# 21~ Joshua 5: 1-15 11-9-14
Our text verses in Heb. 11: are 30-31.
Heb.11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. --- That happens in Joshua 6:
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
~ We read about her helping the 2 Israeli scouts in chapter 2: -- when the walls of Jericho fall down and Jericho is taken by the army of Israel in chapter 6: -- ~ ~~Rahab and her then believing family will be saved, they were the only believers there, the rest were destroyed.
@@ Joshua 5:
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.
Let me quickly point out the ‘WE” in verse 1, -- this tells us that Joshua was among those who passed over, and also that he probably is the writer.
Israel had crossed the dried up Jordan River back in chapters 3-4.
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~ We see here that these kings are on the same side of the Jordan the Israelite s were now on; and their mentioned to set them apart from the other kings of the Amorites on the eastern side of Jordan, who were already conquered by the Israelite s.
~ The Hebrews had already slain the five kings of Midian, also Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og of Bashan, -- Rahab mentioned that happening back in chapter 2: --
~ When the news that God had stopped the waters of Jordan on behalf of His chosen people Israel reached the kings of the Amorites and of the Canaanites, their hearts melted with fear.
Melting hearts are a great thing, if they melt unto repentance, but these were not unto repentance, these people were scared and felt hopeless, there was no way they could stand against Israel because of their God.
> Exodus 23:27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
2 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, "knives of flint" and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
~The command did not require Joshua to repeat the operation on those who were already circumcised, but to resume the ordinance, the covenant of circumcision which had been long discontinued.
Apparently, all during the forty years of wondering in the wilderness, none of the sons born during that time had been circumcised. --- Now God commanded that this be done. – Apparently this is referring to “the second time” in verse 2.
God gave particular orders for the keeping of this Passover, This was the first observance of the Passover since the exodus; the date of this command to keep the Passover in the wilderness was given shortly after the erection and consecration of the tabernacle.
> Numbers 9:5 And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
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The Israelites were under no obligation or command to continue to keep the Passover afterwards, until their settlement in the land of Canaan.
> Exodus 12:25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
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The people that had not been circumcised could not partake of the Passover; this is why Joshua was circumcising the people at this time in Joshua 5:2.
> Exodus 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
~Remember no one could partake of the Passover until circumcised.
Let me remind us that the complainers are found in Numbers 14: and these all died off, from 20 years old and up. – Their children are the people that crossed the Jordan, they must be circumcised.
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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. – “The murmurs and complainers.”
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 wondered) as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. – When Israel left Egypt most all the males had all been circumcised. – But all the boy babies that were born during the 40 years in the wilderness had not been 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.
~ Read Num.14: and see how the people murmured and complained constantly to Moses and Aaron, God heard it all, so God gave them what they wished for, they wondered 40 years, one year for a day until they were all dead, only their children did God take to the Promised Land.
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. --- The ordnance, the covenant of circumcision had not been observed during their 40 years of wandering.
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8 And it came to pass, when they – notice it says “when they” Joshua had appointed many men to conduct the circumcising.
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. -- “until they had recovered and over their soreness”
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~ So we read in these verses that Joshua is ordered to circumcise the people of Israel that were uncircumcised as they were about to celebrate the Passover, which required circumcision of all that partook of it.
> Exodus 12: 43 & 48 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
48 c --- for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. ---
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~ And also because they had now entered into the land of Canaan, which was given them in the covenant of circumcision.
God is speaking to Abram --
> Genesis 17:8-11 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.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 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.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
~ And so from then on all Israeli males were to be circumcised.
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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. – GILGAL means “roll away”.
--- This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.
~ In Egypt God's people had been slaves. -- Now He would make them strong in His power. -- remove the shame of their degrading slavery.
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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.
~ Still a distance from the walled city.
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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.
~Now they were being provided with corn of the land, the manna at this time ceased.
~ “Old corn” was apparently dried grain in the storehouses of the Canaanites who had fled into Jericho, the safety of the walled city, are so they seemed to think.
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.
~ There being no further need of manna, miracles is not meant to continue when unnecessary, for the ceasing of the manna shows that it was not a common ordinary provision but an extraordinary provision.
They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year; the increase of the land, not only of the fields, but of the vineyards and olive yards, which they had neither sown nor planted.
>Deut. 6: 10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, --
Verses 13-15 Joshua meets with the Commander of the army of the LORD.
~Who is none other than Christ Himself.
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 (opposite 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?
~ The proper question should have been, “was Joshua was on the LORD’s side” but Joshua didn’t yet realize Who this Man really was.
~ This is God Himself pulling rank on Joshua, who himself was a great military leader - but he was not Commander in Chief. – GOD WAS.
~~ We read not of any appearance of God's glory to Joshua till now. The only thing that Joshua knew thus far was yonder stood a man and he had his sword drawn.
~This Man was Christ, the eternal Word. -- Joshua gave him Divine honors: and let’s be sure to notice that this MAN received them, which an angel of God would not have done, and he is called Jehovah, in --
>Joshua 6: 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
Only God can rightly make such a statement.
~ To Abraham he appeared as a traveler in Gen.18: --- to Joshua as a man of war. ~ Christ will be to his people what their faith needs. -- Christ had his sword drawn, which encouraged Joshua to carry on the war with vigor.
~ Christ's sword drawn in his hand reveals how ready HE is for the defense and salvation of his people. ~ Joshua's inquiry shows an earnest desire to know the will of Christ the LORD, and a whole hearted readiness to do it.
~ All true Christians must fight under Christ's banner, and they will conquer by his presence and assistance.
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.
~ Moses was told the same thing in Exo. 3:
~ In chapter 6: we’ll read how this Mighty Captain of the LORDS army continues to direct Joshua.
