Sometimes God’s worst enemies are His own people. Joshua 5 underlines this troubling truth. To understand this, we must remind ourselves of a vital principle:
God’s words of blessing and covenant to us are sure. That is, as long as we fully agree to them, trusting God to do what He has promised.
The Israelites utterly failed to trust God. Forty years earlier, at the last moment, they got cold feet and threw away everything God intended for them.
Recall from Numbers 13-14 how twelve spies entered Canaan, their Promised Land, and ten spies reported of the Canaanites, “We are grasshoppers in their sight!” Only two, Joshua and Caleb, declared, “Trust God! He is on our side, and our victory is sure!”
The Israelites believed the ten naysayers. They came close to stoning Joshua and Caleb, groaning, “What are we doing here? LET US RETURN TO EGYPT!!” In short, they believed the Canaanites were stronger than God. They believed this even after they witnessed the ten plagues that got them out of Egypt, the Red Sea miracle and experienced God’s help in defeating the Amorites.
They displayed sheer unbelief after witnessing overwhelming evidence that God was with them.
This unbelief denied the Israelites’ entry into the Promised Land until that unfaithful generation died off (except for the faithful Joshua and Caleb). They needlessly remained homeless slaves in a trackless wilderness for 40 years, never realizing God’s promises. What a total tragedy!
By God’s grace, a new generation of Israelites arose to receive another chance. But first, they had to renounce the unbelief of their parents and grandparents before they could move forward. They had to take tangible steps (circumcision) to demonstrate they were still true covenant people of God, not infidels like their forebears. They partook the same Passover meal eaten by their parents before they left Egypt.
Only then did they cast off the spirit of Egyptian slavery that still haunted them because of their parents’ unbelief. Only then could they expect God to lead them to victory over the Canaanites. Now, the Israelites learned their lesson. Now, the captain of the Lord’s host (Jesus?) appeared, ready to assist their victory with angelic power.
Joshua 5 is both a promise and a warning to us. If God’s chosen people could fall into gross unbelief, what about us? Whatever our level of spiritual maturity, each of us is conceived in sin, easily subject to doubts and unbelief.
Unbelief takes many forms, even deceptively spiritual ones. We live in troubling, violent, times. We face personal difficulties. Do we become easily shaken by these things? Even dearly held theological convictions may result because current events appear stronger than the eternal Word of God and His personal promises to us.
We all do well to come often before God to renew our covenant with Him, even forsaking subtle forms of unbelief passed on to us by beloved parents and grandparents. We all do well to pray along with David, the man after God’s own heart, “Try me, and see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psalm 139:24).
May we all renew our minds before God so that we will cling to the promises God has given us, bringing blessing to us and to multitudes in our generation. A blessed Christmas to you!
From the Desk of Valson Abraham 