Page 80 - Through New Eyes

Rocks, Gold, and Gems 73
how we as living stones are built on God as our foundation, His
living temple. Isaiah 32:2 speaks of how Christians minister to
one another as rocks, “Each will be like a refuge from the wind,
and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry coun-
try, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.”
The best known passage that speaks of this is Matthew 16:18,
‘And I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will
build My church.” The name Peter means rock, but it is not the
same as the word for the Rock upon which Christ builds His
church. That second word means “great rock” or “bedrock, foun-
dation.” Thus, Peter is a little rock, a “chip off the True Rock,” as
it were. 1

The Stones of Havilah
The first stones mentioned in the Bible are those of Havilah,
a land downstream from Eden.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from
there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is
Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there
is gold. And the gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the
onyx stone are there (Genesis 2:10-12).

Eden is the land of food, and the outlying lands are lands of
other raw materials. The Bible conceives of commerce between
these lands, so that those of Adam’s descendants who lived in
Eden would have to engage in trade with those who had moved
downstream to Havilah. In this way, precious stones would be
brought from Havilah back to Eden to adorn the sanctuary.
When Israel came out of Egypt, she sojourned in the land of
Havilah while the Tabernacle and the High Priest’s garments
were made (Genesis 25: 18). Here in this land of rocks were made
many items of gold and onyx. Indeed, the only reference in the
Bible to the onyx stone, outside of Genesis 2, is in connection
with the High Priest’s garments. The shoulder stones of the
“ephod” were made of onyx, and had the names of the twelve
tribes put upon them (Exodus 25: 7; 28:9-12).
No one knows what bdellium is supposed to be. The only
other reference to it in the Bible is Numbers 11:7, where we are