Joshua 5:1-12 Preparedness

Objectives

• Students will recognize God's demand for reliance on Him through the circumcision after crossing the Jordan.
• Students will see the need to incorporate daily devotions into their spiritual walk.

Opening

• What are the prerequisites qualifications before someone could do the job you do?

• Why do some jobs have prerequisites?

Joshua 5:1-12 Preparedness Handout

Main Body

Renewall (V. 1-9)

• If you were the preparing to enter battle and your enemy was in the position of the Canaanites in Joshua 5:1, what might you be inclined to do?
  • Many would probably dive headlong into battle under their own might and self-confidence.

• Instead of heading straight into battle, what does God ask the Israelites to do in Joshua 5:2-3?
  • Circumcise all the males under 40.

• According to Joshua 5:4-6, why did God ask Israel to do this?
  • God wanted the Israelites to get off to the right start upon entering the land. This was commanded in Genesis 17:9-14 and apparently that command had been ignored during the wilderness wanderings.

• Deuteronomy 10:14-17 provides us a parallel to the physical circumcision. What is that parallel?
  • Spiritual circumcision apparently involves committing one's self to God's leading and direction. An uncircumcised heart means a will that is hardened against God’s commands. It is another way of saying the person is stiff-necked or stubborn (cf. 9:6, 13; 31:27). Thus the command to circumcise their hearts assumes that human hearts are naturally rebellious and need correction.

• According to Colossians 2:11, what role does circumcision play for the believer today?
  • The Gentile Christians in Colosse had no need to conform to Jewish rules and regulations, such as circumcision. For in Christ they had been circumcised. This spiritual “circumcision” was done by Christ, not by man. It was in fact a crucifixion or putting off of the body, a circumcision of the heart (cf. Rom. 2:29; Eph. 2:11). Their sinful nature (lit., “the body of the flesh”; cf., lit., “the mind of the flesh,” Col. 2:18) was decisively put off by Christ’s death and resurrection

• What are some of the elements of the body that believer should put off?
  • Something to be aware of in this question. The statement "you were circumcised" is in the passive voice. The question is worded as if the individual has a part in the putting off of the body but this is itself a work of Christ.

I imagine that God wanted the outward act of circumcision to reflect an inward dedication of the people to God. And if Ai is any indication, failure to inwardly dedicate oneself to God would have disastrous results.

• What are some examples of religious practices that a believer might perform today that are merely outward demonstrations of religiosity without an inward change of heart?

• In Joshua 5:7, the people carry out the circumcision. What event happens next in verse 8? Why is this significant?
  • They wait. This is significant because it means the people are in a state of disrepair, waiting in enemy territory. This is not how any normal general would prepare for battle. God wanted the people to completely depend on Him, make themselves vulnerable and submit to his power.

• According to verse 9, what had God accomplished?
  • God had removed the ridicule of the people by bringing them into the land.

Remembrance (V. 10)

• What observance is discussed in Joshua 5:10?
  • Passover

• Chapter 5 is all about getting prepared for the conquest of the land. Why do you suppose Passover was a component of these preparations?
  • The Passover was a reminder of how God had kept His promise to deliver the people from Egypt. By observing Passover, the people were reminded of How God had kept his promises and would continue to keep his promises.

• What are some examples of things that we should remember as we prepare for God's mission in our life?

• What does 1 Corinthians 5:7 teach us?

First Fruits (V. 11,12)

• What is significant about Joshua 5:11?
  • The people were able to eat the fruit of the land.

• What significant event ends in Joshua 5:12?
  • The manna stops. This is significant because manna was a provision for God. It is not that God is no longer going to provide for Israel. God is still providing the fruit of the land, but that God is moving Israel into a new phase.

• What are some examples where God might move a Christian into a new phase of provision?
  • Moving a Christian out of the home so he/she must care for their own spiritual growth.
  • Moving the Christian to a new church where they need to grown in a particular way.
  • Keeping a Christian in the same place but moving someone else away so the Christian can grow into the hole left in the church.

Conclusion

• Look back at Joshua 1:8. What is God's ultimate prerequisite for success?

• Colossians 2:11 teaches that we are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh. The verb is a passive verb which indicates that it is completely a work of Christ. However, most people realize that when something bad is removed, something else must be put in its place. The word of God provides exactly this for the Christian. What can we, as believers, specifically do to ensure that we are prepared for a spiritual walk with God?

Jack S. Deere, “Deuteronomy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 281.

Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 677.