Joshua 5: Time To Take Care Of Some Things Series

Introduction: Israel had crossed over the Jordan River and now they were camping in Canaan, the Promised Land! God had kept every promise He had made to Israel.

Israel, though, had not kept every promise they had made to God. One of those promises was to circumcise (definition omitted here but could be found in almost any dictionary) every male when he became eight days old (Leviticus 12:3). Nave’s Topical Bible has a number of other topics and references about circumcision (an online editions is available for free viewing at https://bibleportal.com/concordance/nave-s-topical-bible/circumcision). Verses 1 through 9 describe what Israel had to do before they could experience the LORD’s best.

1 Observing the rite of circumcision

Text, Joshua 5:1-9, KJV: 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.

Circumcision was designed to be a covenant (firm and binding agreement) between God, Abraham, and all of Abraham’s descendants. Abraham himself was the first man to undergo this procedure, then all of the men in Abraham’s household went through it, too (Genesis 17:9-14 and 17:23-27). Later, the Law commanded this be done on Hebrew boys when they were eight days’ old, as mentioned above (Lev. 12:3).

Israel, however, had not done this for nearly forty years! Verse 5 says that the youngsters who had left Egypt with Moses and Aaron had been circumcised but the rest, those born in the wilderness and on the journey, had not. In His mercy and grace, the LORD now gave Israel a chance to correct this error and make things right with Him. Joshua, then, “made sharp knives” and had the men of Israel circumcised. This most likely means Joshua himself did not do this but was the supervisor to make sure this was done properly.

And again, God in His Mercy and grace gave the Israelites a chance to rest and heal after this operation (these men had gone through a surgical procedure, after all). In fact, the very name of that place, Gilgal, would be a reminder that it was here God restored Israel to a right relationship with Him.

We’re not told how long the men of Israel remained in their pain—any surgery is painful!—but they seemed to rally when they knew the Passover was coming. Verses 10-12 describe some good things that happened.

2 Observing the Passover after the circumcision

Text, Joshua 5:10-12, KJV: 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.