Joshua 5:1

Joshua 5:1 says, And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.  What God was doing was not done in secret.  The kings of the Amorites and the kings of the Canaanites heard what God had done, and they lost all their spirit to fight.  When God is truly at work in the world, I don't believe there will be any doubt that He is the One doing whatever is being done.  The world may not lose their desire to fight against God, but we as His people must realize that the victory is already His and never lose our spirit to stand with Him.  Verse two declares, At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.  The people of Israel were to be circumcised for a second time.  This ritual had not been kept up during the wilderness wanderings, so many of the men had not been circumcised.  Verse three adds, And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.  Joshua did as God commanded, and so did the men of Israel.  Though the command went to Joshua, it affected all the men of Israel.  Like them, we must be ready to obey when we know that God has given us a command, even if the message comes from another Christian.  Verse four continued, And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.  All those who had come out of Egypt had died in the wilderness because of their lack of faith in God.  It is a shame when a person comes so close to the promised land, or especially salvation, and then lacks the faith to go all the way with God.  Verse five states, Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.  As stated already, those born in the wilderness had not been circumcised, which was the way that they were identified as followers of God.  Today, people of  every generation must come to God through faith in Christ.  Just because our parents are Christians does not make us automatically a Christian also.  Verse six adds, For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.  Just as God had said, those who refused to enter the promised land the first time they were there died in the wilderness.  We need to follow Christ closely by faith so that we don't wander needlessly in the wilderness.  Verse seven declares, And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.  The children of those who came out of the wilderness were circumcised by Joshua, which then identified them as God's chosen people.  Verse eight says, And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the clamp, till they were whole.  The people stayed in camp until they were healed.  We today need to make sure that we are spiritually well before undertaking any task that God calls us to.  Verse nine declares, And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.  The reproach of Egypt was the lack of faith on the part of those who came out of Egypt but lacked the faith to enter the promised land.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, all the reproach of our past sins is removed.