JOSHUA - Chapter 5 - The Reproach Was Rolled Away
JOSHUA – CHAPTER 5
The Reproach Was Rolled Away
Tuesday Morning Bible Study – 6/12/16, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
I had this message tested in me today. The spirit of “scorn” came at me from the pages of my past. This “scorn” attacked me 40 years ago and again today because of my faith in Jesus Christ and belief that my heart as well as the heart of most Christians has been cleansed and is being cleansed of racial prejudice. If I had not been attacked today, I would not have had the passion or power to preach this message with authority.
The soul which has been saved and is being saved has been redeemed from prejudice. The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not choose whom it loves. There are at least ten kinds of prejudices:
- Racial
- Sexual
- Chronological
- Educational
- Financial
- Physical
- Denominational
- Ministerial
- Doctrinal.
God has done a beautiful work in the United States of America to cleanse our nation of racial prejudice---but we are seeing the spirit of anti-Christ raise its ugly head in our nation creating strife where there is no strife. Perhaps I am naïve and there are prejudices in cultures that do not affect my life. I admit I have disrespect for Islam; but when the Arab’s receive Jesus Christ, then I receive them as family. I also disrespect the Muslim Brotherhood and BalckLivesMatter; but again when they receive Jesus Christ, they also would become family.
Men in any generation who speak out against the strongholds of prejudice are going to get bruised.
Kelly Varner wrote, “How do you overcome racial prejudice? Just put a “g” in front of “race” and you get “grace”! Jesus is color-blind.
This spirit of “scorn” attacked me from a liberal, anti-Christian, ex family member. As all of you know, I have always been a conservative Christian. I have been persecuted and held in reproach by family and friends for my stand after I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. There are many of you here today who experienced the same reproach and “scorn” when you walked away from what was perceived as main stream Christianity.
One of the triggers of my breakdown (1984) which resulted in my breaking out (1988) was persecution and abuse due to “scorn” from my family as well as my church. The “scorn” and taunts of reproach were always directed toward my Christian stand, values and walk.
The attack yesterday was prejudice against my conservative values and a direct reproach on me as a minister of the Gospel. When I broke out into full time ministry and as an overcomer, the first devil I brought down was “scorn”. Scorn is a curse and every curse was broken at the Cross. I didn’t flinch today. With a sharp sword, I dealt with that spirit swiftly, intentionally without malice or offense.
We must hew Agag to pieces (1 Sam. 15) and destroy every prejudiced wall with the Word of the Lord.
In Joshua 5, the token or sign of the Abrahamic Covenant was circumcision. There must be the cutting away of the flesh on the 8th day (new beginnings).
I believe that every situation and experience that comes into my life is a message, revelation, or a demonstration by the Holy Spirit. There is a reason why that old devil of “scorn” and the taunt of reproach raised its ugly head at me today. I defeated that devil 30 years ago.
One of the things emphasized by John Mark Pool this weekend is that we are coming into a new day.
Before starting Chapter 5, I would like to consider Moses and Paul. Other than Jesus Himself, they were the two most powerful preachers in the entire Word of God! Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. Paul wrote over one-half of the New Testament. Moses was a great prophet. Paul was a great apostle. However, these preachers had an “issue.” In their immaturity, in the initial stages of their ministries both were killers!
Moses’ issue was natural slavery; in his own wisdom and strength he slew the Egyptian. Paul’s “issue” was spiritual slavery; in his religious fervor he massacred the early Christians.
God dealt with both leaders in the same way: He broke them in the solitude of the desert wilderness. There, by revelation, they learned the ways of the Lord. Moses acquired the lesson of patience and became the model for meekness. God took his man into the wilderness then used him to lead His nation into the same place of instruction for another 40 years. Paul, taught by the Lord Himself, became the pupil of true righteousness before he became the pattern and teacher of grace.”
5:1: “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 the children of Israel; until we passed over, their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.”
This reveals the fear of the enemy. The Amorites were mountain people apparently the greatest and most powerful of the Canaanites. Each nation was conquered by sovereign intervention except for Gibeon. At Gibeon, Joshua and Israel did not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.
5:2: “At that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make sharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.”
The cutting away of flesh was performed on the 8th day. New Testament circumcision is water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. It is the token sign, and seal of the New Covenant (Rom. 4; Gal. 3).
The sharp knives are flint knives. The words “again” and the “second time” reveal the restoration of circumcision (not repeated as an act on the person, but on the nation.)
5:3-6: “Joshua made sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 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. Now 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. 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 did not obey the voice of the Lord; to whom the Lord swear that He would not show them the land, which the Lord swear to their fathers that He would give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.”
Even though the old generation was circumcised, it was not a guarantee they would enter Canaan. The old order did not see the new land. The new generation of the present day that our Lord is taking into the Kingdom must learn the truth of circumcision (the initial cutting away of the flesh). You cannot enter the Promised Land apart from circumcision:
(1) Legally: Gal. 2: 13-14: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. That the blessings of Abraham come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” – The finished work of Jesus Christ put away sin.)
(2) Inwardly: Rom. 2: 28-29: “We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes of the Gentiles also. Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith.” The work of the Holy Spirit removes a stony heart.
(3) Practically: Rom. 6: 1-14: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Do you not know that so many of us, who were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we walk in newness of life…”
The Old Testament nation as well was exhorted to a circumcision of heart.
Deut 10:16: “Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.”
5:7-9: “Their children whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised; because they had not circumcised them in the Wilderness. It came to pass when they had finished circumcising all the people, they abode in their places in the camp, till they were healed. The Lord said to Joshua, This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.”
God always has someone to take your place. No one is indispensable. The flesh must be cut away from the New Order before we conquer Canaan. It takes some time to heal after you have been circumcised. Everybody was cut, both adult and child alike. It was more painful for the adult, for more flesh had to be removed.
The reproach of Egypt is the malicious taunt of Ex. 32:11-12: The Lord was angry with the Israelites and told Moses he was going to consume them, but he would still make Moses a great nation. Moses prayed to the Lord saying the Egyptians would say you brought us in the wilderness for mischief to slay us in the mountains and consume us from the face of the earth? Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Your people…”
This is the reproach of Egypt which the Lord rolled away on the day of circumcision. Gilgal means “rolling away.” It became their headquarters during their campaign to conquer Canaan. (the place of the circle)
I am considering the attack I had today was a “rolling away” of a reproach this woman has held against me for 30 years. I did not know she was still holding this reproach concerning my walk of faith. I cut it off today. Because of the family connection, there was flesh/blood connected with the reproach.
5:10-12: “The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. They did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. The manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.”
This is the Third time recorded in Scripture that the nation kept the feast of Passover. They ate the “old” (kept over, stored grain”) corn (mature).
This was a Passover of conquest, which speaks of preparation of God’s people for the full possession of the Kingdom. The reproach of Egypt is rolled away (slavery to anything). The enemy is afraid. We must be circumcised again. On the 15th day (Rest) the diet is changed from the manna of the first principles to the corn of the Word. This results in a new dimension of warfare as we will see in verses 13-15 and the next chapter.
Jesus was a corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died. He was the Seed and the Living Word. He was planted in the earth in death and burial. He came forth in the harvest of His resurrection as the Firstfuits of them that slept.
The Manna ceased on the 16th day of the lst. month. This was the Feast of First fruits. They ate the fruit from Canaan. This was exactly 40 years from Exodus 12:41. God does not cut off the old until He exposes us to the new.
The Manna was Jesus in his humiliation. God works no unnecessary miracles; the Manna lasted as long as Israel needed it.
5:13-15: “It came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went to him, and said to him, Are you for us, or for our adversaries? He said, Nay, but as Captain of the Host of the Lord am I now come. Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship. He said to him, What says my Lord to his servant? The Captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, Loose your shoe from off your foot; for the place whereon you stand is holy, and Joshua did so.”
Victorious faith demands complete obedience.
The visitation took place probably between the 15th and the 21st of the lst. month (during Unleavened Bread). Joshua lifted up his natural eyes and beheld Jericho. The he saw in the SPIRIT the “Captain of the Host of the Lord.” It is my persuasion this was Christ the Lord. The word for Captain is “Prince”.
The Lord is not for either side of a human conflict. He is for Himself, His Kingdom, and the eternal purposes of the Father, This visitation informed Joshua of who was the real Leader and caused him to totally depend upon God. He was about to receive a supernatural and illogical strategy of warfare.
Next week we will study God’s unorthodox military strategy to demonstrate His power to man; to discourage self-reliance and pride; and to bring all glory to God.
Saints we desire to see the Captain of the Host of the Lord to visit us again and strengthen the Body of Christ to defeat the enemy of the spirit of anti-Christ and all his minions who have set themselves against the Kingdom of God on earth.
Could it be as we study these supernatural strategies that the Lord will do it again? I was circumcised again today and a reproach toward my faith walk and stand was rolled away.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V.
I entered into the labors of Principles of Present Truth by Kelly Varner. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I enter into their labors.