JOSHUA CHAPTER 5, “Circumcised,
Then Coming Before The Commander Of The Host Of The Lord”
By
Jim Bomkamp
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. In our last study, we looked
at the children of
1.1.1. We saw that the Lord led the
children of Israel to take 12 stones, one for each tribe, from the center of
the Jordan River where they have just crossed over, and set up a memorial to
the Lord on Canaan’s side of the Jordan
1.1.2. We saw that the Lord told
the children of
1.1.3. We saw also that Joshua
himself decided to setup a second rock memorial to the Lord and place this one
right in the center of the Jordan River where the priests had been standing
holding the ‘ark’ as the children of
1.1.4. We discussed then the
importance of making and setting up memorials to the Lord of the things He has
taught us and done in our lives as Christians, for as the Psalmist wrote in
Psalm 155:4, “He
hath made his wonderful works to be remembered…” We concentrated then on the fact that the Lord’s
works are just too great, too precious, and too important to be forgotten, and
that we must take necessary steps to make sure that we remember the things that
the Lord teaches us and does in our life.
1.2. In our study today, we are
going to study chapter 5 and in this study observe a very interesting story
that occurred in Gilgal after the children of Israel had just crossed the
Jordan River, and before they went into the city of Jericho to conquer it: They are led to be circumcised, observe the
Passover, and then Joshua comes before the Commander of the Hosts Of Heaven
1.2.1. In our study today, we are
still dealing with background events, or to be more specific events that
occurred prior to the real heart of what the book of Joshua is about, “the
conquest of the
1.2.2. The next chapter will deal
with the conquest of the city of Jericho, the first to be conquered by the
children of Israel
1.2.3. As we consider the children
of Israel at this point in time, having just crossed the Jordan River and
entered the land of Canaan, which was the tremendous blessing of their
inheritance, we need to realize where they have been the past 40 years, that
is, in a spiritual sense.
1.2.3.1.
Before the children of Israel left Egypt, they were instructed by the
Lord through Moses for the men to be circumcised, and then they ate the
Passover Meal, which symbolized the great sacrifice of blood that one day would
be made on their behalf by the Lamb of God who was to come, and then they
placed the blood of the lamb over their door posts and lintels so that every
household would be spared the death of their firstborn when the angel of death
passed over their houses that night. In
the middle of the night after the angel of death had passed over the country, the
children of
1.2.3.2.
The children of Israel had been hard-hearted and rebellious during the
40 years of wandering, and it was only at the end of the 40 years of wandering
that they were in the place of being willing to be willing to truly serve and
obey the Lord. Now in Joshua chapter 5,
they had gone through the Jordan River which symbolized for them death to self,
sin and their old sin nature (their identification with Christ in His death and
burial), and walked through to the other side which symbolized for them being
raised up in Christ to walk in the newness of resurrection life (their
identification with Christ in His resurrection from the dead). However, they were not ready quite yet to go
into battle and serve the Lord. There
were several steps that needed to be taken.
1.2.3.2.1.
We saw in our previous study that one of the steps that they needed to
take was to set up memorial stones to remind them of the great things that the
Lord had done for them in leading them across the Jordan River
1.2.3.2.2.
Next, we will see that they also need to be circumcised.
1.2.3.2.3.
Then, they will need to celebrate the Passover together.
1.2.3.2.4.
Finally, Joshua will need to come before the Commander of the Host of
the Lord
2. VS 1:1 - “1 Now it came about when all the
kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings
of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the Lord had dried up the
waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that
their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer, because of the
sons of Israel. – Joshua tells us that when the Canaanite peoples through the land
heard of
2.1. Every good and experienced
general, as was Joshua to some extent, would have known that by human wisdom
this would have been the time to attack the Canaanites. We read that the peoples throughout the land were
trembling with fear of the Israelites, and the psychology of warfare would
have dictated to them to go now and conquer.
2.2. However, we see in the next
verse that the Lord was leading Joshua at this point in his life, and He
directed Joshua to do something that from a human perspective would have been
disastrous, that is, if you planned to win a conflict: the boys and men of Israel had to be circumcised.
2.2.1. Circumcision would weaken a
man for a few days afterwards.
2.2.2. We will see that their time
at Gilgal was a period of testing to see if they were going to be obedient to
the Lord.
2.3. When the opportunity was
prime to attack from a human perspective, we see in this chapter and the
previous one that Joshua actually spent at least 10 days before proceeding to
the battle of Jericho, taking measure after measure to pursue devotion to the
Lord rather than proceed directly to begin a campaign of war.
2.3.1. They made two stone
memorials, one of which was Joshua’s idea.
2.3.2. They circumcised themselves
before the Lord.
2.3.3. They observed the Passover
Feast, and observe it in the manner commanded them by the Lord through.
2.3.4. Joshua comes before the
Commander of the Host of heaven and kneels down in worship.
2.4. This time in Gilgal became a
time of testing for Joshua and the children of
2.5. The Lord wants us as
Christians to see here some key principles in our walk:
2.5.1. That what is foremost in
this life of ours is not doing things for God, but rather what we “are” before
the Lord.
2.5.2. The work that He is doing in
our lives is more important than the work that we do for Him.
2.5.3. Our being holy and
transformed into the image of Christ is more important than conquering souls
and principalities for Him.
3. VS 2:2-9 - 2 At
that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make for yourself flint knives and
circumcise again the sons of
3.1. In Gen. 17:10-14, we read
that circumcision was the seal of God’s covenant with Abraham. Circumcision was chosen by God as something
that separated the children of
3.2. Likewise, the Lord told them
in Exod. 12:48 that in order to eat the Passover Feast that one had to be
circumcised. Thus, Moses commanded
the people before leaving
3.2.1. This is also one of the
reasons that the children of Israel did not eat the Passover Feast in the
wilderness,
they were not circumcised and thus would be disallowed from doing so.
3.3. In Col. 2:10-11, we read
that circumcision was symbolic for the Christian of something that happens to
him internally, of sin being removed from his life, “10 and in Him you have
been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;11 and in
Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the
removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”
3.3.1. Before the children of
3.3.2. There are two acts of
circumcision for the Christian:
3.3.2.1.
The first act of circumcision: Notice in these verses that this
is a work that the Lord has “already” accomplished for the Christian.
3.3.2.1.1.
In Rom. 8:1 we read of something that is true ‘NOW’ in the life of the Christian,
before God there is no condemnation for us because of the finished work of Jesus upon
the cross and His imputed righteousness to us, “1 There is therefore NOW
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
3.3.2.1.2.
Some churches have gotten this doctrinal concept wrong and see the
Christian as still striving to attain his own righteousness and acceptance
before God based upon his works. However, there is none
righteous and there is no way that man will ever by his works make himself
acceptable before God. However, by
believing and trusting in Jesus and His atoning work upon the cross of
3.3.2.1.3.
We have already died to sin and been raised up with Christ if we have
been saved.
3.3.2.2.
The second act of circumcision: We see in the scriptures the
practical outworking in our lives of our being sanctified and circumcised in
the heart. This is a work that is
experimental.
3.3.2.2.1.
Rom. 6:12-13 speaks of this, “12 Therefore do not let sin reign in
your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,13 and do not go on presenting
the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to
God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness to God.”
3.3.2.2.2.
It is because we are already circumcised by the Lord as Christians through our
identification with Christ in His death and resurrection that we desire to
be purified of our sins today.
3.3.3. Notice from these verses
that it is not a sin or some sins that are to be removed from us but the
whole body of sin, or in other words our sin nature itself that has been
circumcised because we have received Christ and the work that He performed
for us upon the cross. We are to die
to sin.
3.3.4. We Christians have been
identified with Christ in His death and burial (and thus we have died to sin
and our sinful nature) and also in His resurrection (and thus we walk in
newness of resurrection life as having been made new creatures in Christ).
3.3.4.1.
When we received Christ, we were at that very moment identified with
Christ, and as new creatures in Christ we were now judicially dead to sin and a
new nature, heart, mind, and spirit were placed within us and we were walking
in resurrection life in Christ.
3.3.4.2.
Because of judicially having been identified with Christ in His death
and burial, as well as His resurrection, according to Rom. 6:11 we are
now by faith to “reckon,” or believe and act upon the fact of that
identification, and as we do this we experimentally receive the benefits from
that identification, “11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
3.4. I want to make a point here
before we go on in case some might not disagree about the symbolism of Jewish circumcision for the Christian being
an internal reality of separation of sin from us. Arthur Pink writes about the fact that in
the Old Testament times that it was never to be the case that mere outward
observances and rituals brought about a divine blessing, and that they were meant
even then to have included an internal reality in God’s people, “It should
be apparent to all who have read the Scriptures with any degree of attention
and care that He who “desires Truth in the inward parts (Psa. Li, 6) required very much more
from
3.4.1. External circumcision for
the children of
3.4.1.1.
Paul, writing in Romans 2:29 makes this abundantly
clear, “29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not
from men, but from God.”
3.5. So, in Joshua 5 Israel had
been backslidden for forty years, hardened in heart, and their covenant
relationship with the Lord not being upheld either by them or by the Lord
Himself, and now though the people had softened their hearts and began to walk
in faith and obedience to the Lord, and thus were able to cross the Jordan
River, which symbolizes for us today the death to sin and the sin nature and
being raised up to walk in resurrection life in Christ, there was still an
inward purification they needed, that whose sign was circumcision of the
flesh. You see, the fact that it was
easier actually for them to come out of Egypt than for Egypt to come out of
them, is what I believe verse 9 refers to concerning their circumcision when it
says, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ It was inward purification that they needed
at this time and it was inward purification that this time of performing the
act of circumcision held for them.
3.5.1. This is the way it is for us
as Christians today also. Though we have come to
Christ and have been forgiven of our sins and saved out of the world, that
was the easy part. Now, we need the
continual purification of the Lord in our lives (as often as is needed) if we
are to walk in a way that pleases Him and be used mightily by Him. Again, as was stated this is because
there is no walking in the blessing and victory which is our inheritance in
Christ while we are allowing any sin to rule in our lives.
4. VS 5:10 - “10 While the sons of
4.1. In our last study, we saw
that the date of the crossing of the Jordan River was significant because it
was exactly 40 years since the children of Israel had eaten that first Passover
and fled Egypt,
and I want to just mention here that a study of Numbers 14:30-35 shows us
that the forty year period before this crossing was prophesy fulfilled because
the Lord told them that they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years before
He would then take that next generation of them into the land of Canaan, “30
‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you,
except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.31 ‘Your children,
however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they shall
know the land which you have rejected.32 ‘But as for you, your corpses shall
fall in this wilderness.33 ‘And your sons shall be shepherds for forty years
in the wilderness, and they shall suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your
corpses lie in the wilderness.34 ‘According to the number of days which you
spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year,
even forty years, and you shall know My opposition.35 ‘I, the Lord, have
spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered
together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they
shall die.’””
4.2. Also, not being circumcised
and not celebrating the Passover were intertwined because in Exodus 12:48 the Lord
told the children of Israel that no uncircumcised person could ever partake
of the Passover, “48 “But if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates
the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him
come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no
uncircumcised person may eat of it.””
4.3. In 1 Cor. 5:6-8, the apostle
Paul seems to possibly even recall this incident before us as he writes
about the need for our purification and lumps that together with the fact
that Jesus being “our Passover, or the one who provides that our sins be
passed over and that we be saved” “6 Your boasting is not good. Do you
not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?7 Clean out the
old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For
Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.8 Let us therefore celebrate the
feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
4.4. Let’s just for a minute then
to think about the symbolisms of Jesus and the salvation He brings where were
in the Passover meal which the children of Israel observed on this day:
4.4.1. It was the blood of the
slain lamb that was without spot or blemish covering the people as it was on their door
posts and lintels that brought salvation to them from the angel of
death.
4.4.1.1.
This pictured Jesus the perfect Lamb of God from all
eternity who would come one day and be that perfect sacrifice and whose blood
would atone for the sins of mankind.
4.4.2. It was a salvation that came
about not because of works but rather because of propitiatory sacrifice, and thus it came
about because of the grace of God on their behalf.
4.4.3. It pointed forward to Christ
as the sin bearer for all men, before and after
4.5. So, it was appropriate that
having been circumcised, and in doing so having seeking the inward
purification and renunciation of sin, that the Israelites celebrate the
Passover and be reminded of the fact that without the shedding of blood
there is no forgiveness of sin.
4.5.1. Likewise, when we Christians
confess and repent of our sins we are assured that the blood of Christ has
covered them and also cleansed us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
5. VS 5:11-12 - “11 And on the day after the
Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land,
unleavened cakes and parched grain.12 And the manna ceased on the day after
they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no
longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during
that year.”
- Joshua tells us that on the day after
they ate the Passover meal that they ate of the produce of the
5.1. We see here that finally the
Israelites get to eat of the blessing of the promised land, this which had
always been the hope of their inheritance.
5.2. It is only appropriate that
it was only after circumcision and inward purification of sin, as well as remembering
the Paschal lamb, that the people could partake of the fruits of the land.
5.3. Notice that there are 3 days
specifically mentioned here: one day they ate the
Passover, the next day they ate of the fruit of the land, and the third day the
manna stopped appearing. What does 3
days remind you of? Jesus was raised on
the third day, and after that day we can now walk in the newness of
resurrection life in Christ, This is
symbolized for us today by their now being able to live off of the fruit of the
land of promise, their inheritance as the children of Israel.
5.4. The fact that the manna
stopped on the very day after they ate of the fruit of the land reveals
that this was truly a supernatural miracle and could not have come about by
some coincidence of nature.
5.5. The manna had come to a
rebellious and hard-hearted people only from the grace of God and because He had
determined to restore a remnant of them to Himself one day.
5.6. Alan Redpath has called the
manna that
fell “wilderness food” because though it sustained the people’s need for
nourishment, it was not the real fruit of that which God had promised His
people in the promised land.
5.6.1. There are some Christians
whom God has been providing for and sustaining, perhaps for many years, and
they are seeing some of the miraculous providence of God on their behalf,
however they have never entered into the Promised Land, coming in by the
crossing of the Jordan River and the death and resurrection for the
believer which it symbolizes. They
haven’t allowed the Lord to circumcise them in heart and thus they are not able
to realize the real blessing that God has for them as their inheritance in
Christ. Instead, their life is
still really the wilderness walk in the trials and testings which it brings
to all who dwell there.
5.6.2. For many Christians there
can be some secret sin that is between them and the Lord, some idol that they have hidden
in their heart, and it is not until they are willing to give that up to
the Lord that they will ever eat anything but wilderness manna.
5.6.3. Many Christians are living a
life with very little fruit to show of their faith. They haven’t
really ever won anyone to Christ.
Perhaps they don’t ever share their faith, or perhaps they do
but for some reason no one ever seems to be influenced by them and
their life and testimony. They know
Christ, but they just don’t seem to have heaven’s resources. They don’t seem to have the Lord’s
anointing power on their life. For
some of these people this happens because they just haven’t been willing to
come to that place where they truly are willing to die to self and let Christ
be their life, and they aren’t willing to turn it all over to the Lord in their
life.
5.6.4. Hudson Taylor, the first
missionary to China, stated once that for the Christians there are really only
three choices we can make in our lives:
5.6.4.1.
Some people make their plans and then they try
to do their best to keep them and fulfill their goals.
5.6.4.2.
Some people make their plans and then they pray
and look to the Lord to help them to keep them and fulfill their goals.
5.6.4.3.
Some people come to the Lord in prayer and ask Him
what their goals and plans ought to be so that they can do His will, and they don’t make any
plans until they are sure of His leading.
6. VS 5:13-15 - “13 Now it came about when Joshua
was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was
standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him
and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”14 And he said, “No,
rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell
on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to
say to his servant?”15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals
from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did
so.” –
Joshua comes and bows before the commander of the hosts of heaven (the Lord’s
host)
6.1. We notice immediately here
that Joshua recognizes that this man is no human, for he asks him if he
is for them or for his enemies.
6.2. When the man tells Joshua
that he is the ‘captain of the hosts of the Lord,’ Joshua recognizes
that this man is none other than the Lord Himself.
6.3. We know that this man has to
be the Lord because throughout the scriptures no angelic being ever accepts worship
as this man does. Only the Lord should
ever be worshipped.
6.4. There are many places in
the scripture where it is mentioned that an angel appeared before men,
and when the scriptures calls the angel, “the angel of the Lord,” then
we know that it was an appearance of God in human form. This angelic creature is one of those! In fact, this man is the Lord Jesus Himself
in human form!
6.5. Why has the Commander of the
host of the Lord come to Joshua, we might ask?
6.5.1. It isn’t to replace Joshua
as the leader of the people, this commander is the commander of the hosts of
the Lord, not of the children of
6.5.1.1.
Our warfare in this world is always spiritual in
nature.
6.5.1.1.1.
Eph. 6:12, “12 For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world
forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
heavenly places.”
6.5.1.1.2.
The army of the Lord of Hosts always goes with and
surrounds God’s people, and there are a few places in the scriptures where we see
this. Elisha’s servant saw this vast
spiritual army surrounding him when he was trapped by the Syrian army,
and the Lord Jesus spoke of it in the Garden of Eden to His disciples as
they were arresting Him when he asked them if they did not understand that
at any time He could summon twelve legions of angels to His defense.
6.5.1.2.
If Joshua is to be successful in his battles it is
only because the Lord is leading him and being victorious in battle in the
spiritual realm, against the wicked spirits in the heavenly realm.
6.5.1.2.1.
We will see in the next chapter that when the Lord
fights for you the walls of
6.5.1.2.2.
Alan Redpath wrote many years ago about how behind
all resistance to the Lord and the gospel message is a spiritual source, “Behind
the vast powers of ungodly empires and rulers in this world today, behind 800
million people committed unto death to the power of Communism, is Satanic
authority. Behind the hardness of hearts
against the truth, and the indifference of men and women to the gospel of
Christ is the god of this world, who has blinded the minds of those who believe
not. Behind the resistance of wife,
husband, children or parents to the word of God; behind the divided home, the broken heart,
the ruined life, and the shattered testimony is Satan, who in these last days
of grace is turning on all his power, for he knows that his time is short. Behind the rapidly closing doors to
missionary service, behind the failure of many missionaries to stand the test
of health and strength and spirit, behind the evacuation right and left of one
mission station after another, behind the shortage of money to keep
missionaries on the field, behind all this is Satan, who has gripped the herats
and the pockets of God’s people and held them, as it were, in a vice. Let us acknowledge this in the presence of
God—it is either revival or ruin for us all!”
6.5.2. Every man’s calling is a
holy calling because he is going as God’s representative.
6.5.2.1.
As Moses was being called by the Lord he
had the Lord tell him these same words the commander tells Joshua: that the ground that he was walking on was
‘holy.’
6.5.3. It is to lead Joshua to
worship.
6.5.3.1.
We win our battles because we our worshippers, and it is only when we
are worshippers of God that we can walk in His victory and blessing that
is our inheritance in Christ.
7. CONCLUSION:
7.1. Today, do you need the Lord
to circumcise your heart?
7.2. Is there some hidden sin
that only the Lord knows about that is keeping you from dying to sin and from
walking in all the blessing and victory which is your inheritance in
Christ?
7.3. If the answer to these
questions is, ‘Yes,’ then you need to come to Christ, your Passover lamb, and
let the blood from the Lamb of God without spot or blemish wash away all of
your sins.