Pam Padgett ... teacher
After 40 years in the wilderness, all the men of
Israel who had come out of Egypt 20 years and older had died except
Caleb and Joshua. (This was according to the judgment of God against those who murmured against Him in unbelief in the wilderness ... Number 14). As God
promised, HE brought
their children into the land HE gave to them, leading them by the hand
of Joshua.
Their circumstances changed. They were no longer
wandering in the
wilderness, but were coming into the land God had given them in which to
live. And God continued to wonderfully lead, instruct and
provide for them.
To enter the land they had to cross the Jordan river, and God
instructed Joshua to have the priests carry the ark of the
covenant before the people. When the priests' feet touched the edge
of the water, the waters stood in a heap. God made a way for the
people to pass over the Jordan river on dry ground ...
Joshua 3:14 And it came to pass, when the people
removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests
bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 15 And as
they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of
the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the
water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of
harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood
and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is
beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the
plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the
people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests
that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry
ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed
over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over
Jordan.
God instructed Joshua to have twelve men, a man from each tribe of
Israel, carry to the other side a rock from the dry ground where the
priests stood with the ark of the covenant. These rocks were taken
from what would otherwise have been the bottom of the river, but
which God had caused to be dry land. These rocks were a sign in the
land they were given and in which they would dwell, a lasting memorial
reminding the children of Israel of what God had
done ...
Joshua 4:6 That this may be a
sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in
time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then
ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off
before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed
over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these
stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel
for ever.
Although the men brought out of Egypt and who died in the
wilderness had been circumcised, those born in the wilderness had
not been circumcised. God instructed Joshua to circumcise them. And
they stayed in place until they were healed ...
Joshua 5:2 At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee
sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the
second time. 3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised
the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 4 And this
is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came
out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in
the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5 Now
all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the
people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came
forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. 6 For the
children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till
all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt,
were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord:
unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land,
which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a
land that floweth with milk and honey. 7 And their children,
whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for
they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them
by the way. 8 And it came to pass, when they had done
circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in
the camp, till they were whole.
The children of Israel also kept the passover, as God had told them
to do when they came to the land God would give to them (Exodus
12:25-27) ...
Joshua 5:10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and
kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in
the plains of Jericho.
The food they needed continued to be provided, but now was fruit of the land, and God no longer
sent manna ...
Joshua 5:11 And they did eat of the old corn of the
land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and
parched corn in the selfsame day. 12 And the manna ceased on the
morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither
had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of
the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
God continued to lead and care for the children of Israel as they
came into the land of Canaan promised to them, providing all that
they needed. Showing his power as the waters of the Jordan river
were stopped and the people walked across on dry land. Providing a
way for even their children to be taught what God had done. Leading
them to do as He had commanded. And they no longer needed
manna to eat, but ate fruit of the land which God gave to them.
In our lives, various changes come ... changes such as where we live,
where we work, who we are around. And God continues to lead and
instruct us in His ways by the Holy Spirit, and to care for us, knowing exactly what we need and how to lead us to move forward according to His will.