Forgiveness and Feasting (Joshua 5:9-12)
RJ had the misfortune of being born three weeks premature to first-time parents. The only problem he encountered from being premature was that his sucking reflex had not fully developed, and he couldn’t eat. The issue became quite serious, and physicians considered transporting him to a children’s hospital. But after a tube was inserted into his stomach through his nose, RJ started to eat.
Tammy and I, having had a scare in the hospital and being first-time parents, were extremely careful with our baby when we got him home. Fortunately, Tammy’s parents were staying with us, and they were kinda teaching us how to care for a newborn.
About a week after we got RJ home, Tammy or I one was feeding RJ—I honestly forget which one of us it was—and RJ stopped breathing, his head rolled back, and he became very lethargic. We yelled for Tammy’s parents, and they rushed the three of us to the emergency room.
We weren’t at the hospital all that long. The pediatrician came in, looked RJ over, and started laughing at the two new parents. Turns out that nothing was wrong with RJ—he was simply eating too much!
I know none of you ever eat too much. When Thanksgiving and Christmas roll around, you carefully watch your calories and only eat healthy food the whole season. When we have a church potluck, you only eat the smallest amounts of what other people have brought. Not a single one of you has a sweet tooth and enjoys ice cream or snack cakes or cookies. And I know no one enjoys a good salty snack—chips or pretzels.
The Israelites feasted big when they arrived in Canaan. I don’t know if they ate too much, but I know they celebrated the Passover feast for the first time in the Promised Land. There isn’t much of a description in Joshua 5:9-12; instead, we simply have a straightforward telling of a few facts.
However, this text shows how God blesses his obedient children, and I want you to understand this truth from the scriptures: “God blesses his obedient children.”
Scripture (Joshua 5:9-12)
verse 9:
Yahweh told Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Scholars debate what God meant by “the reproach of Egypt,” and it seems best to me to let the context decide.
As unbelievable as it might sound, none of the Israelites born in the wilderness had been circumcised (Josh 5:5). Therefore, God told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time” (Josh 5:2). After they were circumcised, the Israelites “remained in their places in the camp until they were healed” (Josh 5:8). It’s during the period of convalescence following the mass circumcision that Yahweh said that he had rolled away “the reproach of Egypt.”
The failure of the Israelites to circumcise their sons on the eighth day is emblematic of how sinful they were. As we discussed last week, they built a golden calf and committed sexual immorality and grumbled and put the Lord to the test. When the new generation was circumcised, they entered into a covenant with God and all that sin was removed.
The Israelites named the place where they were Gilgal. In Hebrew, Gilgal sounds like “to roll.”
verse 10:
For the first time in the Promised Land, the Israelites kept the Passover on the appointed day.
verses 11-12:
After celebrating the Passover, the Israelites “ate of the produce of the land.” Unleavened bread, required during the Passover, took some time to make, and roasted or parched grain sometimes served as a substitute.
As the people ate the produce of the land of Canaan, God stopped sending manna. Why? Because the divine promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been fulfilled—the people of Israel were now in the Promised Land and could enjoy that land flowing with milk and honey. God was blessing his people.
Application
Why did God roll away the reproach of Egypt and bless his people with the produce of the land? You might say, “Well, Justin, he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give them that land.” You’ll get no argument from me, but not every Israelite generation enjoyed that promise.
Remember that there’s been an entire generation die in the wilderness because of their disobedience, but this new generation submits to the painful act of circumcision and celebrates the Passover in the prescribed way. It is no stretch to say that God was blessing his people for their obedience. “God blesses his obedient children.”
What steps do you need to take because “God blesses his obedient children?”
One: Circumcision
To enjoy divine blessings, the Israelites had to endure the painful procedure of Circumcision. The Israelites were sore for several days after that procedure: “When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed” (Josh 5:8). Submitting to circumcision would have required a lot of commitment.
To be a Christian, you must submit to Circumcision: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col 2:11-12). Your Circumcision isn’t the cutting away of skin but it is the cutting away of sin.
How much sin have you removed from your life? Are there sins you return to over and over again? Are there habits contrary to Scripture that you keep? What do you need to cut away from your life?
Two: Consumption
The Israelites gathered for a Consumption of the Passover meal, and they continued a Consumption of the fruit of the land.
You have a weekly Consumption at the Lord’s Supper. As they partook of the Passover, the Israelites were to remember their divine rescue from Egyptian bondage: “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast” (Ex 12:14). When God instituted the Feast of Unleavened Bread, he told his people, “You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt’” (Ex 13:8).
The Consumption at the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to what God did for us when we came out of sin. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk 22:19).
During your Consumption, you remember your deliverance from sin. You remember that Jesus begged his Father to find another way to save you. You remember that Jesus was betrayed by one of his closest friends. You remember that Jesus was beaten senselessly. You remember the nails through his hands and feet. You remember his agony as he hung suspended between heaven and earth. You remember his compassion and his love. And you remember it was because of your sins! Where is your mind when you consume the Lord’s Supper?
Three: Consummation
Joshua 5 is a special text, for it is the Consummation of the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For the first time, the people “ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan” (Josh 5:12). No more manna. No more wandering. Home!
God has a great Consummation coming for you, too: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:3-4).
At the Consummation of God’s promises, you will be home—no more tears, no more death, no more struggle, no more temptation, no more sin. God promised the patriarchs a land flowing with milk and honey, but your promise flows with eternal life and eternal fellowship with God himself. What a Consummation that will be!
Are you ready for the Consummation of all things in Christ?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.