All the people that came out had been
circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from
Egypt had not…They were still uncircumcised because they had not been
circumcised on the way.
Joshua 5:5, 7
Verse seven seems like a no brainer at
first. Obviously they weren’t circumcised if it hadn’t happened on the way. But
look deeper at why that was true. Circumcision was a specific command for God’s
people. Why weren’t they circumcised? He had rescued them from slavery,
performed countless miracles, led them, and fed them. Now, they were finally
going to enter the Land He had promised to give them as their homeland, yet
they were unprepared.
They had disobeyed one of God’s most
important instructions to show they belonged to Him. This same error nearly
prevented Moses from getting to Egypt in the first place. His wife had to
circumcise their sons on the way because, for whatever reason, he had not
carried out God’s command (Ex. 4:24-26). Was it too bloody? Too painful to
inflict on an innocent baby? Inconvenient to have to care for the child as he
healed?
The first generation of Israelites
didn’t get to enter the Promised Land because of their disbelief; consequently they and their children had wandered in the desert another forty years. Apparently
they didn’t teach their children to follow God wholeheartedly either. There was no free pass in to the Promised Land just because
they were Israelites; the next generation had to decide whether they wanted to behave like
God’s people or not.
The children suffered for their
parents’ lack of obedience. It’s harder to be circumcised as an adult or
older child, and takes longer to heal than as an eight day old (Lev. 12:3). It’s
true that children can’t decide whether their parents obey the Lord or not, but
there is an age of accountability when we must each choose for ourselves.
Your parents were not perfect. The consequences
of their sins have been passed down to you. But you can choose to live differently.
You can be “circumcised along the way”—that is—you can turn from your old ways
and choose a new life in Christ. God will even help you do this: “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your
descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your
soul, and live” (Deut. 30:6).
As you walk and pray this week, ask
God what needs to be cut away from your heart so you can be spiritually pure
and ready to receive all He has for you. If you are a parent, ask Him to show
you what you can do for your children now to make their journey less painful
later. And rejoice in being clean and new, stripped of all that would hold you
back from being counted as one of God’s children.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good.
Romans 12:21
*If you’d like to learn more about some great alternatives for Christians instead of Halloween, my book Taking Back October is a terrific resource! Available on Amazon in
paperback and Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Back-October-Believers-Pursuit/dp/1502516292/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505868831&sr=8-1&keywords=taking+back+October
#circumcisedhearts #parentingright
#teachyourkidsaboutGod #prayerwalking #spiritualwarfare #claimingterritory #halloween
#AllSaintsDay #Joshua5 #Rom12:21
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