Joshua 5:1-15

5:1 | That the heart of the Amorite and Canaanite kings melted at the report of this miracle directly fulfilled God’s promise in 4:23. No spirit in them means simply that they feared the Israelites and had lost the will to fight.

5:2-9 | God places a premium on preparation (see the lives of Moses and Joseph), so even though the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, they were not ready to take Jericho. First, all the males had to be circumcised – a lapsed practice during their time in the wilderness. Circumcision was a physical sign of the nation’s covenant with God (Gen. 17:9-14), marking them as His people. It symbolized what God’s people were to do to their hearts (Deut. 10:16) and anticipated a time when God would circumcise the hearts of His people, enabling them to love Him (Deut. 30:6). This promised circumcision is accomplished for NT believers by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 2:29; Col. 2:11-12).

5:6 | A compliant heart is the ultimate condition for success.

5:9 | Gilgal sounds similar to the Hebrew verb for “roll.” After the men were circumcised, God promised to roll away the reproach of Egypt, vindicating the Israelites.

5:10 | A spirit of unity is the soul of victory. The Israelites also celebrated Passover before they went into battle – the thanksgiving festival commemorating the Israelite’s miraculous redemption from the bondage of Egypt. God wanted them to remember His manifested power in the past as they readied for the challenge of seizing the Promised Land.

5:11-12 | The ability to adapt to change is a true test of faith. God was altering His stewardship of His people and inaugurating a new means of food supply now that they were in the Promised Land. Rather than depending on Him for their daily portion of manna (Ex. 16:35), they would learn to trust Him through the natural provisions of the land.

5:13 | The Lord reveals His presence in a person’s life as the direct result of personal obedience to Him. Rather than running away when he saw a Man in his path with His sword drawn (Num. 22:23,31; 1 Chron. 21:16), Joshua confronted Him. Joshua had courage because he knew he was in the will of God, and in that place, there is no need to fear anyone or anything.

5:14-15 | The Man’s reply to Joshua’s question indicated that He did not choose sides; rather, He commanded the army of heaven, and Joshua should report to Him. Christians want to marshal God’s allegiance for their cause, when they should simply submit and follow wherever He leads. Once Joshua understood this, he fell on his face in worship.