Reading
Joshua 5:1-12– Reproach Rolled Away
Notes
Israel has entered the promised land. As in the exodus, God had dried up the water of the Jordan so that Israel crossed over on dry ground. This miraculous entry was made known to the people who lived in the land, and they were terrified! From their kings on down, their courage to defend against a people who had such a God was melted away. So, it would seem, the nations of Canaan were ripe for Israel attacking and defeating them—now!
But God had other priorities for his people—worship now! For whatever reason, this generation of the children of the Israelites who left Egypt 40 years earlier had not circumcised their sons. So God had this covenant ceremony carried out before any war took place. This was a really bad idea from a military perspective as the men would have been vulnerable to attack in their weakness. (See Genesis 34:24–25.) But God was their God and the people obeyed God, rolling away the reproach of their 40-year failure.
And, as they were likely still healing, it was time for the other covenant ceremony—Passover. So, again in faithfulness to God, Israel celebrated the Passover rather than immediately going to war against these nations that God had promised Israel that they would defeat. And because God was working in this, it was of course a really good idea. As Jackman notes, when Scripture is clear, we must trust and obey, confident that God can be depended on to look after the outcome.
Questions
- How did God bring Israel into Canaan?
- How did the Canaanites respond?
- What did God require Israel to do before going to war?
Praise
Psalm 50a, 1a
Prayer
- Ask God to give you confidence to trust him and obey him.
- Pray for the preparation for preaching God’s word this Sunday.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.