Joshua 5: The Second Generation Circumcised
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. 2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.”
"The terror which, as Rahab had told the spies, had already seized them was greatly increased by the news of the marvellous passage of the Jordan. Wyclif renders it, 'the herte of hem is discomfortid, and abood not in hem spiryte of hem.'" (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
"Israel had crossed the Jordan. They were now encamped between the river and the city of Jericho, whose high walls loomed before them. At the command of Joshua they were to go up against not only this city, but all the cities and nations that occupied the land of Canaan. In the strength of Jehovah, as they relied upon Him, they would be able to overcome these mighty foes—foes which speak to us of those wicked spirits in heavenly places who would seek to keep us from our enjoyment of our privileges in Christ. But before attacking the enemy God called upon His people to use sharp knives upon their own flesh. The sharp knife speaks of self-judgment. Before a believer is fit to enter into combat with his spiritual enemies he needs to use this knife of self-judgment, which is the Word of God, in living power upon his own heart and life." (H. A. Ironside)
"Make thee sharp knives... Or, as in margin, knives of flint. 'Stonen knyues,' Wyclif. In Exodus 4:25 we read that Zipporah, the wife of Moses, took a 'sharp stone,' or 'knife of flint,' and circumcised her son. Joshua followed the custom of antiquity on this occasion..." (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) And circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time. The is not a re-circumcision of the same men, but rather of their sons. The first sons of Israel— the warriors— had died in the wilderness from disbelief. "The sentence upon the fathers, that their bodies should fall in the desert, was unquestionably a rejection of them on the part of God, an abrogation of the covenant with them. This punishment was also to be borne by their sons; and hence the reason why those who were born in the desert by the way were not circumcised." (Keil and Delitzsch Commentary)
3 So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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.’” 7 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.
Circumcision was the outward sign of an inward condition. The real circumcision that Yahweh desires for the sons of Israel, as well as the daughters, is the circumcision of theirs hearts with faith. “The first mass circumcision of the Israelites evidently took place in Egypt before the first Passover and the Exodus.” (Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable)
And they were not circumcised along the way, because the children were bearing the iniquity of their fathers (Numbers 14:33) who had no regard for the rite, though it was commanded by Moses
NOTE: "Had Joshua acted on the principles common to all other generals, when invading an enemy’s country, he would either have prosecuted his advantages instantly, while his enemies were filled with terror, and crushed them before they had time to prepare for their defence; or he would have fortified his own camp to prevent surprise, and to be in constant readiness for any emergency that might arise. But instead of adopting any military plans whatever, the very day after he had invaded the country, without waiting to know what effect the invasion would have, he appoints nearly every male in the congregation to be circumcised! Thus by one act disabling the greater part of his whole army from even standing in their own defence! What but a principle of the most triumphant faith could have brought them to submit to such an injunction as this?" (Bush)
“Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) “God had guaranteed Joshua’s success only as he kept the Mosaic Law (Joshua 1:7). It was necessary therefore that all the males who had been born in the wilderness and had not undergone circumcision should do so. Circumcision brought the individual male under the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 17). It was also a prerequisite for partaking in the Passover that God required of all Israelites yearly (Exodus 12). Like the stones just set up, circumcision was also a memorial.” (Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable)
8 So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. 9 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.
"This command was carried out at once and the reproach of Egypt was rolled away. Therefore the place was called Gilgal, which means ‘rolling.’….”(Arno Gaebelein)
10 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. 11 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. 12 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.
"Before we can serve God's high purposes in the world, we must be separated from sin. The old nature must be denied and put away, and the new nature, which is holy, harmless and separate from sin, must become ours. Nothing but death can meet the case, Colossians 2:11; 2 Corinthians 7:1. The circumcised soul alone may eat of the Passover, which is Christ. We need to feed on Him, keeping the daily feast with joy, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; John 6:51; John 6:54." (F. B. Meyer) “Then the manna ceased and they ate the old corn of the land. Both foods are typical of Christ, the food God has given to His people. The manna is the type of Christ, on earth, in humiliation. The old corn is Christ in Glory. May we constantly feed on both..." (Arno Gaebelein) in Holy Communion, as well as private prayer and Bible study, until He comes again.
Joshua 5: The Commander of the Army of Jehovah
13 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?” 14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” 15 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.
"The time of the vision... It was immediately after God had been publicly honoured and sought in His ordinances. Christian, wouldst thou see Jesus? Then consecrate thyself anew to the service of thy God, and seek Him in the employment of the means of grace. Especially exercise faith in the Lamb of God, and feed upon the paschal sacrifice in thy heart by faith. Honour thy God by thy devotion, and He shall honour thee by revelations of His glory and His grace."(G. W. Butler, M. A.)
"The hour, thought of for forty years, had now arrived.” (W. J. Chapman)
And behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand... "Now this person is not a created angel, but the son of God, who went along with the Israelites in this expedition, as their chief and captain. And this appears, 1. By his acceptance of adoration here, which a created angel durst not admit of, Revelation 22:8,9. 2. Because the place was made holy by his presence, Joshua 5:15, which was God's prerogative, Exodus 3:5. 3. Because he is called the Lord, Heb. Jehovah, Joshua 6:2." (John Wesley)
"Captain of the Lord’s Host. Not only in type do we see Christ in the Book of Joshua. There came a day when the Lord Himself shone through in all His glory. 'And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him, with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua said, 'Art Thou for us, or for our adversaries?' He queried whether his mysterious Guest had come as an ally or as an enemy; but the Lord said: 'Nay, but as Captain of the Host of the Lord am I now come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto Him, 'What saith my Lord unto His servant?' And the Captain of the Lord’s Host said unto Joshua, 'Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy.' And Joshua did so…. And the Lord said unto Joshua, 'See, I have given into thy hand Jericho.' The Burning Bush was a picture of the Incarnation, but how much more vivid was this foreshadowing in the form of a man. God says, 'I have given Him for a Leader and Commander to the people.' Ofttimes today some servant of the Lord is hard pressed with responsibility at the thought of some great undertaking, when if he would but lift up his eyes and look he would see One mighty to save, who has come to take entire control." (Christ in All the Scriptures - Joshua - A M Hodgkin)
"The Lord came to be alone with Joshua... To Abram, a wanderer, He appeared as a wayfarer; to Jacob, distressed at the prospect of a conflict with his brother, He appeared as a wrestler who allowed himself to be overcome; and now, to the warrior, He showed Himself as a warrior. This teaches that there is no condition of life in which we shall not find the Lord Jesus in full sympathy with His people." (W. J. Chapman, M. A.)
"Our leader inspires confidence. He has never been defeated. In one of the Napoleonic battles on the Peninsula a corps of British troops were sorely pressed and began to waver. Just then the Duke of Wellington rode in among them. A veteran soldier cried out, 'Here comes the Duke, God bless him! the sight of him is worth a whole brigade.' So to the equipped warrior, under the ensign of the Cross, a sight of Jesus, our Leader, is a new inspiration." (T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)
"Constantine, with his young, enthusiastic heart, was setting out on his war campaigns, when, they tell us, the appearance of the sky arrested his attention. As the eyes of the conqueror looked up into the heavens, behold, there seemed shaped to his vision a cross of fire, and beneath it, in letters of flame, were inscribed the Latin words, 'In hoc signo vinces' ('In this sign thou wilt conquer'). It may have been a dream--it very likely was; but oh, there is truth in it! If you can see the Cross, you have got the vision that ennobles and enlivens, and brings conquering power to you in this life. 'Where there is no vision, the people perish'; but when there is a vision--the vision of Calvary, the vision of the Lord Jesus--there is life, there is joy, there is peace, there is blessing." (J. Robertson.)
“'As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.' What a relief this must have been for Joshua. Perhaps he thought himself the captain; but now the responsibility was taken from him; he was to be the lieutenant, but the King Himself would marshal His hosts. Wherever Christ is, we must recollect that He is Commander-in-chief to us all. We must never tolerate in the Church any great man to domineer over us: we must have no one to be Lord and Master save Jesus. Down with thee, self, down with thee! Carnal judgment and foolish reason, lie still! Let the Word of God be paramount within the soul, all opposition being hushed. If we do not act with the Captain, disappointment will be sure to follow. One action brought defeat upon Israel." (C. H. Spurgeon)
"The special significance of this vision to Joshua. 'The Lord’s host' does not primarily allude to those Israelite armies encamped beside the overflowing waters of the Jordan, but to other and invisible hosts encamped all around on those heights, though no ear ever heard the call of the sentries at their posts of duty, or saw the sheen of their swords flashing in the sunlight, or beheld their marshalled ranks. Those troops of harnessed angels were the hosts of which this wondrous Warrior was captain. The story of the conquest of Canaan is not simply the account of battles fought between Israel and the Canaanites, but of the results of a conflict yet more mysterious and far-reaching between the bright squadrons that follow the lead of the captain of the Lord’s host, and the dark battalions of evil entrenched in the hearts and strongholds of the enemies of God. Is it, therefore, any cause for wonder that the walls of Jericho fell down; or that vast armies were scattered without a blow being struck; or that the land was subdued in a seven years’ campaign? These achievements were the earthly and visible results of victories won in the heavenly and spiritual sphere by armies which follow the Word of God upon ‘white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. Those walls fell down because smitten by the impact of celestial hosts. Those armies fled because the dark powers with which they were in league had been put to the rout before the Lord God of Sabaoth." (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
If we are likewise consecrated to God and His Kingdom-- in obtaining Heaven and bringing as many people with us as possible, Jesus commands His angels to help us, yea He fights for us.