Joshua 5:1-15


The news of the Jordan River drying up and allowing the children of Israel cross into the land of Canaan brought great fear to all of the nations of that region.  They had obviously heard of the plight of the Egyptians and how God had opened the Red Sea for this nation in the previous generation and now these same people were back and God was obviously going before them.  Now that they are dwelling within the Promised Land there are some key changes that will occur as they get ready to go into battle.

PERSONAL PURIFICATION: The first thing that Joshua does once they reach the land is to order that all of the men in Israel be circumcised.  This had been God’s order for the children of Israel from the time that He had called Abraham.  However, when the nation was wandering in the wilderness, they did not practice the circumcision due to their constant movement.  Now, before they could settle into the land God wanted them to all complete the ritual of circumcision.  There is nothing about this that makes any sense from a military stand point.  The people are vulnerable to attach and having every male in the nation be unable to fight for several days is not strategically sound.  However, it is spiritually sound as it is what God has commanded and it demonstrates their trust, dependence and obedience of Him.  The most important thing that we can remember as we strive to serve the Lord is that we be personally pure before Him.  Education and abilities along with ministerial experience are all very valuable, but they are no substitute for a spiritual life of devotion before the Lord.

PASSOVER PROVISION: The next thing that they do is to celebrate the Passover for the first time in the land of Canaan.  They all set aside the period of time to remember their liberation from Egypt and to honor God through this memorial.  The products used for the Passover are all supplied from the land and they have officially taken possession of a portion of the land in which they will permanently dwell.  Therefore they no longer need the manna that has been falling for the last forty years.  Now that they are in the land they must take their provisions from the land that they have been given.  God provided the manna for the nation just as long as they needed it, but not longer.  This special provision was for the time of the journey but was not permanent.  The land in which they were living was a rich land and they would have to plant and harvest within the land to provide for their personal needs.  It was not that God had stopped providing for the nation.  He has just started to provide for them through the land He was giving to them.  This was a clear demonstration of God’s intention to give them the land and served as a great motivation that they must take the land and not be content to “huddle” in their small location.

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