seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Joshua 5:1 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.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
4 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. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 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. 7 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. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.
9 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.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.
Here's the link to the commentary I use.Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time: Apparently, all during the forty years of waiting in the wilderness, none of the sons born during that time had been circumcised. Now God commanded that this be done.
They stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed: Obviously, this was suicidal from a military standpoint. All the men of fighting age were made completely vulnerable and unable to fight for a period of several days, till they were healed.
Genesis 34:24-25 describes how Simeon and Levi killed all the men in a city after tricking them into becoming circumcised. While the men were unable to fight properly, they were slaughtered in retaliation, because the prince of that city had raped Dinah, the sister of Simeon and Levi. This could have been the fate of Israel here in Joshua 5.
Till they were healed: So, not only did Israel cross over the Jordan at a militarily undesirable place (right in front of Jericho, the strongest military outpost of the Canaanites), they also incapacitated their army for several days. They did this because they trusted God, and His directions, instead of their own wisdom.
They were put in the place where they could trust in nothing but God alone — a hard place, but a good place.
God only asked this of them after He showed His greatness by the Jordan River crossing. When we remember all the things the power of God has done in our lives, we are willing to trust Him in radical obedience.
Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land: When the people were able to provide for themselves from the rich produce of Canaan, God stopped the manna. He didn’t want them to get lazy, but to enter into a new partnership of trust with Him.
I hate it when a story, that IMHO is just not interesting, needs to be posted anyway, and then turns out to be interesting anyway. This is one of those stories. Yep, it follows [continues actually] how the Arc was carried over the Jordan River on dry ground... even though it was the harvest time and the Jordan should have been at flood stage.
The enemies, the people they had to remove from the land, heard how even water moved out of the way for the Israelite Army. They were too afraid to attack them.
The Israelites were camped on the coast of the Jordan... right there across from Jericho... and the Amorites and the Canaanites were too afraid of them to attack. I guess they figured, anyone bad enough to make water move out the way, shouldn't be messed with, right?
That is impressive but please keep reading.... The Israeli Army stopped to cut their own thingies!
The Israelites were wandering around for forty years. All the old guys who had their thingies cut eight days after birth were dead. No one had been circumcised in 40 years... So, all the fighting age guys needed to be circumcised.
While the enemy was shaking in their shoes, the Israelite men were lying in bed for three days holding their aching thingies!
This reminds me of the buildup of troops along the border of Gaza not too long ago. They sat and sat and sat at the border... just waiting for the word to attack. I kept wondering... Why are they just sitting there? If they are going to attack, why don't they just get it over with?
I wonder, is that what the Amorites and the Canaanites were thinking? Were they shaking in their boots wondering what those water-moving-Israelites were up to?
Meanwhile... weren't those Israelites afraid that the Amorites and the Canaanites might find out they were holding their aching thingies and attack? They knew the history of Shechem and how the Israelites slaughtered the men who raped Dinah... after having all the men of Shechem agree to circumcision. Men can't fight when they are holding their thingies.
The Israelites weren't afraid because they had God on their side. They knew it was God who made the water move out of their way. They knew it was God who told Joshua to circumcise all the troops. They knew if God told Joshua to do it... They had to do it! Period!
So, when the thingies were all healed, they shared a Passover Feast.
I find it interesting they passed over the Jordan just in time for the Passover Feast. That's how all this started... right after the Angel of Death passed over Egypt, murdering all the first-born sons without lamb's blood on the door jam, Pharaoh told Moses to take his people and go. And now... here they are on the other side of the Red Sea and the Jordan, thingies freshly healed, enjoying a Passover Feast.
So... What title does this require?
Is it more about dry ground or fresh cutting of the thingies?
Fresh cutting of thingies!
