Joshua 5:10

Joshua 5:10 says,  And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.  The people of Israel kept the Passover while they were encamped in Gilgal.  They started their rime in the promised land by observing the things that God had commanded them to do all those years ago.  We today are still to observe God's law, though we are set free from its penalty if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  Doing what God commands us to do should always come before anything else.  The people of Israel were not busy preparing for war, but were worshipping God.  Verse eleven states, And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.  They ate of the old corn of the land on the day after the Passover.  This was corn that they found in the land where they were.  God had promised them that the land that He was giving them would be a land of plenty, and this was proof of that.  I don't know everything about what heaven will be like, but I do know that it will be a place where all our needs are met, just as the promised land was a place where all of the needs of the people of Israel were met.  Verse twelve adds, And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.  The manna from heaven stopped that day.  This would have been basically the only food source that these people had known, now it was stopping, because they were where God had intended them to be all those years ago.  We don't find anything saying that they thought that they would starve without the manna.  God may provide for us in a particular way in a particular situation and then whatever the provision He has been providing may stop, but that doesn't mean that He will leave us in need.  The people of Israel had the riches of the promised land to replace the manna.  We will one day have the riches of heaven to replace whatever God has blessed us with in this world, and we can be certain that the things will be so much better.  Verse thirteen declares, And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?  Joshua saw a man with a sword when he lifted up his eyes and looked toward Jericho.  Joshua did not panic or run away in fear, but he simply asked the man if he was for the people of Israel or if he was for their adversaries.  When we encounter people in the world today, we should first determine if they are for God or against God.  We will never be alone when we are doing God's work.  Verse fourteen states, And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?  The man said that he was the captain of the host of the Lord.  The people of Israel were not going into battle by their own strength and might, but by the strength and might of God.  Joshua fell to his face and worshipped.  I believe that he worshipped God and not the man who stood there.  God may send angels to help us in our struggles today, but if He does, we are always to worship God and never the angel.  Joshua then asked the man what was he to do.  We need  to always ask what God would have us do in any situation and be open to His answer, no matter how it may come.  Verse fifteen proclaims, And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.  Joshua was told to remove his shoes because he was on holy ground.  I believe that as followers of Christ that wherever we go, since the Holy Spirit lives in us, should be considered holy ground.  We should never view any place that we go as a place where God is not with us so we don't have to be concerned with following His direction and law.