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“The Most Dangerous People In The
World!” • 11.17.13 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- It had been a tense week for the men watching
on the walls of Jericho. Just beyond the river stood the nation of the Israelites
who had recently vanquished Sihon and Og.
- Their God was unlike the gods of the
Canaanites and it was presumed that they would come into the land and conquer
it's cities.
- When asked to report, the men of the watch
reported no activity and with the river wildly rushing out of control, there
were at least weeks, maybe even months before they could attack.
- That is until the river just stopped flowing
at the city of Adam and the people of Israel walked across on dry land,
marching all the way to Gilgal, a mere two miles from the walls!
- "You better send out the riders!" and
the message went out that they had days, maybe hours!
- But once again, there is a pause. Getting to
Jericho is secondary at this moment. There are primary goals to deal with here.
- We are obsessed with where we are going and
what we'll do. God is concerned with who we are and what we will be! That's
chapter 5. There are three sections.
I. Consecration (v.1-9)
II. Commemoration (v.10-12)
III. Confidence (v.13-15)
Text
I. Consecration (v.1-9)
• Joshua
5:1 : "So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the
west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the
sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children
of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and
there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel." : The people of Jericho felt the fear immediately, but the news spread
quickly to the Mediteranean sea coast!
- It's likely that each nation had riding
representatives waiting to bring news.
- When the Kings heard this news, they would
not believe it. They argued that such supernatural things are impossible and
that there must be some other explanation.
- No. They heard the news and their hearts
melted or dissolved inside of them. They had no more courage or resolve to face
the children of Israel.
- The Amorite Kings likely believed that they
had time and that they could figure out some form of defense that would protect
their way of life. That all went out the window when the river parted!
- They knew that they were doomed because of
the fact that their God would not let them fail.
• Joshua 5:2,3 : "At that
time the Lord said to Joshua, 'Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise
the sons of Israel again the second time.' So Joshua made flint knives for
himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins." : Please take note of the time. "At that time," after
the river had returned to flood stage, after they had taken a 10 mile hike and
after they camped just 2 miles from Jericho in Gilgal.
- It's at "that time" that the Lord
spoke this to Joshua, regarding the making of stone knives for the sake of
circumcising the sons of Israel again the second time.
- You can't do this a second time of course.
God is likely referring to the time before the first passover when He commanded
the people to circumcise those that would partake of the meal.
- Circumcision physically involves the cutting
away of the foreskin of the male member, performed on the 8th day. Abraham was
given this covenant as a sign for all of his descendants.
- It reminded them that they were God's special
people, as it was a unique practice in the ancient world.
- It reminded them that they were to rely on
the power of God to bring about His promise. Abraham had relied upon his wife's
advice and a worldly method to bring Ishmael into the world.
- God reminded Abraham that He was still going
to bring a child through Sarah and circumcision was given at that time. Sarah
being very old and barren required God's hand.
- Circumcision would always bring the Jewish
mind back to that story and the point: The flesh is never to be trusted in
bringing about the life of God!
- Here, Joshua does what is asked of him, which
was obviously labor intensive and ended with a fairly large mound of flesh
piled up. We'll leave that there. Joshua explains in verse 4.
• Joshua
5:4-7 : "And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the
people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in
the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt. For all the people who came out had
been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they
came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised. For the children of Israel walked
forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who
came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord—to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them
the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that He
would give us, 'a land flowing with milk and honey.' Then Joshua circumcised their sons
whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had
not been circumcised on the way." : There is
something very sad about this section. The people who had originally left Egypt
had been slaves miraculously delivered by God.
- They've seen miracles and have the tradition
and mark of a person of God. This entire generation had everything you could
hope for and still would not believe in their finest hour!
- They were at the very border of the land that
God had promised to them, but their unbelief left them wandering for 3 decades!
Eventually, they were consumed with unbelief.
- For those 40 years in the wilderness, their
unbelief extended to their lack of willingness to circumcise their children
because none of them were.
- What they had believed was that their children
would be victims in the land. Perhaps this is why none of them had been
circumcised, but now was the time when those children were in the land!
- They were going to enter into the covenant
that promised dependence upon God's power. It was not good enough that their
parents were circumcised. They needed to be circumcised!
- They needed to set themselves apart as God's
people, obedient to His covenant promise.
- They needed their own confession that they
were God's people and that the power of their flesh was irrelevant. Their trust
would have to be entirely in God's faithful power.
• Joshua
5:8,9 : "So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people,
that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'This day I have
rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.' Therefore the name of the place is
called Gilgal to this day." : They
finished circumcising all the people, perhaps as many as 600,000 men!
- What is often unreported about circumcision
is the effect afterward in the ancient world. Remember that this was not
performed in the most sterile environment.
- This has precedence in scripture, as the men
of Shechem lay defenseless after their circumcisions and were massacred by the
two small family tribes of Simeon and Levi in Genesis 34.
- All of Israel's fighting men would be immobilized
after this procedure, just two miles from the camp of Jericho leaving them
vulnerable on the very front lines of the battle!
- I know that they must have questioned the
timing, even as we do. "Why could we not have been circumcised on that
side of the river? At least the river would be a natural defense!"
- God's point in having this done here is
precisely the point of circumcision. If you are ever going to trust me to win
your battles, you must first trust me to be your defense!
- They would have to have their own opportunity
to trust the Lord above their circumstance, in this case, as they lay helpless
within the enemy's grasp!
- Joshua proves by his actions that he knows
that the secret of their success would not be found on the military, but the spiritual
front!
- If they are going to win, it won't be based
on their strength and resource. The flesh will never be an aid to God's plan
for our lives. It must be cut off and cast aside.
- Your flesh, that part of you which wars with
God, which seeks to accomplish what God wants in your life with worldly
methods, cannot be trusted. In your heart, set it aside!
- In fact, that is the point for us. We are not
called to be physically circumcised, but to be circumcised in our hearts!
Listen to Paul's words in Romans 2 and
again Philippians 3.
• Romans
2:28,29 : "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision
that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of
the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but
from God."
• Philippians
3:3 : "For we
are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have no confidence in the flesh,"
- That day, when the men were circumcised, when
their act of obedience proved their desire to be fully God's, the Lord dealt
with a long legacy that had plagued the people of Israel.
- The reproach of Egypt was their past. They
had come out of Egypt, but Egypt had not come out of them!
- It was their shame to be a race of people who
had been nothing, been freed and then to have been consumed by their
unwillingness to trust the Lord to bring His promise to pass. Tragic!
- But that memory did not have to haunt these
children! They did not have to be their parents. They were not saddled with a
reputation like this! Their shame was gone.
- It's akin to when you and I come to Christ,
allowing His Holy Spirit to fill us, that our past is also washed away and we
are new creations in Christ Jesus, the old having passed away!
- Their past is rolled away in Gilgal, a town
whose name means "turning" or "wheel." Yours is washed away
at the Cross of Jesus Christ!
II. Commemoration (v.10-12)
• Joshua
5:10-12 : "Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover
on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the
land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the
very same day. Then
the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and
the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land
of Canaan that year." : The 10th was when the
people selected the Passover lamb and inspected it for 4 days.
- They were to look for birth defects and
blemishes or injuries that had been sustained in life from various sources. It
was then on the 14th that the spotless lamb was consumed.
- Jesus Christ was taken into the court of the
High Priest and examined. They found nothing in His nature and nothing in His
life that they could accuse Him of.
- They made up charges and slayed the only
innocent man that has ever lived, that we might put our trust in the shedding
of His blood for the remission of our sins! He is our Passover Lamb!
- Jesus was dying at the same time that the
passover lambs were being slain in Jerusalem!
- Here they are, commemorating this event on
the plains of Jordan! Here is God's moment of irony, where the supposed victims
are living in the promise of what their parents experienced!
- Why now? The needed to remember that God had
won a greater victory in their past! As they stared at the walls of Jericho,
they needed their faith built up and our faith is built on what He's done!
- As they finished the meal, the manna from
heaven stopped coming down, a provision that God made for them for 40 years
without fail.
- Here is God's faithfulness to the people of
Israel and a lesson for you and I. God is so patient and kind, that even in the
midst of their unbelief and their rebellion, God fed them faithfully!
- He never changes, though you may find that He
begins to provide through other sources! How much more on this side of the
Cross of Jesus Christ, can we depend upon His goodness!
- How much more faithful will He be to those
who have been purchased by His very blood!
III. Confidence (v.13-15)
•
Joshua 5:13,14a : "And it came to pass, when Joshua
was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood
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?' So He said, 'No, but as Commander of
the army of the Lord I have now come.'" : First
things have been taken care of first. There has been consecration and a commemoration
of their deliverance. Now, there is confidence!
-
Joshua was alone standing by Jericho. This is what is next. This is what lays
directly in front of him. He had given it thought before and had even sent 2
spies into Jericho.
-
Now, there is nothing left to do, but to face the reality that the must conquer
this city.
-
One can only imagine what was going on. What was he doing? The man was in deep
prayer. At one point, he will lift his eyes and see something, but he's seeking
the Lord!
-
We're not told what happened, but maybe there was a little doubt. Maybe there
was even a note of desperation in his voice. "Lord, we need the
plan!"
-
Before you chide him with, "But God just dried up the Jordan for
you!" remember this: A dozen wonderful works of God may be behind, but the
trouble before will always require faith!
-
When Joshua stood there for some time, a man appeared opposite of him with a
sword in His hand! That's disconcerting!
-
He had been asking for help to believe and help to carry out his mission.
Before he even lifts his eyes, the answer stands before him!
-
Sometimes our prayers take time. Sometimes they are immediate! Joshua needed it
right then and God did not fail Him, though like us, Joshua was unsure of what
was happening.
-
"Are you on our team or theirs?" It went from surprise to fear to
confusion to elation when the Man answered and said that he was not only on his
team, but was in fact the Commander!
-
Joshua, here comes your help! Not in the form of a problem solved, but in the
form of a person present! The very Commander of the army of the Lord!
-
This does not refer to the children of Israel, but an angelic host that God has
at His command! It would be good for you to study the accounts of the work of
angels throughout scripture.
-
Truly, God does not need human beings to perform his work, but He uses us
because we can bring Him the most glory! If an angel does the work, where's the
glory in that?
-
But in this very moment, God is opening the eyes of Joshua and letting Him see
that the Commander of the Lord's Army has brought a legion of angels.
-
Elisha the prophet prophecied so accurately about the King Of Syria, that the
King sent the whole army to bring him in. The Syrians surrounded the city, a
vision that terrifed his assistant.
•
II Kings 6:15-17 : "And when the servant of the man of
God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with
horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, 'Alas, my master! What shall we
do?' So he
answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are
with them.' And Elisha prayed, and said, 'Lord, I pray, open his eyes
that he may see.' Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold,
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
-
How much confidence did Joshua have at this point? The army of Angels was
encamped around him! He was able to see the presence of God's commander!
•
Joshua 5:14b-15 : "And Joshua fell on his face to the
earth and worshiped, and said to Him, 'What does my Lord say to His servant?' Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua,
'Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.' And
Joshua did so." : Immediately, this was a
greater person than simply a Man or an Angel. Joshua fell prostrate before Him
and worshiped Him.
-
Angels are very awesome creatures. When they are encountered, one's natural response
is to bow themselves. This happened to the Apostle John twice in Revelation 19 & 22.
-
Both times the angel in question refuses worship. Why? Because worship is only
appropriate when it's God who is receiving it!
-
Notice that this Commander does not rebuke Joshua's worship. Joshua was ready
to be commanded. He was happy to defer to Him. He was the Lord and Joshua, the
servant!
-
What was His first command? Take of your sandals because of the Holiness of the
ground before you! These are virtually the same words that Moses heard from the
burning bush!
-
Who is this person? Consider the clues. He receives worship. He commands Joshua
to defer to His authority. He says the same words as God Himself.
-
This is Jesus Christ in pre-incarnate form! Joshua is visited by the greater
Joshua, who will lead the army into battle and win it for them, just as He
would do for us centuries later!
-
He would come and lead a victory parade over sin and death and the former
captives will now be His people! That is our confidence as much if not more
than Joshua experienced!
Conclusion
- God's people were set apart in their bodies and in their hearts to God,
trusting entirely in Him, surrendering their trust in their flesh. May we remember
where our strength comes from!
- God's people took time to reflect, to
commemorate His victory in their past, knowing that only His continued victory
would drive them forward.
- And Joshua was given the confidence that you
and I need so desperately. We are not alone in living this Christian life, as
Jesus Christ tells us that He will neither leave or forsake us!
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