Joshua 5, Recommitment

The Israelites have crossed a dry Jordan river and prepare to enter Jericho.

Joshua 5: 1, Hearts melt

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

The results at Jericho have been heard by other nations, just as Rahab had heard about the miracles in Egypt.

The Hebrew text has an occurrence of first person, "we", both here in verse 1 and again in verse 6.  According to commentators, the occurrence of first person here does not necessarily represent an eyewitness view of these events but an identification of the author with the experiences of his ancestors during this time.

Joshua 5: 2-8, Circumcision

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again."
    

So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt--all the men of military age--died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

    

So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

We keep waiting for the battle at Jericho but the author's goal is to remind Israel of their covenant relationship with YHWH.  Here, before the Israelites can follow YHWH to the land, they must remember the strange sign of the covenant given long ago to Moses.  They have not followed this requirement and so the sign of the covenant needs to be met here, before the invasion of Jericho.

NIV footnote: The phrase "Gibeath Haaraloth" means "hill of foreskins". (How gross is that?! Do you want that phrase in your home address??)

Joshua 5: 9-11, Passover

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

    

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.

(NIV footnotes: "Gilgal" in verse 9, sounds like the Hebrew for "roll".)

Just as the Hebrews have renewed the sign of circumcision, they also observe the Peschal (Passover) feast.

Joshua 5: 12, Manna stops

The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.

The Passover feast ends the forty years of delivery by manna. Now the Israelites will live off of their new land.  In Exodus 12-14 the Israelites celebrated Passover and then crossed the Sea of Reeds. When they complained about the lack of food in the desert, they received manna.  Here they have crossed the Jordan River, again celebrated Passover and now the food stops.  The Exodus is over.

Joshua 5: 13-15, The commander of the army of the LORD

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
    

"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." 

    

Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"

    

The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

The strange warrior Joshua meets is neither for or against the Israelites.  He is "commander of the army of YHWH"!  Joshua then recognizes this divine presence and bows down. Victory will follow only if Joshua and the people act in obedience to YHWH. This "commander" repeats instructions given by YHWH at the bush-that-did-not-burn in Exodus 3:5.  

This chapter provides strong similarities between the actions of Moses in the Exodus and the actions of Joshua at Jericho.  Joshua has received the mantle of leadership that YHWH had previously given Moses. 

The importance of a transfer of leadership (here from Moses to Joshua) is an important concept and we will see constructive and destructive aspects of this transfer as we continue through the Old Testament. (I have a friend who has emphasized the importance of this for modern institutions, especially churches and charitable organizations.)