Preparing for The Future

#7 in Series: "Learning from the Past, Preparing for the Future"

(A Study in the Book of Joshua)

Life is a gift. Every day, every decade, every breath, every heartbeat -- is a gift... The Lord has a purpose for every day He gives us! What I find interesting, and challenging, is that in any given day, there is a focus -- we can focus on the past, the present, or the future ... too much.

If I am only ... remembering -- spending my time reminiscing -- I may miss what God has for me today... If I spend my energy only focussing on today, I can fail to prepare for tomorrow... And, if I am only focussed on the future, I can miss the joy in the present...

There needs to be balance... We are to be grateful for the past, guarded in the present, and garnered for the future. We live today in the wisdom we've learned from our past. We also live today, enjoying God's purpose for today, and at the same time ... we live in anticipation of what God has in store for the future...

The future ... requires preparation. School prepares you with necessary knowledge that will be needed in the future. Savings prepares you for purchases... Even counseling prepares you for marriage... Life is lived with today, and tomorrow in mind... Indeed much of what we do today, helps us prepare for days to come...

In Joshua chapter 5, the Lord is preparing His people for the journey that lies before them!

As we think through what God has preserved in this chapter, we need to focus on the big picture... We need to see behind the curtain -- we need to remind ourselves that what is going on in this chapter, is due to Divine Providence!

Every point in this message begins with The Divine... We need to see God in every detail! He is the One overruling, overshadowing, and even orchestrating what is happening!... Let's not fail to acknowledge that it is HE, Who is accomplishing the victories that are going to be won!

Let's begin our examination of this chapter by focusing on --

1. The Divine Intimidation for the Opposition

We study God's Word as it comes to us, and here we are being told about something that occurred almost ... paranthetically... We are reading the narrative about the miracle at the Jordan, and the erecting of memorials -- and the Holy Spirit has the writer to state something about what is going on in the hearts of those who are currently occupying this Land that the Lord will be giving to Israel... Let's read about it again --

Joshua 5:1

Now it came about when 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 how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.

In this passage, we learn that news travels fast, and bad news -- bad for for the recipients, travels fastest... It didn't take long for the news of Israel crossing the Jordan, during flood season, on dry ground ... to reach all the way to the coast of the Mediterranean!

And look what this news does to those who receive it... "their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer"!... They are not only discouraged, they are already defeated!

This is the supernatural "softening of the beachhead" that the Lord is doing Himself in the hearts of those who are about to receive divine justice!

Now, get this... the Lord produces this "intimidation", and it is the mere presence of Israel on the west side of the Jordan that is producing this ... angst in the Amorites, and chaos in the Canaanites!...

Let's be reminded for just a moment, who the Amorites and Canaanites were: In essence, these are two names referring to the same people group... The Canaanites are descendants of Canaan. Canaan was the fourth son of Ham and the grandson of Noah... Canaan had at least 11 sons (Genesis 10:15-18). One of those sons was named Amor, from whom the Amorites came... So, you can think of all these people groups -- these various tribes that were currently occupying the land ... as cousins. They were descendants of Canaan by means of his different sons...

Canaan and his descendants were especially wicked! They purposefully rejected the One true God and developed all kinds of idols... In the worship of their idols, they exercised grievous sin -- including the sacrifice of children on the altar of their false god, Moloch!...

Their wilful defiance against the God of Truth -- the One true God -- has earned them the judgement that is about to come...

There is more to be said about these descendants of Canaan, so we will unpack more as the narrative unfolds... But for now, we see that God Himself is bringing intimidation / terror to their hearts when they realize that God has miraculously delivered the nation of Israel across the flooded Jordan -- a whole lot sooner than they had anticipated!

... Now we swing back to the Israelites, and let's see what the Lord is doing with them... Let's read about --

2. The Divine Restoration of the Covenant

Pick up with verse :2 --

Joshua 5:2-7

² At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time." ³ So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. ⁴ This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. ⁵ For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. ⁶ For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ Their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.

God required Abram / Abraham and his descendants to circumcise all male children as a sign of the covenant that God had established. You read about it in --

(Genesis 17:10-14)

We just read that the previous generation, who were delivered from the slavery of Egypt, was circumcised... But, for whatever reason -- and there has been much speculation about it -- for the previous 38 years at this point, Israel neither circumcised their sons, nor observed the Passover... (Exodus 12:1-28, Numbers 9:1-2).

Now, before reinstituting the Passover, there had to be the reestablishment of the practice of circumcision (Exodus 12:48)...

The name of the place where Joshua reinstituted this practice is called Gibeath-haaraloth, which literally means; hill of foreskins...

Though the practice of circumcision is required of the Jews, and elective for the Christian (Galatians 5:6, 1 Corinthians 7:19, Acts 15:1-29) -- the concept of circumcision -- specifically, the "circumcision" of the heart -- is carried into the NT.

Let's look at --

Colossians 2:8-14

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; ¹¹ and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; ¹² having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, ¹⁴ having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

The circumcision of the flesh -- was symbolic of the OT covenant... The "circumcision of the heart" -- is a reality of the new birth -- which comes to all who are in Christ -- Jew, or Gentile! It is the "circumcision of the heart" that reveals the new covenant we have in Christ!

Listen -- the "circumcision of the heart" results in a new life!... A life in Christ is different from a life without Christ! You might think that should be obvious!... It SHOULD be obvious!... The question is -- is it obvious in your life?

Listen to what the Holy Spirit gave us through Paul's letter to the Ephesians --

Ephesians 4:17-24

¹⁷ So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles [here "gentile" is used to refer to unbelievers...] also walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; ¹⁹ and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ²⁰ But you did not learn Christ in this way, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, ²² that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, ²³ and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Here are some other passages that are rich for your soul... They focus on the newness, and the renewal for believers --

(Romans 12:2, Psalm 51:10, Isaiah 40:31, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Titus 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26, Lamentations 3:22–23, Isaiah 43:18–19, Acts 3:19, Philippians 4:8)

Spend time in those passages this week, and be encouraged in the renewal that you have in Christ!

Now, let's continue in the unfolding of our text... What comes next is --

3. The Divine Removal of the Reproach

Joshua 5:8-9

⁸ Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. ⁹ Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.

There are a couple of key words in this passage... Let's think about the word; "Gilgal" first... It is the name of the place of their encampment, the "beachhead" in the Land of Promise... It is here, in this event, that we learn when this name was given, or changed to "Gilgal"... Gilgal means; "rolling"... It was named that, because it was there, the Lord "rolled the reproach of Egypt" away!

That leads us to consider the key word; "reproach"... There are various synonyms for the word reproach that helps us grasp the depth of its meaning; scorn, disgrace, contempt, shame... It refers to the casting of blame or scorn on someone... It also has a nuance of contempt or derision. To be reproached is to be rebuked or disapproved of... Are we getting the idea?...

Listen, and listen carefully for a moment... Reproach is a badge of shame ... or it is a badge of honor... Stay with me for a moment...

As a badge of shame -- it is because of sin -- unrepented of sin. Sin is a reproach to any person, family, church, or nation!

Write this passage down --

Proverbs 14:34 (ESV)

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Who does the "reproaching"?... You might say; God... But wait... The context today (Joshua 5:9) speaks about "the reproach of Egypt"... What is that?... It is the mockery, disdain, rebuke, that ... the non-believer foists upon the ... sinning believer!

Israel sinned! They often stumbled in the desert!... And the news of that stumble, that willful act of disobedience to God, would make its way back to the Egyptians, and ... bolster their contempt for the Jews!

(Exodus 32:12, Numbers 14:13-16, Deuteronomy 9:28)

Israel sinned... They were facing the judgement of God. And Moses interceeded on behalf of Israel and pleaded that the Lord would spare them, lest ... Egypt -- the unbelieving world -- should mock God and His people for His not being able to ... see them through...

Listen -- any unrepentant sin in the life of a believer, is a reproach to the Name of our Lord, and a shame to ... we, His people!...

The reproach of Egypt was a ... badge of shame -- and the Lord was now in the process of removing that "badge of shame" by restoring the nation of Israel ... spiritually, as He is preparing them for the challenges they were about to face!...

Now, let's talk for a moment of how "reproach" can be a badge of honor -- a painful badge, but a badge nonetheless...

You are going to suffer the reproach from the world, even when -- and maybe especially when ... you are seeking to be faithful to the Lord!

Write these passages down, we'll read them quickly, but I encourage you to revisit them, and spend time in this portion of God's Word --

The first is a reminder that every generation of believers have faced reproach... We are reminded of the example of Moses --

Hebrews 11:26

considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

The Apostle Paul said --

2 Corinthians 12:10

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Apostle Peter encourages us, by saying --

1 Peter 4:14

If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount --

Matthew 5:11-12

¹¹ "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

He also said --

John 15:18-20

¹⁸ "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

Keep these three things in mind, when it comes to wearing the honorable badge of reproach:

1. Do not be ashamed... There is no shame in suffering reproach from the world for your faithfulness to Christ!... Praise the Lord that He would consider you worthy...

2. Remember, suffering in this world is temporary... The reward is eternal.

3. Reproach the Christian receives from the world, for being faithful to Christ, is simply reproach the world wants to inflict upon Christ.

This reproach will also be removed one day with a ... "well done, good and faithful servant"!

Next, our text reveals --

4. A Divine Renewal and Transition

Pick up with verse :5 --

Joshua 5:10-12

¹⁰ While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. ¹¹ On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. ¹² The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.

These events make this day truly transitional for the nation of Israel!...

The nation is renewing their observance of the Passover, which has been ... on hold for nearly 40 years... This is an important renewal! The Lord instituted this feast for the benefit of every generation to follow the exodus out of Egypt... He wants His people to ... remember! Warren Wiersbe said --

Warren Wiersbe -- "'Forgetting those things which are behind' (Phil. 3:13) is wise counsel for most areas of life, but there are some things we must never forget. In his farewell address to the nation, Moses repeatedly commanded the Jews to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt and that the Lord had delivered them and made them His own people (Deut. 6:15; 15:15; 16:12; 24:18, 22). This great truth was embodied in their annual Passover feast. They were never to forget that they were a redeemed people, set free by the blood of the lamb."
— The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 394

God's gave His command, through Moses, when this observance was first established --

Exodus 12:24-25

²⁴ And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. ²⁵ When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite.

And as we saw earlier, God has some high standards when it comes to the participation in this feast... It was only for those who ... were prepared -- those who were believers / followers of the Lord ... the redeemed.

Listen to --

Exodus 12:48

But if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it.

Israel, after their long journey through the wilderness, have just been circumcised, healed up, and have now renewed their observance of this annual feast...

This day also marks a transition that is taking place... For the previous 40 years, the Lord has been supernaturally providing manna. We read in Exodus 16, how the Lord began this ... daily miracle of providing a substance that would feed and sustain His people every day! The people knew this was from the Lord, not only because Moses told them so, but because they could ... observe! They were told to gather everyday what they needed. If they tried to store more than what was needed for the day, it would rot before the next day... This was a daily occurrence -- however!... on the sixth day they were to gather enough to last for that day, and the next day, which was the Sabbath!... That gathering would NOT rot! Thus, showing that the Lord Himself was providing in a miraculous way for His people's dietary needs!... And now, this supernatural means ... has come to an end!

I can't help but wonder if the Israelites had gotten to the point of taking this daily miracle for granted... You see, by definition, miracles are ... special. They are interruptions to the natural means God has created. They are special... and only temporary!... By that I mean, they were not a permanent change in the laws of nature -- they were temporary... This miracle was daily for 40 years -- then stopped! That too makes it temporary...

I loved the exhortation David Guzik gives, about this supernatural provision God had provided. He said --

David Guzik -- "God always provides; but He is perfectly free to change the source of His provision from time to time. We need to trust in Him, not in His manner of provision, or we will stumble when that changes."
— David Guzik, Commentary, Joshua 5

The Lord is ... returning His people to the common practice of planting, growing, and preparing their food!

Pink said --

A.W. Pink -- "The practical lesson which we are to draw therefrom is, that we are not to expect extraordinary supplies when they can be had in an ordinary way: God works no unnecessary miracles."
— Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Joshua, Lecture 8, Symbols of Committal, 1945

There is one more major event that happens in this chapter, and it is --

5. The Divine Appearance of The Sovereign

Let's return to verse :13 --

Joshua 5:13-15

¹³ Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" ¹⁴ He said, "No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" ¹⁵ The captain of the LORD's host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

This is one of those encounters in Scripture between a man, and a ... supernatural messenger from God! There are times when the messenger is an angel... Here, the messenger is identified as "The captain of the LORD's host"... There is debate among scholars as to whether this is simply a high ranking angel, or the "Commander-in-Chief", Himself!... Usually, the NAS translators capitalized nouns, and pronouns that refer to the Lord Himself... In this case, they did not...

However, I am in the camp that believes this is an appearance of the Lord Himself... Wiersbe says it better than I --

Warren Wiersbe -- "This paragraph records one of the pre-incarnation appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the Old Testament. To Abraham the pilgrim, the Lord came as a traveler to share in a friendly meal (Gen. 18:1–8). To Jacob the schemer, He came as a wrestler to bring him to the place of submission (32:24–32). The three Hebrew men met Him as their companion in the furnace of fire (Dan. 3:25), and Joshua met Him as the Captain of the Lord's armies."
— The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 395

That is the WHO... But the question we must not miss, is the WHAT! For what purpose does the Lord appear to Joshua, in this way, and at this time?

One answer is pretty clear. He comes to ... clarify! He did not come to choose sides! He came to take over!...

The Lord is assuring Joshua that HE is in charge! Joshua can go forward in confidence, not in his own abilities -- that would be pride... He can go forward in confidence -- confidence in God, that He is the Guarantor of the victory! -- the victories already achieved -- the victories, yet to be realized!

Joshua has the appropriate response! Joshua falls to the ground and worships Him! -- and Joshua declares complete submission!... Worship and surrender! That is the appropriate response to our Lord ... always!

The Lord prepared His people! He prepares the way! He prepares the people! He makes provision! He prepares, and emboldens leaders... And He is worthy to be worshipped, and obeyed at every step!

Questions to Consider in Community Group:

• What brought about the intimidation that occurred in the hearts of the Canaanites? (What does this say about "the power of words"?)

• Why, do you suppose, that Israel did not circumcise their male children during those years in the wilderness?

• God commanded the men to be circumcised after crossing the Jordan into enemy territory. This made them physically vulnerable. Why does God sometimes call for acts of obedience that seem "illogical" from a worldly perspective?

• God says at Gilgal, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you". What does "reproach" mean, and why was it important that this be "rolled away"? How does this principle apply to the Christian today?

• When, and why (do you suppose) the Lord stopped providing manna?

• Who is "the Captain of the Lord's host", and what would be the purpose of His appearing to Joshua?

• What does "holy ground" mean, and what makes it so?

• What are your thoughts about any of the quotes shared in the message?

Quotes Referenced in This Sermon:

Warren Wiersbe -- "'Forgetting those things which are behind' (Phil. 3:13) is wise counsel for most areas of life, but there are some things we must never forget. In his farewell address to the nation, Moses repeatedly commanded the Jews to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt and that the Lord had delivered them and made them His own people (Deut. 6:15; 15:15; 16:12; 24:18, 22). This great truth was embodied in their annual Passover feast. They were never to forget that they were a redeemed people, set free by the blood of the lamb."
— The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 394

David Guzik -- "God always provides; but He is perfectly free to change the source of His provision from time to time. We need to trust in Him, not in His manner of provision, or we will stumble when that changes."
— David Guzik, Commentary, Joshua 5

A.W. Pink -- "The practical lesson which we are to draw therefrom is, that we are not to expect extraordinary supplies when they can be had in an ordinary way: God works no unnecessary miracles."
— Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Joshua, Lecture 8, Symbols of Committal, 1945

Warren Wiersbe -- "This paragraph records one of the pre-incarnation appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the Old Testament. To Abraham the pilgrim, the Lord came as a traveler to share in a friendly meal (Gen. 18:1–8). To Jacob the schemer, He came as a wrestler to bring him to the place of submission (32:24–32). The three Hebrew men met Him as their companion in the furnace of fire (Dan. 3:25), and Joshua met Him as the Captain of the Lord's armies."
— The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 395