By The Way
By the Way
Joshua 5:1-9
Many things happen by the way: We grow by the way. We fall by the way. We learn by the way. We are corrected by the way. We suffer by the way. But thank God, we also find grace by the way.
Israel's journey paused at Gilgal so God could deal with what had been neglected along the way before they could conquer what lay ahead. God often does the same with us. Before he advances us into greater victories, he first deals with unfinished business by the way.
The word circumcise (in its various forms) appears nine times in these six verses. In Scripture, nine is commonly associated with fruitfulness, while six is the number often associated with man. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he and every male in his household were circumcised (Genesis 17). The following year, Isaac, the promised son, was born. Before the promise of the future came the pain of cutting in the present.
Likewise, before Israel inherited the blessings of Canaan, the unbelieving generation had to die in the wilderness, and their sons had to be circumcised at Gilgal.
Circumcision was the sign of the covenant God gave to Abraham. Under the New Testament, this physical sign finds its spiritual fulfillment in every believer. At salvation, God performs a spiritual circumcision, separating the believer from the sins of the flesh.
"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands..." (Colossians 2:11–12). Paul also reminds us, "For we are the circumcision..." (Philippians 3:3). True circumcision is no longer merely outward in the flesh but inward in the heart (Romans 2:28–29).
Gilgal, therefore, becomes a beautiful picture of God's work of salvation and sanctification.
The Reaching
Israel had finally reached Gilgal. After generations of waiting, years of slavery in Egypt, forty years of wandering in the wilderness, and the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, they stood on the land God had promised their fathers.
What a tremendous milestone! Yet reaching Gilgal was not the end of their journey.
Jericho still stood in the way. Crossing Jordan did not eliminate every obstacle. Every victory simply introduced another challenge.
The same principle applies to every believer. Salvation is a wonderful reaching point, but it is not the finish line. The Christian still has battles to fight, spiritual ground to claim, temptations to overcome, and opportunities to serve the Lord.
Likewise, achieving a life goal, whether spiritual, personal, or professional, does not mean the work is finished. Every milestone should encourage us to press forward rather than settle into complacency. God's people were not called merely to reach Gilgal. They were called to possess Canaan.
The Reasoning
God's command to circumcise the men of Israel was not arbitrary. There was a reason.
The previous generation had refused to believe God at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 13–14). Because of their unbelief, they wandered in the wilderness until that generation died.
Disobedience always leaves consequences. That truth reaches all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam's disobedience brought sin and death upon the entire human race.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin..." (Romans 5:12)
Likewise, a father's neglect of God's word can leave painful consequences for future generations. Parents never live entirely unto themselves. Their obedience, or disobedience, often shapes the spiritual direction of their children.
So how does God deal with disobedience? With the sharp knife of his word. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword..." (Hebrews 4:12)
The Sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). God's Word exposes what needs to change before it transforms what needs to grow. The Lord cuts away what does not belong so that spiritual fruit can flourish.
The Raising
Joshua now stood before a new generation. The fathers had died in the wilderness. The sons would inherit the promises. One of the greatest responsibilities God gives every parent is preparing children to take their place in serving him. Yet Joshua tells us these children had been left uncircumcised by the way. Something had been neglected during the journey.
Parents today have an even greater responsibility. "Train up a child in the way he should go..." (Proverbs 22:6). "And, ye fathers... bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4). No generation can survive indefinitely on the faith of the previous one.
Every son and daughter must personally know the Lord. Every parent should strive to leave more than an inheritance. They should leave a spiritual legacy that their children can be loyal to.
The Recovering
After the circumcision came recovery. God did not immediately send Israel to Jericho.
He allowed them to remain in the camp until they were healed. That is an important spiritual lesson. Sometimes, after the sword of the Spirit has pierced our hearts through the preaching of God's word, we need time to recover.
We live in a culture that expects immediate results. God often works differently.
Sometimes, lasting change requires remaining under conviction long enough for His truth to take root. Sometimes we need to quietly sit with what we have heard and allow God's Word not merely to cut us, but to cure us and cleanse us. "The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly." (Proverbs 20:30)
The same God who wounds also heals. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3). His correction is never intended to destroy His children. It is designed to restore them.
The Rolling
God then declared, "This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you." The name Gilgal means "Rolling Away" or "Circle." God was making right what had been wrong.
The reproach of Egypt represented everything associated with Israel's former life:
At Gilgal, God rolled away Israel's reproach. At Calvary Christ rolled away our guilt. One day in glory, he will roll away every remaining consequence of sin forever. The shame will be rolled away. The tears will be rolled away. The curse will be rolled away. The reproach will be rolled away. Even death itself will be rolled away forever.
What began at Gilgal finds its ultimate fulfillment in the finished work of Christ and the eternal hope of the believer.
Conclusion:
The Christian life is a journey, and many important things happen along or "by the way." God teaches us by the way. He humbles us by the way. He corrects us by the way. He strengthens us by the way. He heals us by the way. He prepares us by the way.
Don't despise the stops God places in your journey. Some of God's greatest works are accomplished by the way.
Joshua 5:1-9
Many things happen by the way: We grow by the way. We fall by the way. We learn by the way. We are corrected by the way. We suffer by the way. But thank God, we also find grace by the way.
Israel's journey paused at Gilgal so God could deal with what had been neglected along the way before they could conquer what lay ahead. God often does the same with us. Before he advances us into greater victories, he first deals with unfinished business by the way.
The word circumcise (in its various forms) appears nine times in these six verses. In Scripture, nine is commonly associated with fruitfulness, while six is the number often associated with man. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he and every male in his household were circumcised (Genesis 17). The following year, Isaac, the promised son, was born. Before the promise of the future came the pain of cutting in the present.
Likewise, before Israel inherited the blessings of Canaan, the unbelieving generation had to die in the wilderness, and their sons had to be circumcised at Gilgal.
Circumcision was the sign of the covenant God gave to Abraham. Under the New Testament, this physical sign finds its spiritual fulfillment in every believer. At salvation, God performs a spiritual circumcision, separating the believer from the sins of the flesh.
"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands..." (Colossians 2:11–12). Paul also reminds us, "For we are the circumcision..." (Philippians 3:3). True circumcision is no longer merely outward in the flesh but inward in the heart (Romans 2:28–29).
Gilgal, therefore, becomes a beautiful picture of God's work of salvation and sanctification.
The Reaching
Israel had finally reached Gilgal. After generations of waiting, years of slavery in Egypt, forty years of wandering in the wilderness, and the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, they stood on the land God had promised their fathers.
What a tremendous milestone! Yet reaching Gilgal was not the end of their journey.
Jericho still stood in the way. Crossing Jordan did not eliminate every obstacle. Every victory simply introduced another challenge.
The same principle applies to every believer. Salvation is a wonderful reaching point, but it is not the finish line. The Christian still has battles to fight, spiritual ground to claim, temptations to overcome, and opportunities to serve the Lord.
Likewise, achieving a life goal, whether spiritual, personal, or professional, does not mean the work is finished. Every milestone should encourage us to press forward rather than settle into complacency. God's people were not called merely to reach Gilgal. They were called to possess Canaan.
The Reasoning
God's command to circumcise the men of Israel was not arbitrary. There was a reason.
The previous generation had refused to believe God at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 13–14). Because of their unbelief, they wandered in the wilderness until that generation died.
Disobedience always leaves consequences. That truth reaches all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam's disobedience brought sin and death upon the entire human race.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin..." (Romans 5:12)
Likewise, a father's neglect of God's word can leave painful consequences for future generations. Parents never live entirely unto themselves. Their obedience, or disobedience, often shapes the spiritual direction of their children.
So how does God deal with disobedience? With the sharp knife of his word. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword..." (Hebrews 4:12)
The Sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). God's Word exposes what needs to change before it transforms what needs to grow. The Lord cuts away what does not belong so that spiritual fruit can flourish.
The Raising
Joshua now stood before a new generation. The fathers had died in the wilderness. The sons would inherit the promises. One of the greatest responsibilities God gives every parent is preparing children to take their place in serving him. Yet Joshua tells us these children had been left uncircumcised by the way. Something had been neglected during the journey.
Parents today have an even greater responsibility. "Train up a child in the way he should go..." (Proverbs 22:6). "And, ye fathers... bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4). No generation can survive indefinitely on the faith of the previous one.
Every son and daughter must personally know the Lord. Every parent should strive to leave more than an inheritance. They should leave a spiritual legacy that their children can be loyal to.
The Recovering
After the circumcision came recovery. God did not immediately send Israel to Jericho.
He allowed them to remain in the camp until they were healed. That is an important spiritual lesson. Sometimes, after the sword of the Spirit has pierced our hearts through the preaching of God's word, we need time to recover.
We live in a culture that expects immediate results. God often works differently.
Sometimes, lasting change requires remaining under conviction long enough for His truth to take root. Sometimes we need to quietly sit with what we have heard and allow God's Word not merely to cut us, but to cure us and cleanse us. "The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly." (Proverbs 20:30)
The same God who wounds also heals. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3). His correction is never intended to destroy His children. It is designed to restore them.
The Rolling
God then declared, "This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you." The name Gilgal means "Rolling Away" or "Circle." God was making right what had been wrong.
The reproach of Egypt represented everything associated with Israel's former life:
- Bondage and slavery
- Idolatry
- Shame and unbelief
- Uncircumcision
- Their old identity
At Gilgal, God rolled away Israel's reproach. At Calvary Christ rolled away our guilt. One day in glory, he will roll away every remaining consequence of sin forever. The shame will be rolled away. The tears will be rolled away. The curse will be rolled away. The reproach will be rolled away. Even death itself will be rolled away forever.
What began at Gilgal finds its ultimate fulfillment in the finished work of Christ and the eternal hope of the believer.
Conclusion:
The Christian life is a journey, and many important things happen along or "by the way." God teaches us by the way. He humbles us by the way. He corrects us by the way. He strengthens us by the way. He heals us by the way. He prepares us by the way.
Don't despise the stops God places in your journey. Some of God's greatest works are accomplished by the way.
Posted in Abundant Life, Christian Choices, Death, Discipleship, Newness, Patience, Promises, Repentance, Sacrifice, Salvation, Separation, Service, Spiritual Warfare, Time, Trusting God, Truth, Words of God, Parenting
Posted in Parenting, Discipleship, Christian Living, Circumcision, fruitfulness, salvation, Word of God
Posted in Parenting, Discipleship, Christian Living, Circumcision, fruitfulness, salvation, Word of God
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