Joshua 4:20-5:720And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 21And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? 22Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: 24That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever. 1And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. 2At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 3And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 4And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. 6For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not show them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. 7And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. (Joshua 4:20‑5:7)
After this Joshua took the twelve stones which the men had taken out of the bottom of Jordan, and pitched them in Gilgal. We have noticed before that Joshua is a type of Christ, and so we see in this that He has a center for His people. In the system of Jewish worship, which God gave, there was that which appealed to the flesh in man, but Gilgal is the place, as we shall see later, where the flesh is put in the place of judgment. Thus, when we have learned that we are dead and risen with Christ, the flesh no longer has a place. It is most important to see this, especially in connection with worship, for in the place where the Spirit of God gathers to Christ there must not be that which appeals to the flesh since true worship is only by the Spirit. This is clearly stated in Philippians 3:33For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3), and explains to us what took place here at Gilgal, the place of circumcision. It says, “We are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Although this is little understood by many dear Christians, it is an important truth, for only that worship which is produced by the Holy Spirit is acceptable to God. (John 4:23, 2423But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23‑24).)
It is wonderful to notice here that God, in all His greatness, while giving us such deep and precious truths, delights to think of the children of His people and the questions they might ask. Children like to find out things, and so the Lord told His people that they were to be prepared to explain to their children what these stones meant. Are we, dear Christian parents, prepared to explain these things to our children and i.e tell them why our homes and our meeting rooms are different from those that are so common around us? Have we brought the “stone from Jordan” into our homes and explained to our children all about it? Can we tell them why we meet as we do, giving them the Scriptural authority for it? May we be diligent in these things, both for the Lord’s glory as well as for the blessing of our children. How often the truths that have been so precious to us are not valued by our children, and, alas, too often it can be traced to neglect on our part, as parents. May we seek to walk, as well as talk, in the truth we have learned.
When the people of Canaan saw what the Lord had done for His people, and how He dried up the waters of Jordan fur them, they feared greatly. Whatever boasts the world may make, there is a fear underneath it all, because every man’s conscience tells him he is a sinner and that he has to meet God, and this makes him afraid. How wonderful to know that now we are saved, God is for us, and His perfect love casts out all fear.
When they encamped at Gilgal, the Lord told Joshua that the men of Israel must all be circumcised. This had never taken place in the wilderness, but if they were to possess Canaan, the reproach of Egypt must be rolled away (verse 9). Circumcision figures death to the flesh. In Egypt there was that which appealed to the flesh, and in the wilderness the flesh was tested, but the flesh must be put in the place of death, if we are to enjoy our heavenly portion which Canaan typifies. Another has said, “Every mark of the world is a reproach to him who is heavenly.”
ML 02/01/1953