A STONE OF WITNESS

Today’s Reading: Genesis 31

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Mount Hermon is at the north of Israel and is the highest point in the land. A peak in this area rises to 2,236 m (7,336 ft). Psalm 133:3.

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Key Verses: Genesis 31:3, 44-45

Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you…Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and Me.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

Jacob heard from God and from his father-in-law Laban. Back in Genesis 28:18 Jacob set up a stone as a pillar of witness to God’s restating of the covenant He made with Abraham and Isaac. God reaffirms the same with Jacob. Now Jacob does the same as a witness to his covenant with his father-in-law, Laban. These stone pillars would be permanent reminders of the life-changing commitments made to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and now, Jacob; also to Jacob’s family. Be assured that the twelve sons of Jacob and his daughters listened over and over to the stories of Jacob’s encounters with God and now they were watching as their Dad and Grandpa Laban made their commitments to each other. Here’s a lesson: pass on to your family “stones of witness,” e.g. your testimony for Christ in your will, special mementos, etc.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord, help me to be creative in the reminders for my family of those times I have encountered You, as well as my commitments to others. Cause these items and/or documents to bless my children, their children and beyond. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I carefully chose a great and beautiful “Stone of Witness” from a quarry near our Severn Bridge, Ontario, Circle Square Ranch, transported it to the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario, and erected it in front of the main entrance. Along the stone’s foundation a Bible verse is written, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV). The cost of doing this was paid for by Leno Mori of Niagara-on-the-Lake in memory of his wife who had recently passed into Heaven. It is a powerful witness to the Mori family and to all of us (see photos below). Norma-Jean and I are still working on the “witness” we want to pass on to our family. It won’t be a great stone, but we believe it will serve to remind generations to come of God’s faithfulness.

Yours sincerely for blessing our families,

David

The rock outside of the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario. CTS stands for the “Crossroads Television System,” a 24/7 television network (now known as YES-TV).

A close-up of the plaque beneath a “Stone of Witness.”