Shortly after the events recorded in Deuteronomy, Joshua led the Israelites in a miraculous crossing of the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. It was a time for covenant renewal. (It is interesting that one fragment of the book of Joshua found in the Dead Sea Scrolls places the material from Joshua 8:30-35 about the covenant renewal ceremony in between verses 5:1 and 5:2.)
The reader is surprised to learn that the younger generation of male Israelites, the ones born in the wilderness, had never been circumcised (5:2-9). With Passover days away, a mass circumcision was carried out. While the Israelites recovered at their camp at Gilgal, the Canaanites fearfully wondered what the invaders would do next.
We are not told why the younger generation of males had not been circumcised already. One possibility is that conditions in the wilderness weren't conducive to carrying out and recovering from the rite. Perhaps God declared a moratorium on circumcisions after the Passover celebration held during the second year of the Exodus (Num 9).
Another possibility is that this was another area in which the older generation had been negligent. In this scenario, their lack of attention to the sign of the covenant typified the apostasy of that generation.
When the circumcisions were complete, God told Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you" (verse 9). What was the "reproach of Egypt."? I have heard several explanations:
- the judgment on the older generation that left Egypt (Richard Hess).
- the taunting that Israelites presumably received from Egyptians during the wilderness years (David Howard).
- the shame of slavery. Now Israel finally had a land to call home (Gordon McConville).
At this point the gift of manna to the Israelites ceased (vv 10-12). The manna was a foretaste of the land, a promise that they were going to inherit it, and now they had arrived.
Verses 13-15 record Joshua's encounter with an angelic figure, the "commander of the Lord's army." The commander made it clear to Joshua that God didn't play favorites. He would be on their side if they were on God's side.
The appearance of the commander was a reminder that the Israelite army faced the important task of conquering the land. The first target was the military outpost at Jericho, strategically located at the intersection of some major roads.
Joshua 6:1 reports that "Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in." The soldiers there feared the Israelites but were not surrendering. Jericho's being "shut up" symbolized its resistance to the truth.
Israel's conquest of Jericho was not a normal military operation. It was instead a solemn religious ceremony. The outcome of the battle was determined in advance.
Rahab and those with her escaped and joined the Israelites, and Joshua 6 says almost as much about their rescue as about the destruction of the fort. Rahab's example illustrates the fact that the inhabitants of Jericho had one last opportunity to repent during the seven days that Israel's army circled its walls.
At Church of the Messiah Rob Wilson gave a sermon on Passover on April 1. On April 8, Kyle Kettering spoke on how the bitter herbs of the Passover Seder point to Jesus.
