In 1519, Hernán Cortés landed on the shores of Veracruz. Cortés commanded his men to destroy their ships. The purpose of this was to eliminate any thought of retreat and to commit fully to their conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Before Cortés thought about burning his ships, God made the waters of the Jordan return to their flood stage. The Israelites understood that once they entered the Promised Land, there was no turning back.
Rather than experiencing the Promised Land, the children of disobedient parents had to wander in the wilderness, watching their parents die one by one. During those years, circumcision and Passover were not observed.
However, once they reached the promised land, the children were to be circumcised and observe the Passover.
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites a second time.”
Although all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people born on the journey through the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised (Joshua 5:2 and 5).
The parents of the children didn’t enter the promised land because they didn’t listen to the voice of the Lord (verse 6).
Reflection
This morning during my prayer time, I read Psalm 82. After reading it, I imagined myself sitting among the gods of the nations as God spoke to them. He was judging them because they hadn’t given justice to the weak and vulnerable.
While watching this scene, the Spirit reminded me that I was among those influencers. I had to tell God, “Lord, take me off the throne of my life and assume that position yourself.”
This was another way of saying I needed to listen to the Lord. I can’t listen to Him only when I want His help and ignore Him when I want my own way.
The Passover
Israel arrived at a place and called it Gilgal. This name signifies that God has removed the shame of Egypt from Israel. Hence, the name Gilgal.
Entering Canaan coincides with the time of Passover, specifically the 14th day of the month. Rudy Ross explains the Passover dates well in today’s YouTube video.
While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal, they kept the Passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho (Joshua 5:10).
Upon entering Canaan, both circumcision and Passover were reinstated right away. This new chapter for God’s people needed a renewed commitment to His ordinances.
For 40 years, the Israelites had been sustained daily by manna provided by God’s hand. Finally, the day had come for them to move on from this strict and dull diet to the kind of food found in the promised land.
On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain.
The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year (Joshua 5:11-12).
I like to eat. Every day, when I step on the scales, I’m reminded of my love for food. It’s interesting how often the Bible mentions Jesus eating with his followers or the future banquet in heaven with God.
Food is a significant part of life for God’s people throughout the Bible.
I don’t have a deep theological point about God providing food for his creation. I just see it as another aspect of his abundant love for humanity.
He feeds the birds and all the little creatures around us. He also provides food for us, both now and forever. For that, we can praise God.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discuss this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 