September 2 Daily Discovery - Read Joshua Chapter 5

This passage below is from the King James Version (ekjv.org).  

Remarks from the Berean Fellowship follow the passage below.

[1] And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
[2] At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
[3] And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
[4] And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
[5] 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.
[10] And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
[11] And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.
[12] And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
[13] And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
[14] And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
[15] And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Standing on Holy Ground

Ex. 3:1-6

[1] Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
[2] And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
[3] And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
[4] And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
[5] And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
[6] Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

The angel of the Lord appears before Moses and tells him to remove his shoes because he is standing on Holy Ground. The ground was holy because the Holy One was standing on it right before him. In this passage, we see that this happens again with Joshua, but to Joshua, He reveals Himself as the Captain of the Lord of hosts.

The News that Made their Hearts Melt

The parting of the Red Sea is now a generation old, but the parting of the Jordan River as just happened, and news like that travels really super fast -- even on horseback and camelback or foot! Just this news has already started to cause them to lose their gumption, even before they see a single warrior.

Reaffirming their Separation to God

God chose this right of circumcision to be a defining mark to make his people separate from others. No one was going to be born that way. It could not be accidental, it had to be entirely on purpose.

God exhorts Israel to "circumcise the foreskin of your hearts." This shows that the external sign was always pointing toward a deeper reality-inner transformation and repentance. The outward ritual served as a reminder of the inward purification required by a holy God.

Deut. 10:16

[16] Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Rom. 2:25-29

[25] For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
[26] Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
[27] And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
[28] For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
[29] But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Physical circumcision was meaningless if there was not a circumcision of the heart that accompanied it. The Covenant was kept by loving God with all of their hearts, not by the removal of a bit of skin tissue, which was just a sign.

Similarly people would tear their garments to show great grief. But one can do that without having a single drop of grief in their hearts, making the outward show worse than meaningless but solely hypocritical.

Joel 2:11-13

[11] And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
[12] Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
[13] And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

The Captain of God's Army

God is a spirit being, but He can take on human form. I believe this is one of the pre-incarnate representations of Jesus Christ God the Son, our Holy Captain. This is why Joshua is told to remove the shoes. The same Deity that stood before Moses is now standing before Joshua. God being in a place makes it a holy place. God standing on the ground makes it holy ground.

The Holy Spirit living within our hearts makes us holy people (which is why we are called Saints). The spirit of Christ inhabiting our bodies makes us holy places or temples of God.

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See: Berean Fellowship Bible Study Method