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In ancient times, people set up “standing (sacred)
stones” to honor the gods they served, to testify to treaties or covenants
between people/cities/nations, and to honor events that could only be
attributed to the miraculous. Some were small, while others were quite large,
weighing many tons. Standing stones found in Tel Gezer stood 40 feet high (20
feet above ground and 20 feet below ground) and weighed about 25 tons.
Standing stones were a familiar practice for the
Hebrew people. The words “standing stones” come from the Hebrew word massebah, which means to set up. In Scripture we find them
erected to remember their covenant with God and for supernatural acts in their
favor. The stones served as a reminder of what took place, to be passed down
from generation to generation.
Jacob set up stone pillars at Bethel (Genesis
28:18-21, 35:14-15).
Moses erected standing stones at the foot of Mount
Sinai (Exodus 24:2-4).
The Israelites erected standing stones at the
Jordan River (Joshua 4:2-3, 8-9).
Joshua built a standing stone at Shechem (Joshua
24:27).
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