The Next Gen

Joshua is a really exciting book where we see God move in miraculous ways and make city walls fall down and armies crumble at the mere mention of Yahweh. But as I was reading the first five chapters something struck me about a very personal application.

In Chapter 5 we see the Israelites having just come across a Jordan at flood stage - a mighty miracle of God that will pave the way for victory over Jericho. The Jordan crossing is very similar to the Red Sea crossing when Israel came up out of Egypt.

All that generation died out because they refused to follow God into the Promised Land. Now a new generation stands ready to receive that victory and that land.

I find it interesting what they do, though, prior to their first battle, right after they actually set foot on the land. They get circumcised. That's right. Apparently that practice, which set them apart as belonging to God, had been abandoned.

There are a lot of ways we could apply this, but here's my take for today. Circumcision can represent the cutting away of the flesh spiritually. Today we would call it baptism - dieing to the world and the flesh and coming to life in Jesus Christ.

But as it relates to a cutting away of the flesh in general, I think that every generation needs to make that stand for God; to not rely on the faith and repentance of their parents, but devote themselves wholly to God who will make us holy.

Have you made that declaration to God? Your whole life? Let Him take it all and mark you as one of His.

Pastor Tom