Between Crossing and Conquering


Joshua 5:1-9
1As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel. 2At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” 3So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. 5Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. 9And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.

Now Joshua reports an interesting event in the history of God’s people that on the surface appears small but has great theological implications. The people are on the western banks of the Jordan River. Their feet stand on The Promised Land. God takes this time to readjust how the people express their faith. It’s time for a reset.

During the time of wilderness wandering, the practice of circumcision was abandoned. We’re not quite sure why that was the case, but the generation of Hebrews who had been rescued from slavery in Egypt ceased the practice after they were denied entrance into Canaan as a result of their unbelief when presented with the opportunity 38 years earlier. Both the celebrating of the Passover and circumcision were stopped.

Now, before they go further into the land, God gives a command to Joshua that the practice of circumcision be reinstated. That means every male will be circumcised in compliance with the covenant God made with Abraham over 600 years earlier. In the meantime, the Canaanites had of course taken notice of almost 2,000,000 people on the western banks of the Jordan. But God is at work on the hearts and minds of the Canaanites.

It is evident in Joshua 5:1 that the Lord himself has already begun fighting against the enemies of his people. His enemies have no “spirit” while his people are filled with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes God makes the hearts of his enemies melt in terror. At other times, the enemies’ fear of Israel and hardened hearts against the Lord lead them to wage war, but eventually they will be destroyed by the Lord and his hosts.
Harstad, A. L. (2004). Joshua (p. 222). Saint Louis, MO: CPH.

Here the Lord melts the enemies in order to grant his OT people a time of peace for the important spiritual activities that are the focus of this chapter. While the fighting men of Israel need time to recover from their surgeries, God protects the nation by stealing the courage and will of their enemies. It is brilliant and peaceful, as are the ways of God. Once again, we find that God is more than able to handle every circumstance without out help.

It would have been easy for Joshua to look at God as say, “You know, Lord, there are over 700,000 men who are going to need this rite to be performed on them. You’re kidding me right now, right?” But instead, he trusts God to take care of the entire situation responding with obedience. While the nation lays (probably literally) vulnerable, God protects them from violence. While the spirit of fear resides in the Canaanites, the Holy Spirit resides with God’s people.

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