GILGAL. “Reproach has been rolled away.” Joshua 5 When God's power is clearly displayed, it leaves a strong impression on those who witness what He has done and on those personally touched by divine power working for them. The transformed lives of people once trapped by sin and now freed through the power of God shown in the Gospel are as compelling as the testimonies they share. A sinner saved by grace proves a new life from God, not just a change in habits.
There would have been a sense of God's presence among the people of Israel as they all camped safely on the west bank of the Jordan River at Gilgal. Not only had the waters of Jordan "returned to their place and overflowed the banks" as before the crossing, but the reproach they had endured from Egypt for forty years was lifted away. For all of those years, they were considered to be like "wandering Jews," but now that was all in the past. They were at Gilgal in the land of promise. Thirty-nine years earlier, fear of the Canaanites caused them to turn back and kept them in the wilderness.
Now, the fear of God's people was in the hearts of the Amorites and Canaanites, and they had no spirit to defend themselves. God was leading His people to move forward rather than stay in defeat and complacency. Obedience to the Lord was all He expected from His people. He knew what was best for them, and they had to trust Him to do what was needed. He instilled fear in Israel's enemies without them having to go into battle against them. Israel had previously underestimated God's power, but now the inhabitants of the land feared them because they were physically present in the land.
The name “Gilgal” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to roll.” In this story, it refers to the shame that God removed from His people. Instead of a wandering tribe in the wilderness for forty years, they became a nation to be feared by all the kings in Canaan because of God's evident power working on behalf of the Israelites.
The first thing that happened when they crossed the Jordan River into the promised land was that the males were circumcised, making them distinct from all the surrounding nations. This act served as a sign of their separation unto God. It was a significant act of consecration of the entire person at the source of life. This act sanctified them completely, and when it was performed at Gilgal, the entire nation was left in God's hands. They had to trust Him by faith alone to preserve them until the healing was complete. There was no room left for the energy of the flesh to aid them.
The second action they took after eating the produce of Canaan was to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover. This marked the end of one era where they ate manna from heaven daily for forty years. During that time, they only went out early in the morning to gather what God had provided. Now, they entered a new phase of God’s dealings with them, with access to “the old corn of the land" to make their bread.
The Passover couldn’t be eaten by uncircumcised males. The “reproach of Egypt” was rolled away at Gilgal. The wilderness journey was over, and those who still had mental ties to Egypt all died except Joshua and Caleb. A new generation, free from any connection to Egypt, was now consecrated to God through circumcision, making them a unique and separate people. They had no identity with Egypt. When the manna stopped, God provided food from the fullness of the earth. The food from heaven was a special provision from God, as there was no way to plow, plant, water, and harvest crops. From this point forward, they needed to live by faith—doing what was necessary and trusting God to give the increase.
Waiting for instructions from God can be very challenging in a Christian's life. God can handle opposition in His own way and change the attitudes of those who oppose Him, as well as our own attitude toward God and others. It’s easy for us to take God's grace for granted for a long time and expect Him to act based on our thoughts or desires. While God, in grace, has made us His children, He desires our devotion to be genuine. Israel entered the Promised Land unceremoniously by God's grace alone. We are saved by grace alone, but there comes a point when we must intentionally let go of the old if we want the kind of relationship with God that He desires.
The world and wilderness living are in a state of unbelief. Grace is truly experienced when we are separated unto God and self-will is abandoned. Self-will and unbelief were rejected by God and led to 39 lost years. Now a new generation had been born, and those who were young when they left Egypt were now older and could understand what their circumcision many years before actually meant. Now that they were at Gilgal, that reproach had been rolled away. A new generation of strong young people who had been trained and disciplined in the wilderness—where they had to trust God alone for their daily food—was now ready to claim the land God promised His people. But before they could move forward, they had to wait for instructions from God.
It was a sovereign act of God that brought them into the land of promise, just as grace alone has saved us and brought us into the kingdom of God. There was no work of men they could claim as earning their entrance into the promised land. It is God’s faithfulness alone that grants us access to all of His blessings. When we are saved, God desires us to be dedicated to Himself. Our hearts are warm toward Him because of His mercy and grace to us, and we want to be content in our meaningful relationship with Him, who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
First, things had to be done first. Circumcision symbolized obedience to God and a rejection of reliance on the flesh. Death to the flesh is painful, but the outcome is a blessing. Blessings and battles in a Christian's life often occur together. When we detach from what our flesh desires, we draw closer to God. The closer we are to God, the more we separate from the world and its evil ways. Believers are dead to the world and alive to Christ. Trying to blend the two is not only wrong but also ineffective. "We cannot serve two masters."
Our separation from the world and its ways led us into a relationship with God that begins with our obedience to Him. The relationship is not something we do on our own, but it results from responding to God's saving grace by placing our personal faith in Him. A Christian is called to mortify the deeds of the flesh, which are not sanctified. This is accomplished through our own self-denial, empowered by the Spirit of God, as we daily die to ourselves and live for Christ.
As someone who has died with Christ and been raised with Him to walk in this new life, we put to death the deeds of the flesh and conduct our lives as those who live in fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. When that is a fact, we have communion and fellowship with Him, and we take His yoke on us to learn from Him how to truly live. Commitment and balance in a believer's life in Christ come when we read and learn from His Word, not from our own imaginations or mental gymnastics. The doctrine of God's Word practiced in the life of a child of God opens the way to effective service, liberty, and victory in our Lord Jesus Christ as we realize we are seated with Him in heavenly places.
Gilgal became sacred ground for the Israelites. This is where they received new instructions from God. They spent a few days eating manna in the promised land, even after circumcision took place, because it was a painful healing period when they were vulnerable and unable to go to the fields to gather food. Although Israel had crossed Jordan, they were not free to act until circumcision was completed. Self-judgment is necessary to live in the freedom in Christ that we have been given. Holy self-denial goes far beyond mere words that can explain everything but are powerless to transform us. Someone can say all the right words and know they are scriptural, but true change only happens when that person acts in faith and removes the worldly influences that mislead us.
Spiritual circumcision frees us from loving the world and acting on the lusts of our flesh, empowering us to resist the devil. Our new nature is not bound to any power except the power of God. What makes our lives meaningful is our connection and fellowship with God. God doesn’t remake our old life but gives us new life from start to finish. From His fountain of life flows His fullness to us. We are now able to walk in love, in light, and in grace by God's power.
Our understanding of Christ's cross-work isn't real to us until we act on its truth. Israel couldn't eat the Passover for thirty-nine years because circumcision had to happen first. No uncircumcised person could partake in the Passover. The Passover had been eaten at the foot of Mt. Sinai in fear years prior. Now they would wait three days until the fourteenth day of the first month and celebrate by eating the Passover, honoring God's blessings and promises. Christ is our Passover, so we "keep the feast" not as a shadow or type but as the fulfillment of the Passover that was foreshadowed.
We observe the feast in remembrance of a Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His redemptive work for us. There is nothing in the wilderness of this world that can sustain God's people. When they entered the land, there was grain available so they could make the unleavened bread for the Passover and the meal offering. God has provided for us what we could not supply ourselves. They kept the feast on the 14th day of the first month; they ate the "old corn of the land" on the 15th day, and the manna ceased on the 16th day. In the past, Israel had failed and even “loathed this light bread." Now, they could go out and work for their food. Faith is not a substitute for work, nor is prayer a substitute for action. The freedom of "Gilgal" means God has brought us into a special place where we live and work in fellowship with Him.
God made a covenant with Abraham, and circumcision was the sign of that agreement. It symbolized the cutting off of the old life and the beginning of a new life with God. God promised Abraham that His people would enter the land in the fourth generation [Gen.15:13] because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. But after four generations, the iniquity had reached its full measure. The people in the land were immoral; they trafficked in evil spirits, and spiritual evil was widespread there.
Gilgal was the place where reproach was rolled away, and it became the gathering center for Israel for many years. Even Saul was anointed king at Gilgal hundreds of years later. Gilgal was "the place of remembrance." There, twelve stones were set up as a memorial of the nation entering the land of promise. The central theme of the Bible is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is very important for us to remember. We remember, as they would have, that they had been in the wilderness, and now a new life begins through our death, burial, and resurrection in Christ. We are dead indeed to sin and alive to God. We have been raised to walk in the newness of life. God's best is provided for us when we are dead to the world and alive in Christ.
Gilgal was also called "the place of resurrection." The reproach that followed us for years has been removed when the Lord takes control of one's life. When He controls my life, and I give up my stubborn ways and trust Him, life as a believer truly becomes what it should be. Faith considers me dead to the world and alive in the newness of life. Israel was on new ground in the land of promise. A new life began. As "the place of renunciation," the nation was called to pause as they addressed the need for circumcision. It is not only a national sign, but each individual had to demonstrate this essential surrender. It is seen as a whole for the nation, but each male had to submit to the terms of the covenant. Gilgal is where they faced, and we face, the terms of our victory – surrendering everything that goes against God’s will. What has been established positionally is now real in practical experience.
Gilgal was known as "the place of restoration." The Passover had only been observed twice: once when the nation was delivered in Egypt and again in fear at Mount Sinai. After circumcision had taken place, they were now able to keep the feast in fellowship with God. They could also now gather grain for the offerings. The new generation was in a position to participate in the Passover. Previously, they had abandoned this feast of worship, remembrance, and fellowship. They had to be circumcised to partake in the feast [Ex.12:48]. They had surrendered their rights and privileges through disobedience and unbelief.
We can't do God's work unless we feed on His word. We can't acquire God's word unless we make an effort to get it. We cannot speak for God outwardly from our lips unless we find joy in Him inwardly. God's word must "dwell in us richly" before its truth can be shared with others. For that to happen, there must be death to self. They celebrated the Passover on the 14th day of the first month, about two miles from Jericho. The day after they ate the Passover, the manna stopped, and they ate the food from the land of Canaan.
Gilgal was also "the place of realization." The journey was over. The manna was wilderness food for a wilderness journey. The "old corn of the land" was ripe and ready for use as the harvesters probably ran to the walled cities for their lives. Now we have all the resources of promise in our risen Christ. It is up to us to make all the provisions of God our own. We must realize that what we are is more important than the work on which we spend so much of our effort. That realization will keep us going forward in faith in God, with gratitude, and hopefully, humility.
Gilgal was "the place of revelation," where Joshua was made to understand that the unseen Captain of the host of the Lord was at work. There was a more significant and mightier host operating on behalf of Israel than just an army of men. It was the "Host of the Lord," led by the Most Mighty "Captain" of all, who had come to guide them into the promised land. Our Lord Jesus Christ and the "Host of the Lord" are unseen by us but are constantly working on our behalf against dark powers and Satan. Israel was moving forward under His leadership even though He remained unseen. Joshua was a leader under a higher authority. We are not our own; we are not free to do as we wish. We are under the authority of our Risen Head, making the land of promise a fruitful and safe place. We worship before Him, just as Joshua did. That’s how we know the "Captain" was our Lord. He is for us and works tirelessly on our behalf. It is "holy ground" when we enter the land of Beulah, where our Lord invites us to follow Him and submit to His leadership.