Ouch! After 40 years in the desert, God finally brought His people across the Jordan to reclaim their lands. The neighboring kingdoms lost their confidence and cockiness because they saw and knew God was in charge. Still one thing remained outstanding–the covenant with Abraham required all males to be circumcised. Since the Israelite people left Egypt, that practice had somehow ceased. So all the men left in Israel, except for Joshua and Caleb had to be circumcised.
So, Joshua sharpened the flint knives and did the job. Amazingly, no one argued , complained or grumbled. They simply camped out until they were healed and ready for war. These were God’s chosen people–not escaped slaves from Egypt.It is important to know that we are set apart as the children of God. Joshua got it. He was leading a special people, to a special place, for a special purpose. Finally, the enemies knew it and his own people knew it. They had finally become what they were called to be.
We need to live the same way. We are called to walk as children of God. We follow God closely and are grateful for His leadership. We trust God, and we seek Him. As we do that, He empowers us to become the people we are supposed to be. As we obey, the world and all that would oppose God recognise that it is God and not us that is in charge.
That gives us the opportunity to claim His promises and be God’s covenant people. We need not be ashamed of who we are; nor, should we be ashamed of Whose we are. Paul said it best in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Now, the life I live in the flesh–I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave Himself For me.”
Let us live as ones given victory and inheritance–not, as escaped slaves wandering in the desert!
God Bless You
As soon as 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 that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.[a] 4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. 5 Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6 For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.
8 When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. 9 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so the name of that place is called Gilgal[b] to this day.
Walking With God 