THE COVENANT AND CIRCUMCISION

Pastor Jerry Rockwell

THE COVENANT AND CIRCUMCISION

 

Joshua 5:1-15

Introduction: The people have crossed over the River Jordan and settled in the place designated, Gilgal. This is an important and strategic place. The word means “rolled away.” Arno Gaebelein observes: “Now Gilgal is the first place mentioned. It typifies the place of resurrection for us, and Gilgal is also the place of self-judgment—circumcision (Col. 2:11).” This will be examined later. There are some important spiritual lessons to be found in this book that carries the Old Testament name for Jesus, “Joshua.” God is going to demonstrate to the people (and us) an important principle. Victory comes for the believer when they know that God is leading them and will go before them. The “ark of the covenant” has taken the place of the “cloud” which was the presence of God in their midst, leading them (Exod. 13:21). God had chosen Moses to be the human leader for the people. That was changed with the death of Moses and the commissioning of Joshua to take his place. One writer points out the significance of this when he said, “The leadership of the people of Israel by “the ark of the covenant and the priesthood,” under Joshua, when the time came for them to cross over Jordan into Canaan, form the magnificent forefront of this book.”

  1. THE PROBLEM OF FEAR FACING THE AMORITES AND CANAANITES, Joshua 5:1. Compare Joshua 2:8-11 where Rahab conveyed to the two spies sent by Joshua how the people of Jericho were fearful because of the information of what took place when Israel crossed the Red Sea (Josh. 2:10). They mention drying up the Red Sea (Josh. 2:10), how Israel defeated the “two kings of the Amorites. . .Sihon and Og” (Josh. 2:10), and how God dried up the “waters of Jordan” (Josh. 5:1). Note the statement in Joshua 5:1, “. . .that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.” The people of Jericho, and probably the surrounding area, were emotionally defeated, for sure. Military experts suggest that an army that is confident develops strength. These people are at the low be of their desire to engage in combat with Israel. That will be demonstrated when Jericho is not attacked but given a demonstration of Israel’s people and army. One commentator observes, “. . .the morale of the people of Canaan had utterly collapsed in the face of one old and two recent news items that had spread through the land.” 
  2. THE PURPOSE OF CIRCUMCISION FOR THE PEOPLE, Genesis 6, 9, 17. The people of the land are filled with terror about the army of the people of Israel. Any good army leader would want to attack immediately with the enemy defeated emotionally, there would be little fight in them. Joshua is given instructions by God to do just the opposite. God told him in Joshua 5:2, “Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.” Joshua did not object, but followed the instruction from God in Joshua 5:3 (KJV), And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. To understand this event, it would be helpful to explore why God initiated circumcision in the first place. 
  1. God’s Covenants with Man. The first time God made a covenant in the Bible is in Genesis 6. This is the covenant God made with Noah and his family. Some see the relationship God had with Adam as covenant-oriented, although the word “covenant” is not used. These were expectations a man would have with God. God made a covenant with Noah in Genesis 6:18, which involved Noah’s family and the animals God brought into the Ark (Gen. 7:7-10). After the flood, God made a covenant with the earth and all the creatures, including man, in Genesis 9:8-17, which included a “token” to signify the covenant, which was a “bow” (Gen. 9:1`3-17). 
  2. God’s Covenant with Abram (Abraham). The following covenant God made with man was the one that relates to our text in Joshua 5. That is the “covenant” with Abraham to verify the promise that God would make Abraham a “great nation” (Gen. 12:2), and a “father of many nations” (Gen. 17:4). God then informed that the “token” (Gen. 17:11) would be “circumcision” (Gen. 17:9-14). This was a critical “covenant” that became an identifying mark of the descendants of Abraham, namely the people of Israel, the Jews. Failure to be circumcised had serious consequences according to Genesis 17:14 (KJV) And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. It is worth noting that “circumcision” came before the Law of Moses. Jesus, disputing with the Jews at the “Feast of the Tabernacles,” told the Jews who were challenging Him in John 7:22 (KJV) Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. Circumcision was an act God saw as an initiation of a personal relationship with Him.
  3. God’s “New” Covenant with Israel (the nation), Jeremiah 31:31-36; Hebrews 8:8-13. This is a crucial covenant and is undoubtedly in the future. Note in Jeremiah 31:31 where the prophet is quoting the Lord and says, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.” This “new covenant” is with the “house of Israel,” which is speaking of the people called the Jews, the people of Israel, the nation. As noted, this covenant is repeated in Hebrews 8. This record of the “new covenant” is not made with the church, the body of Christ, the elect, it is made “. . .with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Heb. 8:8). God has never made a covenant with the church, the “bride of Christ,” or “body of Christ.” The reason is the church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:12). The church is part of the “new testament.” Look at Hebrews 9:15 (KJV) And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. [Emphasis added.] The current period of history has the “church,” the “body of Christ” as the propagator of the message of salvation in Christ and we are in the New Testament vs. the Old Testament. That is why Jesus is called the “mediator of the new testament.” Look at these verses together: Hebrews 9:15-17 (KJV) 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. With the covenants God made with the people of the Old Testament, He always had a token or some visual to verify it, such as circumcision. That was a “token” of the people of Israel which set them apart from the rest of humanity. 
  1. PREDICAMENT OF ISRAEL’S FAILURE TO OBSERVE CIRCUMCISION IN THE WILDERNESS JOURNEY, Joshua 5:2-9. Circumcision, as stated above, had some serious consequences with God. These verses give a chronicle of what took place after crossing the River Jordan. Note: Joshua 5:2 (KJV) At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. Some of the commentators suggest that the people were ready to go to battle. After all it says in Joshua 4:12-13 that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh “passed over armed before the children of Israel (Josh. 4:12-13). These two and a half tribes wanted to inherit land on the east side of the Jordan River, since it was valuable for grazing cattle (Num. 32:1-6, 16-19). Yet, they committed to helping the other tribes in the battle. The Egyptians did not like the Jews.
  1. Circumcision the Second Time, Joshua 5:2. Why would God instruct Joshua to circumcise the “children of Israel the second time” (Josh. 5:2)? God had made the provision that any boy born who was not circumcised would be “cut off from his people” (Gen. 17:14). Abraham circumcised every man and boy in his household. From that time until the people left Egypt, every male child was circumcised. The problem is stated in Joshua 5:5 (KJV) Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. This had been forty years without any male children being circumcised. God not judging these young men is an expression of “grace” toward the people, since there were no circumcisions while in the wilderness. The male children were not cast out. 
  2. Causing Judgment by Disobedience, Joshua 5:6. Looking at this verse, God emphasizes the fact that the men who came out of Egypt did not obey the voice of the Lord. This took place at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, when the twelve spies returned from going through the land they were to inherit. Ten of the men gave an “evil report” (Num. 13:32). Joshua and Caleb gave a “good” report and encouraged the people to go in and take the land God had given them. The result was the rejection to go into the land and God then gave a judgment on the people. The negative report brought about an attempt to return to Egypt (Num. 14:3-4). God told Moses and Aaron in Numbers 14:27 (KJV) How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. God’s judgment was that none of the people 20 years old and upward would enter the land and would die in the wilderness. The “forty years” judgment is stated in Numbers 14:33-34 (KJV) 33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 
  3. Commitment Which Brings Removal of Reproach, Joshua 5:7-9. The two verses, 7-8, give an account of the process of “circumcision.” The people’s obedience brings about good results and the blessing of God. Some of these people being circumcised were not infants, eight days old. In fact, most of them were nearly 40 years old. This was a significant event that many overlook, thinking that God was just causing them to act on the covenant made with Abraham. It should be noted the place this took place, Gilgal. As you read through Joshua, you find the fighting men of Israel returning to Gilgal. This was their base of operations. The text of Joshua reveals the people of Israel “encamped in Gilgal” (Josh. 5:10), and Joshua made Gilgal his headquarters (Josh. 9:6; 10:6, 7, 43; 14:6). Several things occurred at Gilgal as will be seen in our study. The word “Gilgal” has an interesting meaning, One source indicates it means: “gālal means to roll some object on, upon, away, in, against, from, together, unto, or down.” The idea is “to roll” something to a location. Look at Joshua 5:9 (KJV) And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. The verse defines the word, which indicates that God “rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” There is little concurrence about the meaning of “the reproach of Egypt” (vs. 9). One matter of reproach could be the absence of circumcision. This was a significant act on behalf of the people with its application to be examined shortly. With circumcision being such a substantial part of being a Jew, there had to be some concern about the failure to practice it for 40 years. One other matter that could lend meaning to the “reproach of Egypt” is the treatment Israel suffered as slaves to the Egyptians. Yet, there seems to be something that could be overlooked. If the people were attuned to the Law of Moses and the requirements attached to their relationship with God, they could have felt reproach. The word by dictionary definition means “one’s disapproval of or disappointment in their actions.” The Egyptians wanted them to stay because they were an economic bonus of cheap labor. God took all of that away. 

APPLICATION: Many ask what does all of this have to do with Christians in the 21st Century? I am glad you asked that. There is a verse that states the application of “circumcision” to the believer, Christian, today. Look at Colossians 2:11 (KJV) In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Most Christians know nothing about circumcision. This verse defines the New Testament application of the Old Testament practice of circumcision. Note first of all, this is a circumcision “made without hands.” This verse is in a section of Colossians 2:9-15, that describes the process to bring every believer into a position of victory and a life of the blessing of God. Let’s follow the process: (1) “we are complete in him” [Christ], vs. 10; (2) “circumcision made without hands,” vs. 11a; “putting off the body of sins of the flesh” vs. 11b; “buried with him in baptism,” “risen with him through faith,” vs. 12; “dead in your sins,” “having forgiven you all trespasses,” vs. 13; “Blotting out the handwrighting of ordinances that was against us,” “nailing it to his cross,” vs. 14; “And having spoiled principalities and powers. . .triumphing over them in it,” vs. 15. 

To this point we can apply these events to what God wants to do in our lives. We cross the River Jordan, death & burial, come ashore alive, camp in Gilgal and the reproach is “rolled away” in spiritual circumcision. We are in a new “spiritual environment” of the “new land” and face the battles that will give us victory over “sin,” the “flesh,” and the “Devil.” Look at: Philippians 3:3 (KJV) For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. The flesh is one of the major detriments to having a “Spirit-filled life.” Note: Romans 6:3-6, 11 (KJV) 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. . . 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. THIS IS THE WAY TO SPIRITUAL VICTORY.