Scripture Study: Joshua 5:1-9

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Bible Study, Christian, Circumcision, Covenant, Gilgal, Jordan River, Joshua, Scripture Study

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As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel.

² At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. ⁴ And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. ⁵ Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised. ⁶ For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.

⁸ When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. ⁹ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.

Verse 1: Before a battle was even fought on this side of the Jordan River, God had already worked to deliver victory to the Israelites. Joshua did the wise thing by standing aside and letting God handle the method of crossing the Jordan rather than try to come up with a way to build a bridge or ford across the river. The supernatural actions of God sent ripples throughout the land ahead of the Israelites, something that God is still capable of accomplishing today for Christians. If God is prompting you to do something that looks impossible, perhaps He is preparing a mighty work to bring honor and glory to His name through you. Remember that faith is belief without seeing, and that faith is more than just a passive emotion or feeling or thought. Faith is active, and so God might be waiting for you to take those first steps on this revealed path, trusting that He will show up and bring about a way for things to be accomplished according to His will.

Verses 2-3: Verse two can appear as a head-scratcher at first glance, much like the passage in John where Jesus tells Nicodemus that a man must be born again to see the Kingdom of God (See John 3:1-15). It sounds as though God is telling Joshua that these men must be circumcised a second time but, as will be seen in verses 4-7, this assumption is incorrect. But it is important to note that God allows them to cross over the Jordan River, into the Promised Land, and then commands the circumcision. Religion can lead us to believe that a person must become clean, or be a good enough person, before they can enter into the presence and protection of God. Yet the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a God that brings His people in first and then works to clean them after they are His. Perfection is not required first by God. It is only when man gets involved that the weight of what we must do or be or say or think becomes a burden.

Verses 4-7: All of the people who left Egypt had been circumcised, yet almost every man, woman, and child here now was born during the 40 years spent in the wilderness. It does not mention why the practice of circumcision on the 8th day was not upheld during that time, but God makes the decision now to have His people get the circumcision in order to mark themselves physically as being under His covenant of the flesh. This act was one of many commands passed down throughout the Old Testament, this one being given initially to Abraham (see Genesis 17:10-14). Fans of religion, those who want to believe that what they do helps them to earn their promised salvation, may look to the old command of circumcision and believe it should still be upheld and practiced today because God had commanded it of the Israelites. Yet we see that the Holy Spirit descended upon the uncircumcised Gentiles (See Acts 10:44-48) and that Peter opposed the Jews in Antioch who proclaimed it was a necessary act to earn salvation (see Acts 15:1-11) and Paul and Barnabas also reached the conclusion that Gentiles should not be compelled to be circumcised (see Acts 15:13-21). What counts now, under the new Covenant brought about by Christ, is new creation (see Galatians 6:15) rather than a works-based approach to salvation (see Ephesians 2:8). So while the practice of circumcision is not a wrong one to have – there are certainly reasons to consider upholding the practice – choosing to circumcise in order to secure salvation is an attempt to bring about salvation through our own power and influence rather than by the Mercy and Grace of God.

Verse 9: The previous chapter mentioned that Joshua set up the monument of 12 stones at Gilgal (see Joshua 4:19-20), yet we see it being named here in the following chapter. The name Gilgal comes from a word that signifies to take away, which is representing a shift in the relationship between God and the Israelites. The past 40 years had been spent wandering in the wilderness as a result of the people’s decisions and inclination to turn toward man-made idols. With the act of circumcision here, the Israelites are moving into a right relationship once more with God, who will be leading the way as they campaign throughout the Promised Land.

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Scripture Study: Joshua 4:15-24

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Ark of the Covenant, Christian, Gilgal, Jordan River, Joshua, Scripture Study

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¹⁵ And the Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶ “Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” ¹⁷ So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” ¹⁸ And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

¹⁹ The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. ²⁰ And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. ²¹ And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, ²⁴ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Verses 15-17: When God directs, Joshua listens. The obedience shown here is great, and something we all would like to think that we would do without hesitation. After all, if God spoke to us directly it would be so different than trying to decipher His will in other ways. Yet Jesus promised that He would send us the helper, the Holy Spirit. The part of the trinity that we often struggle to understand yet it is the part that directly affects our daily lives. Yet if we are Christians, we have access to tap into that Holy Spirit and gain its guidance in areas of our lives. Like prayer, it can be a frustrating process because most of the time there will come no answer, or at least no clear one. It may be as simple as a sudden impulse to read and study a certain passage or book in Scripture, something we could easily misconstrue as something we desire ourselves rather than a directive from God. Yet the more we know and understand God’s will, the better we will be equipped to determine if an impression could be from the Holy Spirit. Studying the Scriptures goes a long way toward accomplishing that purpose, as does a prayer life that is frequent and in alignment with God’s promises, repentance of our own sins, and a willingness to wait on the Lord.

Verse 18: Imagine the sound of the water of the Jordan River, previously held at bay on one side and raised up into the air, comes crashing down upon the now-dry river bed. Not only did the water resume its normal course of flow, it also resumed the previous overflowing level of capacity. You can imagine the sweat beading on the faces of those priests as they stood there in the middle of the riverbed, not only while waiting for thousands to cross but then for twelve men to come back and each take a stone, and then for Joshua to come back and erect a monument in the river where they were standing. Yet they stood steadfast, and God held the waters back until they had all reached the other side. Not one man set down his part of the Ark to flee to safety before the allotted time. That takes courage and faith, in equal measures!

Verse 20: As mentioned previously, the text seems to indicate this is a second monument that is erected, one in the river and then this one at Gilgal, which is further east across the Jordan. It is close outside Jericho, just to the northwest of the walled city where the Israelites are heading.

Verses 21-24: Last time I used the mention of the monuments to discuss building our own visual reminders so that we could better remember the times when God has worked on our behalf. This time, I want to take the opportunity to take a closer look at how we should be using those opportunities to share with others, whether our children or otherwise. Notice here how Joshua not only mentions the miracle done here with the river, but also ties it back to a similar miracle that was done for their near-ancestors with the Red Sea (only two men, Joshua and Caleb, were allowed to enter the Promised Land, so everyone else present at the Red Sea would be dead by now). Not only do we need those monuments to remind ourselves in times of trial and sorrow, we can use them as talking points with our children and others who enter our lives and our homes. Think of them as icebreakers, conversation starters in our homes. You do not have to be perfect and eloquent to boast about what your God can do, especially when He stepped in to accomplish things in your life that you had no chance of achieving in your own power. You do not need a degree in Theology, experience behind the pulpit, nor an elegant plan to share these things with those who ask. This is a passive form of spreading the Gospel, because it is based around others initiating conversation first, but it is a great way for introverts to share these things without having to struggle to find a way to bring up the topic. And, most important of all, it allows us to share these things with the next generations of children in our families. The best thing we can do is to equip our descendants with the faith, and the reasons before that faith. We should strive to actively model its importance in our lives, and these monuments (along with the conversations that will arise from their presence) are a step in the right direction toward this objective.

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