Preparing An Army

Day one hundred sixty-seven

I woke up this morning congested and with a sore throat, ugh!  I think it's too many late nights and early mornings!  I can't get sick, I have way too much to do!  So this morning I prayed that the Lord would please bless my body with health and energy.  And that I would be a better listener to the Spirit's promptings when I am told to rest!

Joshua 5:1-13

Verse 1 tells us that when the kings and people in Canaan heard of the powerful manner in which the Lord brought His children through the Jordan they were totally demoralized by these events. Basically, they had given up hope of winning a war with the Israelites and were resigned to their fate.  This would appear to be the perfect time for Joshua to lead the people forward into the attack. However, instead of commanding His people to go forward into the battle, God commands them to remain at Gilgal and to do several things that, on the surface, appear very strange. It even appears that the things they are required to do puts them at risk before their enemies.  Why would God do that?

While the ways of the Lord may appear strange to us, the scriptures remind us that the ways of the Lord are not our ways (Isa. 55:8-9). Where we might jump in and attack, the Lord takes His time and does things on His schedule. Although the Lord's requests may appear strange against the backdrop of impending battle, the truth of the matter is, God is simply preparing His army to fight.

Preparing His Army - Step One - Renewing the Covenant
Israel appeared ready for the battle. They possessed a large army and they faced an enemy that was terrified at their presence. However, God knew that they would never be ready to fight and win the battle until the proper spiritual preparations had been made.

God has the Israelites do something that seems odd when preparing for a battle, He commands Joshua to have all the men circumcised (Josh 5:2-7).  How does circumcision prepare the Israelites spiritually?  It was their opportunity to renew the covenant that had been made with the Lord in the past. They must renew the covenant with the Lord if they wanted His blessings on them and if they wanted to be guaranteed the victory.

To the Israelites, circumcision was a reminder that they were a "marked people." They were to never forget that they were the servants of the living God and that they were under obligation to obey Him in all things. Circumcision was to be the outward reminder of an inward work of faith (Gen 17:10-11; Deut. 10:16).

Although circumcision is not a requirement to make covenants with God today, there is a lesson for us in these verses: Just as Israel was required to remove from their bodies a piece of flesh as a sign that they were a part of the covenant, so too, we must remove from our lives anything that stands between us and our relationship with the Lord. The Lord gives us examples of the things we need to remove from our lives in a sort of spiritual surgery:

"...fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col 3:5)

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth." (Col 3:8)

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."(2 Cor. 6:17)

The circumcision the Israelites subjected themselves to was painful and required time to heal or become whole.  Our spiritual surgery can be a painful process too and indeed takes time to heal from. But the absence of these things in our lives is one way that we can show the world that we are a "marked people" of the Lord.  We are part of His army that He is preparing for victory in our day.  The question of the day is:  What do I need to get rid of in my life so that I can be closer to God?  I see the chance for a lot of pondering going on today!