Teacher:Rev. Sam Letson, III, Lead Pastor

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Wednesday Night Bible Study

Book:Joshua

Session:#11

Passage:Joshua 5:1-12

[Read 5:1-15]

The Israelites wake up on the west side of the Jordan River! They have crossed over on a dry river bed, and have camped on the plains near Gilgal. As they wake up, for the first time in the Promised Land, four meaningful events occur; each recorded in chapter five.

The first meaningful event involved the pagans already living near where the Israelites camped. The second and third events involved the Israelites themselves. And the fourth event involved Joshua alone, and leads into the next chapter and the conquest of Jericho. But we are getting ahead of ourselves, so back to the first meaningful event which occurs in chapter five. We read about it in…

vs. 1

Before the Israelites ever reached for their weapons, God supernaturally already had discouraged their enemies! The miracle of crossing the Jordan River on dry ground was not only a sign of God’s power and presence for the Israelites, but it also was a clear sign to the pagan peoples who already were living on the plain where the Israelites camped.

The writer states that these pagan kings, and their people, “…lost heart and their courage failed…” (vs. 1d) A text note adds that this means that the people had no spirit for fighting the Israelites. In a society and time when war was common, and often necessary for survival, these pagan peoples did not want to fight. More than just feeling outmanned, they were completely defeated mentally and emotionally, before the fight ever began! God did this, for His people.

There is a great truth in this one verse. What is it? Answer: God goes ahead of you to prepare your way, when you are walking faithfully and obediently with Him. We learn from this verse, and many others, that God prepares your path; which at times even includes, dealing with your enemies before you do.

The second meaningful event recorded in chapter five, happened to the Israelites. We read about it, beginning in…

vs. 2

Notice, God tells Joshua, at the end of this verse, to “…circumcise the Israelite men again.” (vs. 2c; emphasis added) Why would they need to be circumcised again? They needed to be circumcised because this generation had never been circumcised. The generation that came out of Egypt had been. But this generation never had. This is the explanation we read in the next few verses…

vs. 3-8

Is it clear to you, the sequence of events communicated in these verses? The men who had come out of Egypt were circumcised. But their rebellion on the edge of the Promised Land changed everything for an entire generation, and for their children. These men were out of God’s will, and would not be allowed to enter the land, because of their lack of faith in Him.

For forty years, God’s judgment played itself out in the lives of the Israelites as one by one, the men of the rebellious generation died. You could rightly say that the covenant with God was broken by their lack of faith, and stayed broken – or suspended – for those forty years. Therefore, during that time, the circumcision of young males also had been suspended. The young men were paying a price for their father’s lack of faith!

Here too, we learn a valuable truth: Your actions – whether of faithful obedience, or a lack of faithful obedience – impact others, not just you! Now that the rebellious generation had all died in the wilderness, and the Israelites had left the wilderness and entered the Promised Land, God’s covenant was rekindled again. Thus, the current generation was circumcised.

Before we leave this event, notice something very interesting that God says to Joshua…

vs.9

God stated that He had removed “…the disgrace of Egypt…” (vs. 9b) from the Israelites. What does this mean? Some take it to mean that the stain of Egypt’s many sins had impacted the Israelites. That somehow, the Egyptian ways and pagan practices were part of the Israelites’ psyche during their forty years of wilderness wonderings, but now, God had removed them all from His people.

I do not believe this is the correct interpretation of the phrase: “…the disgrace of Egypt…” We do know that the Israelites were susceptible to being influenced by the pagan cultures around them (as we are even today, though we often have a hard time admitting it, just like they always did). However, in this case, there is a better explanation.

It was not that the sin of the Egyptians had splashed onto the Israelites, but God is speaking of the sin of the Israelites themselves. Particularly, their general attitude and widespread rebellion toward God since He brought them out of Egypt. More than once the people complained that Moses had lead them out of Egypt, and stated they would prefer to be back in Egypt! Their sin was not trusting God and preferring the pagan culture of the Egyptians. Even today, the world can be very alluring; as was Egypt, for the faithless Israelites of that generation which had to die in the wilderness.

The first meaningful event in this chapter is that God miraculous discouraged – took the will to fight – out of Israel’s enemies. Second, He reestablished the covenant with His people, as evidenced by the reinstitution of circumcision. The third meaningful event in this chapter also is something which happened to the Israelites, as we read in…

vs. 10-12

What significant event occurred in these verses? Answer: the manna from Heaven stopped. And when did it stop? As soon as the Israelites ate from the crops in the Promised Land! Do you think that was a coincidence?

God had provided this manna – food from Heaven – for His people for over forty years. And the day they are able to partake of food grown in the Promised Land, the manna stops coming. Do you think the Israelites, as dense as they often were, made the connection? What an incredible lesson: they no longer needed miraculous food provisions, because they now were in “the land flowing with milk and honey!”

Again, there is an important truth here for you and me: God provides for your needs, always; sometimes He does so through miraculous means, and at other times, through natural events. But the truth is: God always provides.

There is a fourth meaningful event in this chapter. But I want to start with it in the next session, because it leads straight into the beginning of chapter six. So, for now, any final thoughts, questions or comments?

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