Joshua 5:1-12

What are some of the ways that God has met your needs?  I’ve noticed that I don’t always recognize them in the moment but they become clear after time with reflection.  We’ll get to talk about that in Joshua 5:1-12.  Even though we can go through lengthy times that feel like the wilderness, new seasons of life and goodness do come.

We’ll also take time to look at what it means to take an intentional pause in order to move toward wholeness in Christ.

Transcript

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What are some of the ways that God has provided for you in your life? I'm thinking of the moments beyond the obvious. We recognize those, but I'll freely admit that there are a lot of times that I don't immediately recognize God's hand or his provision in my life. I usually need times to reflect, intentional times, and often it takes a while before I get to that space. We'll get to talk a little bit more about that today in Joshua chapter five verses one through twelve, amongst a few other really, really good encouragements for us from the Word. By the way, if you find yourself in a season that feels like wilderness or desert, please know that seasons do come to an end, and they introduce change. Be patient and wait on the Lord. Seek his face, and I believe that he will bring you through to the next thing. Go ahead, by the way, and subscribe so that you can stay up to date and follow along. And if you'd like to support this ministry beyond that, just go ahead and check out this episode's description down below. I'm going to pray for us and then we'll get into our text together. Jesus, thank you for this good day that you have given us. God, we're here to learn a little bit more about you and to receive everything that you have for us. We want to follow you well. Be with us now. Amen. Joshua chapter five, starting at verse one. 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 Gebaath Harloth. Now this is why he did so. All those who came out of Egypt, all the men of military age, died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way, and after the whole nation had been circumcised they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you, so the place has been called Gilgal to this day. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened bread and roasted grain. The mana stopped the day after they ate this food from the land. There was no longer any mana from for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. Go ahead and take a moment to just listen to the Lord, and then we'll continue together. Let's make a few observations, and I'd like to kind of slow this story down a bit for us together. The first thing is a general observation, not just about this passage, but about what's happened so far in or under Joshua's leadership. This is the second pause in a short period of time that Israel has observed before taking action. The first one was just a little bit before, and it was pretty short. We might have missed it, but they paused to consecrate themselves before they crossed the river. So they were there, they were gathered. Before this, even they had been listening to that retelling of the law from Moses. Moses dies, and so there's that waiting. So they're they're kind of on the brink already, but right before they pause to consecrate themselves, to make themselves holy, to set themselves apart before they cross the river. And now there's this pause to carry out the rite, I guess, of circumcision. Right being R-I-T-E, and then of course, understandably, to heal. The why for Joshua doing this at this particular time is probably just as important as the what. And it's certainly the thing that translates past culture, time, and language for us. The why being like, why did they stop to do this at this particular time? I think that there are two reasons that are stated for us, but it helps to connect those dots. The first reason is that there was this whole generation that had not received the sign of the covenant, which is circumcision, uh, because they had been on the move. And the text makes that pretty clear that they um, if they had been born in the wilderness, that just it hadn't happened, and it seems like, based on the explanation that happens there in verse 7, uh, they hadn't been circumcised on the way, they'd been on the move, and and that just was a thing that that got neglected up to this point. So they're kind of getting everybody back into right standing, so to speak. The second uh part, the reason for the delay, the reason that it was so long, was the disobedience of the generation that came out of Egypt. And I find that to be a really interesting thing, because I don't know about you, but when I've thought about those 40 years in the wilderness and like kind of why that happened, I don't always immediately think, oh, well, it lasted that long because those who were disobedient needed to die. They weren't promised this good land, or at least they were withheld from that because of their disobedience. And that was a really, really big deal that they had pushed God aside and rebelled against his plan for them. So there we have it. The why for Joshua doing this action at this particular time kind of is laid out there for us. And you can read in that section there between verses four through about seven, it really does kind of lay it out for us, four through eight. The why for the Lord, I think that they're actually two distinct things. They have different nuances to them. The why for the Lord is stated in verse nine. It says, Then the Lord said to Joshua, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. And that whole picture for me is really profound. In fact, for me, as I was processing this passage uh earlier in the morning, that's what stood out the most. The shame of their disobedience, right, is is the reproach. It's just all you kind of moved moved away uh from from them, from the nation, and uh everything that had happened in Egypt, the the hardness of that experience, the things that were put upon them, uh, the captivity, all of that, but then also their response to God's leadership. All of that kind of gets, in God's words, rolled away. And I love that that picture that's that's there. So their shame is rolled away, the shame of the nation is rolled away, and then also whatever disobedience was there is also rolled away. It marks that this season was now complete, and it was time to move forward. Kind of moving on from there, the last thing in terms of just straightforward observations I wanted to bring to us is all to do with what we started our time out with, this aspect of God's provision. And we notice here the method of God's provision changed. The season of manna gave way to the land promised to them. There in verses 10 through 12. By the way, it shouldn't be lost on us that this was something that happened the day after Passover. You know, I don't really like to try and connect dots that aren't obviously there in the context of scripture. I think sometimes people force that a little too strongly. They look for patterns, and I'm like, yeah, but is it though? You know, but this one feels like it's straightforward, so I wanted to note it for us. Just like the water was parted when they left Egypt, and then the water was parted again as they enter the promised land, uh, we also see the role of Passover. The first Passover obviously was what ejected them, right? Got them out of Egypt in the first place. And then here, just after they cross the river, they come and it's Passover time again, they observe it, and they're moving into this promised land. So out of captivity and into the thing that God had promised for them, just noting that this idea of God's deliverance is present and it's there, and I think we're supposed to notice that in the text as well. Let's reflect and soak this up for ourselves. I'll come again to that question. Think about the different ways God has provided for you. And then here's the next step. Thank him. Thank him for each season. It's so important that we express gratitude to God for the ways that He has provided for us, especially those moments when we maybe didn't recognize it at first. The second bit is definitely personal, but I hope it's also encouraging. What reproach or shame has God ruled off of you? Can you remember that moment when you just kind of recognize that whatever had happened in the past, like that's not only forgiven, but it's done, if that makes sense? Or maybe it hasn't happened for you yet. What would you like him to remove from you? I want you to know that when we ask for forgiveness, it really is complete. There is no other work to be done in that regard. Sometimes, though, a season has been so long or so difficult or so dark that we tend to kind of carry around whatever shame that is from that event or that season, and it's kind of like a lingering odor, it's just not going away, and it's stubborn. Asking God to complete that healing in us is a good request. Let's not be shy about that. Let's let God do that work in us. Let's invite him to do that work in us. And then finally, do I need to pause or do you need to pause in order to return to a whole relationship with Jesus? There are times when we've just simply neglected things that we know that we're supposed to do. We've gone too long, and we recognize that there needs to be a change, a life change in us. And here's just a kind of a three-step way to go about doing that. The first is confess the old rag. I know I could have said sin, but I like old rag, okay? Confess the old rag, whatever that old thing is. And maybe it wasn't awful to begin with, but it's just part of the past and you're not supposed to hang on to it. Confess it, name it. Leave it in the Lord's hands. Choose, number two, the new thing. Whatever the new thing is for God. And you may not fully know what that new thing is yet, but choose it, walk in it. Uh, and then finally walk hand in hand with Jesus and maybe a good friend. As you step into this next thing, be sure to not try and like keep it private or personal or try to do it on your own steam. That will lead to disappointment and failure, and it's just not good. But do it with Jesus for sure. And some of these things are much better when we confide in somebody that we truly trust, and not that we're asking them to like hold us accountable, that might be a part of it, but just inviting them to join us in that sense, and they can become our greatest cheerleaders and champions and confidants uh along the way. Let's pray. Jesus, thank you. Thank you that you have heard all of this, thank you that you continue to invest in us, and God, thank you that you give us opportunities to be made right again, and new seasons come our way. We love you, amen.