Circumcised (Joshua 5)

Was circumcision a forerunner of a greater circumcision of the heart? Was the captain of the Lord’s army the preincarnate Christ? Let’s begin in Joshua 5.

What task did they have to perform before conquering the land?

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. (Joshua 5:1-3 NIV)

Why was circumcision, a covenant which originated under Abraham, now necessary?

And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt. For all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord—to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” Then Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way. (Joshua 5:4-7 NKJV)

Is a true Jew one who is praised for being circumcised in the flesh without a change of heart?

No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. (Romans 2:29 NLT)

What does the circumcision not made with hands mean and whose is it?

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ (Colossians 2:11 WEB)

What festival did Israel then celebrate and what did God roll away from them?

After the whole nation had undergone circumcision, they remained in the camp until they got well again. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” So the place was called Gilgal [to roll], as it is today. The Israelites camped in Gilgal. They celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the plains of Jericho. On the very next day after Passover, they ate food produced in the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped on that next day, when they ate food produced in the land. There was no longer any manna for the Israelites. So that year they ate the crops of the land of Canaan. (Joshua 5:8-12 CEB)

Who did Joshua then meet? Was this captain of the Lord’s armies the preincarnate Christ?

One day, Joshua was near Jericho when he saw a man standing some distance in front of him. The man was holding a sword, so Joshua walked up to him and asked, “Are you on our side or on our enemies' side?” “Neither,” he answered. “I am here because I am the commander of the Lord's army.” Joshua fell to his knees and bowed down to the ground. “I am your servant,” he said. “Tell me what to do.” “Take off your sandals,” the commander answered. “This is a holy place.” So Joshua took off his sandals. (Joshua 5:13-15 CEV)

Would a mere angel have accepted such worship? What did an angel tell John?

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” (Revelation 22:8-9 ESV)

Was God the Son the visible member of the Trinity in the Old Testament and God the Father the One nobody has ever seen?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5 HCSB)