Jos. 5: The Second Circumcision

Joshua 5:12 "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."

What a visual. I love the description of "hearts melting" at the thought of the Israelites coming to town. The HACPHAJ had no will or courage left to face them. The heart is all that makes a person who they are...and for the Canaanites and Amorites...it melted. It completely changed states.

Anyway, since leaving Egypt, Israel didn't keep up with the circumcision on the eighth day law very well. In fact, they neglected it altogether. By this time a whole uncircumcised generation had passed (as is my understanding), and not one man was circumcised. So the LORD had Joshua make a flint knife and have every man's foreskin cut off. They even named a hill after it.

Another point of interest is in verse 6. "...promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey..." I believe this is the first time the Biblical narrative is told in first-person point of view. Us, meaning the Israelites, of course. So, at this point, we can identify the writer with the Israelites. Where previously, I don't know, I guess my assumption was that God was ghostwriting, and maybe He still is, but here we have a perspective.

Apparently, while ignoring the covenant of circumcision, Israel was still under the "reproach" of Egypt. Israel was still under the blame...the reputation of sin from Egypt. Which is quite the thought. But after this renewal of circumcision, it was a new life, and the Israelites were able to eat the produce of Canaan, which I suspect has more than a surface meaning. The manna no longer appeared after this point. And manna was to keep Israel alive while wandering...

Joshua is balls to the wall, man. He's hanging around near Jericho, and sees this guy with his sword drawn (presumably meaning he's ready to cave some faces in). Joshua goes right up to him in his courageousness and asks, flat out, "Are you for us or against us?"

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

Whoa, commander of the army of the LORD. Can you imagine how Joshua's heart must have leapt. I would have been scared 3/8ths to death. Joshua could only do what the commander told him to do, which was to take off his sandals, since he was on holy ground. The last time someone had to do this...Exodus 3:5, where someone named Moses was commissioned.

And what's this business about "Neither?" The commander of the army of the LORD was neither for the nation of Israel or for Israel's enemies. What does this mean? Is the army of the LORD something beyond earth? Something heavenly? Angels? Would this commander of the army of the LORD have a chat with Jericho's military leaders then, too? Curious.

And he has now come. That's another enigmatic piece of scripture. Where has he been? Why did he come, and why now? What's the significance? There wasn't any forewarning of this coming, otherwise Joshua would have known...would have expected it. I'm curious as to who this person is. And I'm about to find out.