We start, apparently at base camp at Gilgal, with an amazing statement in v1, that when the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of Jordan and the kings of the Canaanites by the sea heard the news that the LORD had stopped up the river and brought the Israelites through the Jordan on dry land, they were terrified. What a testimony that was! Sadly, it didn’t mean that they put their trust in God. The bible tells us that “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” And “if God is for us who can be against us”. We know that and it should fill us with assurance, or we should remember that, but the world doesn’t. It should give us humility as we witness before the world and despite what may happen to us, we can be victorious. Satan knows it only too well.
God spoke to Joshua and told him to make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel (v2-8). Joshua did as he was commanded. We are given an explanation that during the forty years wandering in the wilderness, all the males who left Egypt had been circumcised but had died in the wilderness because of their disobedience (apart from Joshua and Caleb) but those born in the wilderness had not. Seems that they wondered around because of their disobedience until they died. Joshua circumcised their sons for they had not been circumcised in the wilderness on the way. Once this had been done, they were to stay at camp until they had healed.
Circumcision was important to the Jews; it was a sign of commitment to God’s law. Usually this was done when a child was eight days old, but it signified the parent’s obedience on behalf of their sons and joined them to God’s people. This was circumcission of older sons as they could have been up to forty years old. Of course, this act did not make them believers in Jesus Christ.
They stayed in the camp until they were healed which could have been dangerous leaving them open to attacks from their enemies. They had crossed into enemy territory, but God was protecting them, it was His battle and they had to trust Him.
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.” (v9)
What was their reproach? It says, it was ‘of Egypt’, therefore, it must have been slavery. They were slaves, treated abominably, and also the fact that they had not been circumcised, but their trust in God was the only way that this could be removed. The name of the place was called Gilgal. It meant ‘rolling’ the place where God ‘rolled away their reproach’. It was a place of consecration and change. It became a place of worship; Saul was crowned king there. However, it later became a place of idolatry and worship of false gods.
They camped in Gilgal on the plains of Jericho and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate the produce of the land and the manna, which God had provided in the wilderness, ceased. (v10-12) The Passover was a remembrance, a looking back, of their deliverance from Egypt. It was a once for all event just as Calvary was. We can simply remember it as Jesus commanded us to. The same is true of Pentecost – I think it was General Booth of the Salvation Army who wrote the hymn with the line ‘we need another Pentecost’. We don’t and what’s more we can’t, it was a one-off event when the Holy Spirit came. Yes, we need to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit, but He is already here. Jesus is not crucified all over again when we remember Calvary at the Communion Service, we simply remember Him in the price He paid for our salvation. If we are not believers, we do need to receive the salvation He procured there to be born again.
Gilgal became their camp as they conquered Canaan, and they would return there, and it would be a reminder of what God had done for them. It is essential that we remember what the LORD has done for us and the Communion Service is our memorial feast to remind us how and at what cost our salvation came to us.
The scene changes and Joshua sees a Man in front of him with a drawn sword (v13-15). Joshua approached Him. This was certainly God because Joshua fell down and worshiped Him. If it had been an angel, the angel would not have allowed him to worship him. In Revelation 22:9 John fell down to worship the angel, but he said, “Do not do that I am a fellow servant…. Worship God.” In Acts 10:26, Cornelius wanted to worship Peter, but he prevented it saying that he was only a man. The first two Commandments make it clear that we should have no other Gods, and we should only worship the One True God.
The LORD told Joshua that He was The Commander of the LORD’s army (presumably angels). It was logical for Joshua to ask whose side He was on, but the LORD didn’t answer, in fact He said ‘No’. Joshua realised who He was and asked for instructions. He was told to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground and Joshua did. Someone has said that Joshua asked the wrong question -it should not have been whose side are You on, but am I on Your side?
Joshua was told to remove his sandals. I’m sure he recalled the instruction to Moses, as I’m sure Moses had told him (Exodus 3:4-6) which was similar in that he was told he was on holy ground. It was not the first time that The Son of God had appeared, He came in Genesis 18:16-33, Genesis 32:24-30, Judges 13:1-23 and several times after this. Joshua recognised that He was the Commander and was obedient to Him.
He came to instruct Joshua that they must obey and how to conquer Jericho. Without obedience they would fail. The same applies to us today that if we are to be more than conquerors, we must be obedient to Him.
