Joshua 5 & 6: A New Beginning!

It must have been painful, especially when there was no such thing as anesthesia back then… Ouch! But the Jews did it… as God commanded them to. They circumcised themselves. With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, the older generation of Israelites had died in the wilderness. This was a new generation. And they had not been circumcised till now. YHWH was now giving them a chance to renew that covenant. It would serve as an outward sign that they agreed with God’s terms and conditions of the covenant. It became a symbol of being set apart for God, a promise that they would live like God’s people. And this was demonstrated in their unwavering obedience to God leading up to the conquest of Jericho as they marched round and round the city.

While the people were renewing their covenant promises, God was already beginning to fulfill His. As they celebrated the Passover, in remembrance of their salvation from Egypt, God finally rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them. No more slaves… no more homeless wanderers in the desert. The past is gone… the new is coming… For the first time in 40 years, they were eating of the produce of the land instead of manna. Oh what joy it must have been for the Israelites! The excitement and anticipation for what was to come… a new beginning! It’s all very close now…

The Israelites dared to make a promise to God through circumcision, the mark of the covenant. And the occasion was to be part of a new beginning in their relationship with YHWH. What about us? Have we stopped making promises to God? Do we need to renew some of the promises we’ve made?