God had long ago promised Abraham that his children would live in a land of milk and honey.
The Israelites of later generations from our story today will see that promise coming true. The Book of Joshua; chapter five tells this part of the story. Our bible study group is walking through this book together. We are studying these passages page-by-page and word-by-word.
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FIRST DAYS IN THE PROMISED LAND
At this time, we should begin to point out several strange facts surrounding the way the Israelites first came into the Promised Land.
As they began a new life; they camped at the gilgal they had placed on the banks of the river. We have spent a lot of time covering the deep meaning of this site. If you missed it; go back and study the last few lessons. I will link them here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/gilgal-to-golgotha/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-spiritual-side-of-gilgal/. It was a place that gave honor and commemorated the greatness of God.
If a nation is not willing to show honor to their God and to do that first and foremost; all purpose for that nation is lost even before it begins.
The same is true for all countries. Today; if America would rise up from its brokenness and show honor to the greatness of our God again; we too could see the wonders that the ancient Israelites saw at Gilgal and Jericho.
NO FEAR OF THE ENEMIES
This camp was right in front of Jericho which was the strongest military outpost of the Canaanites. The people of Jericho could probably see them camped in the distance; yet they were so afraid of how powerful the God of The Israelites was that they did not even try to conquer them.
Are we presenting the strength of our God to the world around us today?
To camp so many in such an open way was very bold of the Israelites. God had commanded that Joshua tell them to be bold and courageous. These people of this generation of Israel were being obedient and doing exactly what God had commanded them to do. They WERE bold and courageous.
Anyone following The One God of Heaven and Earth can feel the same. Any time and any where; God looks out for the faithful and obedient of His flock. There is never a need to fear the enemies.
FAITHFUL AND STRONG
Here we can really begin to see how much faith this new generation of Israelites had in their God.
They were not afraid to follow their leader into the strange land of another culture. The reason was that they knew God had covenanted with them. They trusted that God would protect them; no matter what.
This generation had grown up so different from the cowardly generation behind them who had died in the wilderness. Those older ones were never able to shake the slave mentality, or to realize that God was capable and willing to remove the weight of their bondage from the past.
Their faith had been so crippled from so many years of suffering that they were perfectly content to wander the land with no set goals or purpose or plan to pursue the inheritance of God’s promises. By following their fears instead of their faith, they traded their inheritance for the security of the known and the familiar.
A NEW GENERATION OF FAITHFUL
How different this generation was from the generation of their children who came next.
Perhaps watching their parents live such sad and repetitively complacent lives had encouraged the children of the next generation not to be so passive. All the older generation had wished for was to be kept safe. They were too afraid of taking risks. None of them were ever about trying new things. It totally went against their nature to step into places where they were not familiar. Their only desire for “more” was defined as “more of the same.”
They would rather die in the wilderness than to take the risks needed for walking into the land of milk and honey.
COMING OUT OF THE WELFARE STATE
These people were content to have their manna given to them every day, though it never changed from day to day.
They wanted the surety of knowing their next meal would always be provided to them. All of this generation of Israelites preferred the status quo with no changes, rather than thinking they would have to go out and work to provide their own food again.
Their children of an opposite nature desired and sought after the milk and honey. They definitely wanted to begin to enjoy the tastier promises which God had promised.
The old generation was passive.
Their children were passionate.
Israel’s older generation did not live in faith.
The younger generation thrived on faith. They believed what God said and they lived it out.
Keeping God’s ways was mostly talk and tradition with this older generation of Israel; but the younger generation had learned to live out the words that they had been taught from the laws of God.
The commandments had been written on stone for the older generation to remember. They now seemed to be carved inside the hearts of this younger; river-crossing, newly circumcised, ready-to-do-battle younger generation led by Joshua.
Attitude; it can make all the difference.
A NEW STATE OF MIND
You can stay in the wilderness too long. It can drain all of the life out of you and wear you down.
The wilderness of the world likes to do this to people today. One generation has been in the worldly wilderness so long that it seems to be giving up on seeing a better day. The enemy of hopelessness has crept into the camps of many. They have stopped listening to the media they could never trust and this has them tuning out any other truth along with those lies.
They have quit caring about the people whom they elect as leaders. These complacent ones see most any new leader that comes along as just another cut of the same old cloth; just more crooked crones and politicians. If they aren’t corrupted before office; they will turn that way eventually. They tune any message out. Why bother? Aren’t all the elections rigged now anyway? What is the use of voting in a country that has already sunk into socialism but just isn’t saying it out loud? The spirit of defeat overcomes their once faithful hearts.
These people who have been in the wilderness of our culture have lost their will to fight and lost their faith to try to make a change. They are in desperate need of a new state of mind; one that believes and trusts in The One true God to deliver His people again.
SOME STILL BELIEVE THE PROMISES
Even if most of what the older generation is saying might be true; the next generation DOES have the energy and the stamina to step up. At least they are willing to try to make a change. They want to live in a better world. Their eyes have opened to how their children will have to live if they don’t step up to bat immediately.
They have noticed that faith in God is lacking in our culture and perhaps that is our biggest problem. Perhaps that is why we can’t move into a better place and begin to thrive again. These brave and courageous citizens determine to change the world for the sake of their children.
This was a picture of Israel in those days; and it COULD be a picture of today’s world as well. For God’s people, there is no choice but to have faith that He will lead us on and protect our nation. We must be more like this second generation of the newly circumcised Israelites.
THEY TOOK THE TIME TO HEAL
We must not be afraid to take the time to heal; even though our enemies surround us. Our people must be allowed to grow stronger. We have to learn how to walk in God’s ways again. Our nation must hold on and heal.
This means keeping God’s laws.
Especially; it means keeping God’s Sabbath. Keeping Sabbath has always been a sign of God’s true people.
While we are healing; we need to begin to gather some fresh new courage and become brave enough to address the fact that we are now camped in the doorway of our greatest enemies. It is time to consider who our Deliverer truly is; and to seek Him in all that we do next.
PASSOVER INTO FREEDOM
After they healed from the circumcision, the Israelites stopped to celebrate and remember the Passover.
They renewed their faith by remembering again, yet another time that God delivered and protected them from their enemies.
History matters to all great nations.
Our past inspires our future.
The generation in the new land realized their new freedom from the tops of their heads down to the soles of their feet. They NEVER took their freedom for granted. Passover was all about that freedom. Crossing the Jordan was all about freedom. Living in the gilgal and receiving the identity of God was all about freedom.
IT IS ALL ABOUT FREEDOM
When your life becomes all about freedom; you begin to walk and talk in a different way. You take nothing for granted.
You pay attention to what is going on around you.
Your faith is stretched and you respond accordingly.
Learning how to go ahead and step into God’s promises requires learning how to properly live in freedom. In order to live this way of freedom; you must believe in what you cannot see with your eyes. You must trust in God’s ability to work things out for you; even when they look impossible. All of this happens with true faith and your strength is increased as you go through it.
LIVING IN THE KINGDOM NOW
If God’s people will just take that next step; to begin living with faith in The Kingdom of God NOW, we too will see mighty miracles.
God will place his identity upon us for all of the world to know that we belong to Him and He will be protecting and providing for us. If we rest in that identity and keep His sabbaths as He has instructed; we will grow strong like that younger generation of Israel. We will become expertly equipped to face the battles ahead.
If we keep the Passover and all of the feasts and festivals of God that remind us of our Deliverer Jesus Christ; we will march on to victory when it comes time for us to move ahead. Nothing will be impossible for us. For the first time in a long time; the people of faith will learn not to be afraid. We CAN become brave enough to move on and conquer the land that God has granted to us as an inheritance.
The future of our children is at stake.
If we do move ahead in God’s will, our children after us will know once again how it is to taste the milk and honey of God’s promises.
After all of these steps were accomplished for the Israelites; God took away the daily manna and they began to enjoy the produce of the land of their inheritance.
If it happened then; it can happen today too.