The twelve stones taken from the Jordan signify the twelve tribes of the new Israel. The stones’ being raised up from the waters of the Jordan signifies resurrection from death. These twelve stones were a sign, showing that the “resurrected” new Israel would be a testimony of the crossing of the death water (vv. 6-7, 21-24). This typifies the believers’ experiencing with Christ the resurrection from death (Rom. 6:3-4).

These were another twelve stones (cf. v. 3), signifying the twelve tribes of Israel in their old life and in their old nature. Joshua erected these twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the Ark was, signifying that the Lord wanted Israel in their old nature to remain under the death water of the Jordan. This typifies that the old man of the believers should remain in the death of Christ (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:10).

The two sets of twelve stones signify that our old man has been buried and our resurrected new man is living and working with the Triune God as one. This corresponds with the revelation in Eph. 2:1, 4-6, 10, 15.

The crossing of the river Jordan was for war against the seven tribes in Canaan (vv. 12-13; 3:10b). The people of Israel were ready to enter into the good land and to take it as their possession. However, in their old man they could not gain the victory. Their old man had to be buried so that they could become a new man. This corresponds to the New Testament economy of God. In type, the children of Israel were buried in the death of Christ and then were resurrected in the resurrection of Christ to become a new man in Christ for the fighting of the spiritual warfare. This indicates that even in the Old Testament time the children of Israel were identified with Christ.

This was for a memorial, testifying of Israel’s crossing the Jordan by Jehovah’s miraculous deed (vv. 20-24).