Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 5:2, 5-8

Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 5:2, 5-8

At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

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.

For 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 shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

And 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.

And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.

When I read this I wondered why did the children of Israel stopped circumcising their children while Moses lead them? Circumcising was a physical token of the Abrahamic covenant and they had been doing this since the time of Abraham. As I pondered on why it stopped I realized it probably had nothing to do with Moses telling them to stop. It was the people that were not faithful to their covenants that had caused it to stop. This was just one way they showed they were not obedient. Moses didn't need to teach them an existing law they were to obey, what he gave them from the Lord were new ordinances and laws, nothing old was taken away. It's interesting that people can embrace new but not stay obedient to what they also must be doing. Could that be like going from three hour church to two hours, and the extra hour is then used to break the sabbath day?

One thing is for sure this act of obedience and covenant making must have had a terrifying effect on those around them. Knowing these men were obedient to their God, even down to being circumcised as adults. This would only make them stronger in being obedient to their God, and possessing their lands.

Day 2351