Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?'” (Joshua 4:4-6)

Children Need To Know

Children are naturally inquisitive. They want to know why dogs chase cats, where snow comes from, why the sky is blue, how birds fly, where babies come from, and why they must eat vegetables. There are fifty thousand more questions that young minds must answer. Asking questions is the basis of learning and discovering knowledge. God impressed on the minds of His people not to forget about the children learning about Him. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, He instructed Moses to have twelve men pick up stones from the midst of the river. The twelve stones would be a monument to the story of God’s power and glory as He gave them the promised land.

Memorials are important to establish truth. The twelve stones represented the story of Israel and how God delivered them from Egypt and their enemies and gave them the land of promise. Each time someone would pass by the twelve stones, they would know how great the power of God delivered them and blessed them. The twelve stones would also serve as an object lesson for teaching children about God. Moses told the parents of Israel to teach their children in the home, when they walked by the way, when they lay down, and when they rose up. God wanted the people to teach the children to know Him.

The twelve stones represented an important part of the history of Israel to teach children. God wants the children to know His testimonies, His statutes, and His judgments. This can only be done through teaching. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God, and children learn faith because they are taught to know the word of God from birth. Knowledge does not happen sitting in a room. It takes teaching, reminding, illustrating, and explaining the significance of the twelve stones and why serving God is important.

Parents are concerned that their children receive a proper education (reading, writing, and arithmetic). More than twelve years will be spent on that pursuit. When the child graduates, they may go on to college for more education or pursue some other form of education to find success in life. Tragically, the one education so many children never get is the teaching of the word of God. They grow up illiterate of truth, righteousness, holiness, and grace. Knowing about God is a veneer of knowledge that has no practical purpose in life. Life is filled with things of this world, never preparing for the world to come.

God wants children to know about Him, and parents who fail to teach their children the word of God fail the most basic need of their child. Twelve stones taught children about the will of the Lord. They asked questions to learn the meaning of the stones. A parent cannot teach a child something they do not know themselves. The twelve stones served to teach the parents first and then instruct the child. When that is done, the family is united in a common bond of divine knowledge. Children need to know about God! Learn all you can about the Lord and share that knowledge with your children.