Read Joshua 5.
What happened at the Jordan River and the crossing of the
nation of Israel had spread
throughout Canaan . The result was a complete loss of courage to
war against these people of the Living God.
To a military mindset, this would have triggered an immediate urge to
attack and begin subduing all the major cities and kingdoms of the land. Not so with God.
This would not be a physical fight only. When moving forward on God's plans the most
important preparation is spiritual readiness.
This generation was not ready to take on what the LORD had promised to
give them. How should we prepare for
God's future for us?
1. Personal Commitment.
Circumcision was an outward sign of the covenant God made
with Abraham and his descendants. This
began in Genesis 17. It was a statement
of belonging to the LORD from generation to generation. All males were circumcised prior to leaving Egypt in
preparation for the Exodus. However,
that was 40 years ago. Because of the
constant and unpredictable movement through the wilderness wanderings, no one
born along the journey had been circumcised. Evidently, they could not allow for the necessary time of healing.
The Prophet Jeremiah clarified that this outward sign was to
represent the commitment of the heart to the LORD. "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD;
remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah
and inhabitants of Jerusalem ..."
(Jeremiah 4:4) The Apostle Paul goes
further and states that what really counts is obedience to God. "For neither circumcision counts for
anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God." (1
Corinthians 7:19)
2. Corporate Worship.
God's timing is perfect.
The date of this preparation was the exact time for celebrating the
Passover. They were to stop and remember
their redemption from slavery. It took
the shedding of blood and the personal application of a substitute sacrifice
for God to passover them in judgment.
Dr. Donald Campbell wrote, "Remembering the past was an excellent
preparation for the tests of the future."
"For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been
sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate
the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
3. Private Worship.
The commander of the LORD's army appeared to Joshua in
private. Here is another example of a
preincarnate appearance of Jesus. This
is not an angel. Angels are forbidden in
scripture to receive worship. Once
Joshua realized who was standing in front of him, he fell on his face. He was on holy ground because God Himself was
there.
We are not told what the message to Joshua was, if any. It may have been simply the reassurance to
this leader of God's presence and power as he faced the future.
Jesus taught, "Therefore do not be anxious, saying,
'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?'
For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father
knows that you need them all. But seek
first the kingdom
of God
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