Title: A New Beginning
Text: Josh 5:1-12

I think it is appropriate as we begin the new year to talk about new beginnings. The beginning of a new year always makes us want to start things over, do things differently, change our ways. Make resolutions about how things are going to be different in the coming year.

We have come to a time like that for the people Israel. A time of new beginnings. They have just crossed the Jordan into the land God promised. It's time for things to change to be different than at anytime in their history. A time to move forward, to put behind them the shame of the past and move ahead into the glory of the future. Their slavery has ended, their wandering is over, they are camped in a new land. A land described in Joshua as one flowing with milk and honey. It is a land of promise, and a land of hope.

That's what we look forward to in the new year, promise and hope. A promise of newer, brighter, better things and a hope for a rewarding future.

Chapter five begins with an affirmation of the miraculous. The kings beyond the Jordan, of the Amorites and the Canaanites become aware of God's miraculous intervention into the affairs of Israel in bringing them across the Jordan into Canaan. This is the same reaction Rahab told the spies the people had when they heard how God brought Israel out of Egypt.

This is important for us in understanding the supernatural nature of God's deliverance. God parted the Red Sea to provide the way for Israel out of bondage, now He had parted the waters of the Jordan to allow Israel into the land of promise.

We are all born into slavery to sin. That's the natural state of humans, no matter how cute and cuddly we are when we are born we are under the curse of sin. Paul explains in Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-" He goes further to explain how all sinned in verse 19 saying, "For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners," (NAS)

You can understand this a little more clearly by relating it to Israel's slavery in Egypt. We read in Genesis there was a famine, Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt and sent his sons down to buy grain. There they encountered Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery but who was now a high ranking official in the Pharaoh's government, and he convinced them to return home, get their father and all of the family come back to Egypt and dwell there. They were free. After the death of Joseph, however, they were made slaves. All those born after that time were born into slavery. In a similar way after Adam sinned all the following generations were then born into slavery to sin.

I know that's a somewhat simplistic explanation that doesn't take into account all the theological ins and outs of sin and salvation, but it gives basic idea of how Israel's deliverance from slavery pictures deliverance from sin.

We understand through Jesus' sacrificial, atoning death on the cross He paid the price of sin, He bore our sin. The sea was parted to allow our deliverance from the bondage of slavery to sin. In the same way through His resurrection the way was opened for our entrance into heaven, the land of eternal promise.

The deliverance of Israel and our deliverance from sin are both supernatural events. Neither could have been accomplished by man. Israel was unable to free herself from Egypt, she lacked the ability. We are unable to free ourselves from sin. In both cases we need a God who is above all, who is all powerful, all knowing, always present. What we can't do for ourselves, He is able, and willing to do for us to restore the relationship which was broken by sin.

At this time there is a renewal of the covenant obligations: circumcision, and the Passover. We read in verse 5, "For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised." Verse 6 indicates that this is specifically a reference to the wandering after the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, "For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, {that is,} the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey." (NAS)

Circumcision was an initiatory act symbolizing the relationship between God and His chosen people. It was instituted by God when He made covenant with Abraham. (Gen 17:10-11) The covenant relationship had been broken by the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, the failure to circumcise during the years of wandering was symbolic of that failed relationship. When the nation entered the land of promise it was time to renew that symbol of relationship.

The phrase a second time reflects the information provided in verse 4-5 that all those who had been circumcised when they left Egypt had died and the practice had been neglected in the wilderness so it was necessary to institute the ordinance again a second time.

There are two particular ideas involving the meaning of this circumcision presented in verses 8 and 9. The first from verse 8 is the idea of healing. The Hebrew word has a double sense here. The literal healing from the circumcision, but also the idea of spiritual healing as well. The renewal of circumcision marked a spiritual healing for the nation as it renewed the covenant relationship with God. It was similar to the symbolic nature of baptism in that it marked death to the old way of life, rebellion and unbelief and a resurrection to newness of life through the restored relationship with God.

The second idea comes from verse 9, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day." (NAS) The reproach of Egypt is a reference to the humiliation of slavery suffered by Israel in Egypt, the deliberate scorn and the mockery heaped on Israel by the Pharaohs and their taskmasters as well as the scorn which would have been directed at them by Egypt and other nations because of their wandering in the wilderness, concluding that their God had abandoned them. This is exactly what Moses had predicted Egypt would do in the event God punished Israel because of their sin.

In Num 14:13-16 Moses pleading for the people before God said, "Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Thy strength Thou didst bring up this people from their midst, 14 and they will tell {it} to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that Thou, O LORD, art in the midst of this people, for Thou, O LORD, art seen eye to eye, while Thy cloud stands over them; and Thou dost go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 'Now if Thou dost slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Thy fame will say, 16 'Because the LORD could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.'" (NAS)

Now as Israel was observing the first circumcision in a generation, God was effectively putting this reproach behind them. Israel was making a new start and no nation would be able to mock or ridicule them for God's seemingly abandonment.

Circumcision was also important because it was necessary to partake of the Passover. There is no record that the nation had observed Passover since they received the covenant at Mt. Sinai (Nu 9:1). The Passover was a celebration of deliverance instituted in Exodus chapter 12 it was a precursor of the Lord's death on the cross for our deliverance.

The men of Israel, now having been circumcised, Passover was again celebrated and in a sense the national existence of Israel was commenced by this solemn act of religious dedication.

This new relationship is further explained when Joshua tells us on the day after the Passover the people ate the produce of the land, unleavened bread and grain. For the first time they eat off the land this is a transition to a new land and a new diet. As they begin to eat the produce of the land another key element of transition is revealed, the manna stops.

There is in a sense the uniting of the old and the new; putting off of the old, the manna, taking up the new the nourishment of this new land. There is a bonding between the past and the future. The re-institution of the rite of circumcision and the celebration of the Passover feast is a time of re-consecration, or rededication to God.

As Christians we don't practice the religious rite of circumcision nor do we celebrate the Passover but these events in the life of Israel do relate to us. The physical act of circumcision was symbolic of something of far greater meaning and value.

In Phil 3: 3 the bible says, "for we are the {true} circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh," (NAS)

Col 2:11-14 says, "and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

And that night when Jesus celebrated in the upper room with His disciples what we call The Lord's supper. A memorial of what Jesus did on the cross for us and a looking ahead with hope to His coming again. Paul wrote in 1 Cor 11:26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." (NAS)

As we enter this new year we should take time to pause, as Israel did at Gilgal and ask some very basic questions. Have we neglected the things of God during the past year? Have we been wandering in the wilderness doing our own thing without the Lord? Sometimes we can become preoccupied with the things of our lives, jobs, school, family, health and in the process we lose sight of God. We didn't intend to, we didn't set out to lose sight of Him, but somewhere along the way we did, we've neglected our responsibility our obedience, our dedication, our Christian faith.

Now It's time to start anew, repent, recommit, rededicate, refocus our lives. A time to surrender all, to freely give ourselves to Him in love and trust and obedience to daily live in His presence. Are you willing to start this new year in total surrender, openly saying to the Lord, I surrender all? We invite you to make that commitment today.

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