Correcting Their Failures

 For forty years, the Amorites and Canaanites had known how God delivered Israel from Egypt and had seen their victories over Sihon, Og, and the Midianites, and like the inhabitants of Jericho, they expected to be defeated.  After learning how God had miraculously helped them to cross the Jordan, effectively removing the last natural obstacle, they were in total despair, as Joshua 1:5 states.  “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.”  They were already beaten in their minds. 

 

God had miraculously shown his support, enabling them to cross Jordan, but before he gave them the victories they were hoping for, he showed them some things they had neglected over the years, in Joshua 5:2-8.  “At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.  And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.  

 

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.  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.  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 show them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.  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.  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.”

 

Many times when God calls people, there are things in their life that need correcting.  As long as those things are in their lives, they hinder God’s blessings.  When they are addressed it frees them to receive his blessings fully.  God had made the circumcision a condition of Israel’s receiving his covenant in Genesis 17:1-14, and until it was done, they could not receive it.  “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

 

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

 

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.  This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.  And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.”

 

By circumcising their sons, they corrected all those years of breaking the contract with God, and now he was ready to fulfill his part, as he explains in Joshua 5:9.  “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.”  Exactly forty one years after leaving Egypt, on the fourteenth day of the first month, Israel celebrated the Passover, and their deliverance from Egypt, in Joshua 5:10.  “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.”

 

For forty years, they had eaten manna because they refused to follow God into the Promised Land when he led them up to it.  They had griped about it repeatedly over the years.  Just days after they crossed Jordan, they were able to eat some of the remnants from the previous year’s crops.  They would never again have manna to eat, as Joshua 5:11-12 describes.  “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.  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.”  When they acted in faith, obeying God, things began to change. 

 

God also gave a special sign to reassure Joshua, in Joshua 5:13-15.  “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?  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?  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.”

 

The angel of the Lord reminded Joshua that God’s plans go far beyond the things we want.  God was not bound by what Israel was trying to do but by what He had planned.  Israel would benefit from his actions, but God was the final authority.  As Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying, instead of worrying whether God is on our side, we need to make sure we are on his side.