Joshua 5:5-9 "Now all the people that
came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness
by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.
(6) For the children of Israel walked forty years in the
wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt,
were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the
LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto
their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
(7) And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them
Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not
circumcised them by the way. (8) And it came to pass, when they had
done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp,
till they were whole. (9) And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day
have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of
the place is called Gilgal unto this day."
An entire generation had been born while traveling through the wilderness. They were constantly moving about so they had not taken time to circumcise the male children. Now they have crossed the Jordan River and are about to begin a new time of life. Before they begin, the LORD stops them here in Gilgal in order for them to fulfill that which had been given through Abraham. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant that had been made from God to them and represented their reliance upon the Lord rather than themselves.
As I read today's verses, a thought came to me concerning the forty extra years of travel. Verse six tells us that they "walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war ... were consumed." We know there were times when the Lord took the lives of several men at one time. There was one occasion when the earth opened and swallowed 250 men. My mind asks the question, "Why did the Lord allow those who did not obey the voice of the Lord to live out their lives during those forty years?" I dare not pretend to know the mind of God, but it seems to me that in those forty years, the generation of men who had disobeyed surely taught their children and families to trust the Lord. It seems they would have taken that time to say to their children, "Spare yourself from wandering around in life. Trust the leadership of the Lord. Follow Him." That is good direction for us today also, wouldn't you say?
Now they are in the promised land and there is something that must be done before they continue on. They must remove the effects of Egypt and their past lives. It is a painful, but necessary, process. As children of God, it is sometimes a painful process for us to turn from the things of the past and the things of the world. It sometimes cuts; yet, the result brings great peace and joy in the Lord. Paul speaks to the Romans of the circumcision of the heart. That is referring to this process of turning from the worldly activities to the things of the Lord. It requires repentance, a turning from the world to the Lord. The resulting fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ is worth any pain or difficulty that we may have in leaving old things behind and walking in the newness of life in Christ Jesus.
An entire generation had been born while traveling through the wilderness. They were constantly moving about so they had not taken time to circumcise the male children. Now they have crossed the Jordan River and are about to begin a new time of life. Before they begin, the LORD stops them here in Gilgal in order for them to fulfill that which had been given through Abraham. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant that had been made from God to them and represented their reliance upon the Lord rather than themselves.
As I read today's verses, a thought came to me concerning the forty extra years of travel. Verse six tells us that they "walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war ... were consumed." We know there were times when the Lord took the lives of several men at one time. There was one occasion when the earth opened and swallowed 250 men. My mind asks the question, "Why did the Lord allow those who did not obey the voice of the Lord to live out their lives during those forty years?" I dare not pretend to know the mind of God, but it seems to me that in those forty years, the generation of men who had disobeyed surely taught their children and families to trust the Lord. It seems they would have taken that time to say to their children, "Spare yourself from wandering around in life. Trust the leadership of the Lord. Follow Him." That is good direction for us today also, wouldn't you say?
Now they are in the promised land and there is something that must be done before they continue on. They must remove the effects of Egypt and their past lives. It is a painful, but necessary, process. As children of God, it is sometimes a painful process for us to turn from the things of the past and the things of the world. It sometimes cuts; yet, the result brings great peace and joy in the Lord. Paul speaks to the Romans of the circumcision of the heart. That is referring to this process of turning from the worldly activities to the things of the Lord. It requires repentance, a turning from the world to the Lord. The resulting fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ is worth any pain or difficulty that we may have in leaving old things behind and walking in the newness of life in Christ Jesus.