord; but have we always been let into what flowed through His heart at that memorable hour? I can answer for myself—perhaps for others—No!
O, for the children of God to come together in such condition of heart and conscience, that He might be ever free to manifest Himself and allow us thus to discern His body! That we might not only have (what, thank God, we ever have) the truth conveyed to us in the heap of stones at Gilgal; but that He might be free to carry us in company with His spirit to the place His holy soul was, when deep called to deep at the noise of God’s waterspouts (Psa. 42:77Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. (Psalm 42:7)); when the waters compassed Him about (Jonah 2:55The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. (Jonah 2:5)); when they flowed over His head (Lam. 3:5454Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. (Lamentations 3:54)); or when they came in to His soul (Psa. 69:11<<To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David.>> Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. (Psalm 69:1)); letting us into the secrets of those moments when nature veiled her head; when the sun put on his mourning, and the rocks rent, because the Son of God was pouring out His soul unto death; when His heart was like wax, melted in the midst of His bowels! (Psa. 22:1414I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (Psalm 22:14)). There in His solitary path through death’s river, He stood fast, there was God most fully glorified; there to the Father was presented a fresh motive to love His Son. And He values our remembrance of His love—now that we are free to think of Him who gives us His company at Gilgal.
Thus we have death, our foe, converted into our ally in this new scene; and Joshua, in his explanation of these stones of memorial, takes in the Red Sea in looking back (ch 4:23); as Moses’ faith, in the song of deliverance, took in the Jordan when looking forward to the completeness of God’s salvation (Ex. 15:1616Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. (Exodus 15:16)).