If you were to visit a place called Naples in Italy in the year 79 A.D., and if you were to go on the 24th of August in the morning, you will find a city there called the city of Pompeii. Perhaps a beautiful city. But if you were to go there one day later, maybe on the 25th of August, the city will be gone. The city will disappear. What happened on the 24th of August for this city? The mountain overlooking this city, the Mount of Vesuvius, erupted. And the people died either of extreme heat, three hundred degrees Celsius, or being buried by the ash that covered the entire city. And today, archaeologists will of course try to dig up that place, recover the bodies. But what would they find there? They will find a wasteland full of dead bodies.

Now have that picture firmly in your mind. It’s quite a sad, sobering picture when you consider a wasteland full of dead bodies. And yet that is what you would find. If we could go even further back to the time of Moses as he led the Israelites out of Egypt, what happened to them? What happened to that group of people, that generation under Moses’ leadership? From Scripture, we know that there was a wilderness full of their bodies, their dead bodies. That is where they ended up. How did things go so bad for them? We are supposed to be looking at a victorious moment. This is a monumental moment. God promised Abraham that his descendants would enter a Promised Land. And so far we have been following the group under Joshua’s leadership as they prepared to enter the Land.

We have seen in the first four chapters what it means to enter the Land, and in the subsequent chapters, we will see them taking the Land. But Joshua chapter 5, the narrator gives us a history lesson, preparing us because while there is a victorious group here, a group who entered the Land, the narrator reminds us of a group who did not make it, this first generation. And today, we just want to answer this one question, this main question: Will we enter the Land? Will we be part of this group under Joshua, or do we belong to that previous generation under Moses?

As we do a comparison between these two groups, let us look at the first verse which says: “So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.”. Now perhaps upon first reading, you would probably think that this first verse is just to link the previous section, just to remind us there’s a continuation there. But if we were to look at Joshua chapter 5 and compare two groups of people, this first verse already hints a contrast between the two groups.

Was this always the case with the people of God? The enemies heard the people of Israel are coming, their hearts melted. There was no spirit in them any longer. Think about that. Soldiers, mighty men, men of war who are ready to fight, who are trained for combat. They heard Israelites coming, no need to fight already. We know who their God is. We heard what their God can do. If their God can bend nature’s laws and stop the river Jordan from flowing, we got no chance of winning. They don’t even want to fight. They become chickens, they become cowards already. But was this always the case with the people of God that they are so strong and people are afraid of them? Think about the first generation.

If you remember Numbers 13 and 14, it was the total reverse. It was the people of God who were the cowards, who were the chickens. They described the Canaanites who were on the other side of the Jordan as what? They are giants, and we are grasshoppers. What a reversal! Now it is a complete opposite. It is the people of God that are strong. It is the enemies who don’t want to fight anymore. They know they will lose. And so the first verse if we read too quickly, we might miss it. Here already we see a difference between the two groups. Now let us look on at the commands given to Joshua.

Verse 2: “At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.” So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt.”. And so it seems to be that there is gonna be a circumcision a second time, but not exactly second time because verse 4 tells us the reason that actually a whole group, an entire generation who already circumcised, they’re all gone by now. This second group not yet circumcised.

Alright and so at this point, the narrator gives us a history lesson of that old generation under Moses, and that will be our first heading for today. Our first point is simply the rejection of the rebellious. Let us focus on that first group. What happened to them? How are they described? In verse 4 alone, you see a designation for these people. “All the people who came out of Egypt”. Focus on those words: “came out of Egypt”. These four words is going to be used to describe this first generation. It’s already mentioned two times. “All who came out of Egypt”. “After they have come out of Egypt”.

Now in year 2010, in the Oregon State prison, there was this man called Robert Emery. He was a prisoner and he tried to escape from prison. He managed to get out of his prison cell, drill through a few walls, get out into the prison yard after climbing a few fences. But finally, he was too tired and injured, now he just slept in the yard. Obviously the next morning, the guards found him and took him back to prison. Now, what would people be talking about when they mentioned this guy, Robert Emery, this prisoner who tried to escape? Were they celebrating his victory? Wow, good prison break. Headlines: “Successful Prison Break”. No, people will be laughing at him, ridiculing him. He tried to escape from prison, but he was in the yard. He was injured, he was tired, he was sleeping in the yard.

People will be mocking him, will be laughing at him. See, when he is in the prison yard, still within that prison, we wouldn’t call that a successful escape. And this first group under Moses, they came out of Egypt. That was sort of their tag, their designation. And it was a tag of shame actually. The people were mocking them, were laughing at them. These people, God tried to rescue them and bring them to the Promised Land. Where are they now? Wandering in the wilderness.

Do you call wandering in the wilderness a successful deliverance? Oh, no. The neighbouring nations, all who know, all who heard of their story are laughing at them. There’s a certain shame coming with this first generation. Let’s look at verse 5: “For all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised.”. And so again, there is this first generation, an entire generation who came out of Egypt. They all passed away in the wilderness. And of course, there were still children being born while they were in the wilderness, they weren’t circumcised.

And the reason very clearly and very extensively is given to us in verse 6: “For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD— to whom the LORD swore that He would not show them the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, “a land flowing with milk and honey.””. And so at this point already, we see in the first six verses the old previous generation being described. What a big difference from the second generation. They were disobedient. They were totally consumed in the wilderness. They did not make it to the Land.

Now as we read this passage and after a few readings of it and making some observations, we have a group- disobedient, not bringing glory to God, and they did not make it into the Land. We have a second group who were obedient under Joshua, and now they are entering the Land. Two very different groups, but what is the one thing these two groups have in common? Circumcision. The first group also circumcised; the second group also circumcised. I’m not sure about you, but when I read this, the first big question that pops into my mind is: What is the point of circumcision then? First group circumcised, second group also circumcised. But the first group didn’t make it; the second group made it. What is the point of circumcision? What’s the profit of circumcision?

Now don’t make my mistake and type that question into Google okay because Web MD and DoctorOnCall will tell you what’s the profit of circumcision, but that is all the health benefits of it. No, we want to search Scripture to find the answer what is the profit of circumcision, not health benefits of it. Now the word ‘circumcision’, coming from circumsido, the Latin word. Circum means around, like the word ‘circumference’. Circum means around, sido means cutting. And so from that meaning, we understand the act which was first established. This is an outward act performed on Abraham’s children in Genesis chapter 17. When a covenant was made with Abraham, God said you and your descendants are going to be very special. And how would you know who? Who are the special people and who are not the special people? How do we distinguish between the two groups?

There is an outward sign. This sign of circumcision is how you can tell that this one, Israelite. This one, not Israelite. From the outward sign, we can tell. We can distinguish between the two groups. And so this was established. They were to perform this. And so on the outside, we can tell. It’s almost like a nametag that you wear. Maybe here you write here, Israelite. Some is not Israelite. And so you look at the nametag from the outside, we can tell who is and who is not. Our question here is it seems to be that those who were Israelites who received the promise did not make it. And so what is the real meaning of circumcision here? It can’t be just meaning that you will bear that tag means you’re in because this group did not make it.

But we can find our answers in the New Testament because the New Testament talks about this first group a lot. And the first one we want to look at is Romans chapter 2. Now bear in mind that we have gone through as a church the series of Romans (wonder whether you still remember), and Romans chapter 2 speaks of that. Actually from verse 17 onwards, but I will read from verse 25. Romans 2:25- “For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?

And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfils the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”. Now Paul is dealing here with a group of people who boasted in their outward sign. They showed people their tag. Look at that, Israelite. Can you see very clearly? Outwardly, it’s very obvious that I am an Israelite. I am circumcised, and Paul says you are mistaken. The outward sign is just meant to point you to the inward reality.

Uncircumcision and circumcision, what is the difference? These people who are circumcised have an outward sign, and that was all. The title for that sermon in Romans 2 was “The Dangers of Outward Christianity”. And what do we mean by being just an outward Christian? Just for them, it was circumcision, an act that associated them with God’s special people. Today, we have similar things as well. What are the things we do that associate us with God’s people outwardly? Well on Sunday, I look at two people. One goes to the temple; one goes to the church. And that alone I can say that okay, this one Christian; this one not Christian. Or one person in his form fills up Christian, tick. The other one tick Muslim. Association.

Very commonly one who is born in a Christian home already associates himself as Christian. I’m a Christian. Why? Because my parents are Christian. Going to church, being a member, going through Bible studies. All these things on the outside we can do. And when people look at us, they make a conclusion that looks at that. On the outward, this must be a Christian because he does all the things that Christians do. So if you do all the things that Christians do, it’s just like that first generation. They also do the same things. They do everything correctly. But Romans 2, Paul is telling us that all the things that you do on the outside actually started from within. Your circumcision outside is meant to be a symbol of the circumcision of the heart.

Circumcision of the heart, that cutting away. That physical act of cutting away that filthy part of our flesh was meant to point that reality that happened inside our hearts. That nature, that fleshly nature. Imagine that fleshly part of our nature being removed. That is how the Christians are described in the New Testament. God saved these special people for what? For no purpose? Just so that they can enjoy and come into the Promised Land? No! God saved them. And how are they described? “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people”. God saved them, made them holy.

And for these people, could be the Pharisees or could be that old generation, they had that outward sign but they had no inward reality. And so for them, circumcision meant nothing. Supposed to picture that your heart being changed. But for them, it meant nothing. How do we know? Now First Corinthians chapter 10 is where Paul deals with this again, deals with this same group of people. And on the outside, he’s saying that yes, we could all look the same. On the outside, we all look the same. Everyone in this hall, we all look the same. We all do the same things. So how do we know who is true and who is not true?

1 Corinthians 10:1- “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptised into Moses in the cloud in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased”. And how do we know? “For their bodies were scattered in the wilderness”. This first-generation, this first group of people. Yes, they did everything right on the outside. We can look at them and conclude yes, this is God’s special people because they do the same things. All were baptised, all ate the same spiritual food, all partake the Passover together.

And yet we know God was not pleased with them. With most of them God was not well pleased. How do we know? “For their bodies were scattered in the wilderness”. So our question here is on the outside, we look all the same. How do we know who is right, who is wrong? How do we know who is true? We want to know whether we belong to this first-generation or not. And Paul tells us: look at the description of this first generation. Look at verse 6: “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them.

As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by the serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”.

You’re wondering if you would enter the Land or maybe you belong in this first generation. Well, look at the description of this first generation. Idolatry, sexual immorality, adultery, complaining, jealousy. This is the list of sins they were accused of, and definitely much more. And ask ourselves the same question: Does this list describe us? Idolatry? We have the one true God that we can worship, but what did they do? When God was meeting with Moses, what did they do? Put their gold jewellery together, mix, mix, mix, golden calf come out. They got the real God to worship, they choose to worship golden calf. Are we the same when we do not see God in our daily life and we pursue our career or our money?

When we fall into all sorts of idolatry, are we guilty of the same thing? Or adultery? As listed here: “in one day twenty-three thousand fell”. How about the sin of grumbling and complaining? Remember how they were destroyed by the serpents? Why is that so bad? Because God is so good. And by complaining, they are saying that this good God is very bad. Egypt we were enjoying. How come God bring us out of Egypt and now we got nothing to eat? Now we got lousy food to eat. We complain and complain and grumble. Complaining. Jealousy, believed to be the rebellion of Korah when they attacked Moses when they said: Moses, you’re not fit to rule over us. We rather be our own leader. And they were destroyed by the destroyer. Look at this list and ask ourselves: Are we guilty of these sins?

Do we really belong under Joshua’s leadership, or do we belong in this previous generation, this generation that came out of Egypt? Because if we do, we know our end: Bodies being scattered in the wilderness. If we are guilty of these sins, there is time. It is not too late for us. But if we are guilty of these sins, there’s only one thing we can do and one thing we must do and to bow down in tremble and confess these sins before God and repent of these sins. Repent quickly. Hebrews chapter 3, just one last one. Hebrews chapter 3, again about this same group. What is being said here?

Hebrews 3:7- “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’””. This is talking about that same generation. That same group of people, that first group. How do we know? Let’s look at the rhetorical questions being asked in verse 16. Move down a bit to verse 16: “For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?

Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?”. So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief. Look at the description of this first group. Rebellious until the end, and God was angry with them and God swore curses upon them. Now when our God makes promises, makes covenants, we know He will keep them. If God is for us, that is a very comforting thing. But woe to him if God says He is against them! Imagine the King and the Creator of this universe, the One who works all things together. If He is against you, it’s probably better never to’ve been born.

Imagine all things work together for your not good, for those who do not love God. Imagine that. What a terrible thing it is. This is the first group, and that is our first heading- the rejection of the rebellious. And there is a severe warning here as we find in the New Testament over and over again. Let us take heed. Let us not be proud and say no, don’t worry, this church is saved. Don’t worry. This church, all of us will enter the Promised Land one day. If we say that, the devil already has won because he loves it when we are proud. He loves it when we are lofty, and we stand. But the warning here is this. Let us take heed. If you think you stand, take heed, lest you fall.

Are we people who are practicing just outward Christianity? Are we people who bear all the outward signs of being a Christian, but inside there is no reality? It’s just like a little child when he buys a toy (stethoscope) and he listens to his siblings’ heart for heartbeat. He’s playing, playing doctor. Is he a real doctor? No, he’s just playing. Are we playing church? Are we playing Christianity? If we are, we are just like this first generation. Again if we are this first generation, there is time for us to repent, to quickly repent, and go to God. And we know gladly God will forgive us if we were to confess these sins. But let us not remain in our rebellion, for the rebellious will be rejected.

Now let us move on to our second point as we look at the other group. And the second heading is the removal of the reproach. As we look at this second group, they are just a total opposite of this first group. And so in the first verse itself we already can tell that while the first group in Numbers 13 and 14 were the chickens, they were the cowards (enemies were the giants), now it is the reverse. This is a group who trusted in the Lord, and they went confidently. It is their enemies now who are the cowards. And this group is about to be circumcised because they were not circumcised along the way. While they were being born in the wilderness, they did not practice this sacrament. Why?

Because we read in Hebrews 3 that in that forty years, God’s wrath was upon them. And when God’s wrath was upon them, there was no practicing of any of those sacraments because it would be pointless. It would be pointless to continue to play and have all the outward signs when inside they were full of rebellion. But now with that whole generation gone, you will see the sacraments being re-established. And so we continue from verse 7: “Then Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way. So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”

Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.”. The word ‘Gilgal’ literally just means rolling away or removing away. And what is being removed away? That reproach of Egypt. Remember that tagline, that shameful tagline? This is the people who what? These are the people who came out of Egypt, but they’re stuck. They’re stuck in no-man’s land. They’re wandering around, and people are all laughing at them. But that shameful tag is now totally removed from them. These people is now no longer the mockery of other nations. Other nations were fearing them. This is Yahweh’s people. God, the real God, the most powerful God. Nothing shameful about that. Their old shame being removed from them. Now consider what this might mean for us.

Of course, we don’t practice circumcision. But is there a removing away of that old self of yours, that old shameful self of yours? I’d like to use this illustration that Paul Washer always likes to use. Consider the person who is being changed, being transformed. He uses the example of a pig. If a pig were to come to you, and you offer him two choices. You offer him a garbage (a rubbish bin) and a plate full of delicious food, where would the pig go? He will go to that rubbish bin, and he’ll eat and eat and he’ll be happy there eating that rubbish because he’s a pig. Now if by some great power he is able to be changed from a pig to a human, what is the first thing you think he would do?

He would stop eating that rubbish. He’ll probably vomit out all the rubbish that he’s been eating and he’ll move away from that shameful act of eating rubbish, and he’ll not return there. And he’ll remember his old self and he’ll be disgusted with it. If he ever were to return to that rubbish bin, he’ll find it to be disgusting. It is an offence. It is dirty, it is shameful for a human to eat rubbish. And so for ourselves, is there a removing away of shame to your old self, your fleshly side of you, your nature? The old nature, is that now being removed? And perhaps there are certain shameful tags that you bore. Maybe you had nicknames in the past. Maybe you are the great liar or the great thief.

Maybe your friends like to call you some of those nicknames. Is that now gone from you? You have nothing to do anymore with those shameful nicknames. But this group or rather these people who experienced true circumcision, that circumcision of the heart, their old self, their old shame has been removed. And they will live a totally different life. And therefore there’s no such thing as a carnal Christian. There’s no such thing as a human who enjoys the good food, but then once in a while still go back and enjoy that rubbish. No, he doesn’t enjoy. He may accidentally go back and eat rubbish. As soon as he starts eating, he’ll vomit it out again because it’s disgusting, it’s repulsive to him.

There is no such thing as a carnal Christian, one who is a Christian and yet enjoys his sin. That is a contradiction. Now let us look at this second group of people, these people who have been circumcised properly where the shame, that reproach of Egypt is finally removed. They kept the Passover again. This is forty years after that first Passover. This gap shows the start and the completion of that work of redemption. And so once again here, they keep the Passover again. They had the reestablishment of all these sacraments. This new generation, God was pleased with them, and they ate what?

Verse 11: “They ate the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.”. Manna, there’s no need for that anymore. There was a need for manna when? When they were travelling. They had no food, they had no home, no place to rest. Consider a person who lives like that. No home one, just go from hotel to hotel to hotel. It’ll be tiring for him. Every morning he needs to repack his bag and move to the next place. Every night he’s sleeping in a different place. It’s not very fun.

We might think it’s fun, but it’s not very fun. Or consider those who go and stay away from home, and maybe once in three months they will come back to their home and they will miss their home-cooked food. And they cannot compare. They wouldn’t ever say: Oh, my universities are so nice. My university days, we enjoy the food there. No! They are finally home. They don’t need manna anymore because they are no longer travellers. They are no longer wandering around without a home. They are finally in a permanent resting place, and therefore there was no need of manna anymore. And so this is the second generation. This is the other generation who were not part of that rebellious generation. This generation are circumcised, truly circumcised here under the leadership of Joshua, and they are now ready to enter the Land.

Finally, after looking at the rejection of the rebellious and the removal of the reproach, we see the revision of a response because here we see a very special encounter by Joshua. Let us look at verse 13. An unusual event. “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?””. Joshua met someone, and this is no ordinary someone. He seems to be ready for combat. He’s holding a sworn in his hand, looking very mighty, ready to fight. And Joshua’s first response is: Are you for us or against us? Whose side are you on?

Verse 14: “So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and said to Him, “What does my LORD say to His servant?””. And so we see a response being revised. Joshua responded by asking Him a certain question, but His response was so weird. He said, no. Are you for us or against us? The guy answered, no. I had an exam question like that once where there was a statement there, and we asked the students: True or false? Then my student writes: “No”. How to mark? What do you mean no? What are you asking? Now here Joshua’s response was being so-called revised because he’s asking the wrong question.

And that’s why the answer was no. Don’t ask me am I on your side or for your enemies’ side. No, let me tell you who I am. “I am the Commander of the army of the LORD”, and as the commander of the army of the LORD, I have now come. That is the wrong question to ask is this person for us or against us. Who is this person actually? Well here we have a case of Christophany, Christ being made manifest. And we have seen this in a couple of instances before. Now he is none other than Christ Himself, and we know because every time if it was an angel who appeared, and if Joshua were to bow down and worship him, the angel would say: Get up! Don’t worship me. I’m not God, do not worship me.

But here, He accepts that worship. He doesn’t say, Joshua, get up. And by accepting worship, we know that this is none other than Christ Himself. And what is He here for? He is here to remind Joshua and to remind us that our question when we are face to face with God is not: Is God on our side or against us? No, the question is: Are you on God’s side or not? Because this commander is the Commander of the army of the LORD. He has come, He is on God’s side, and He is ready to lead God’s side to victory. So don’t ask Him whose side is He on. Ask yourself: Are you on His side? He’s ready to lead you to victory.

Verse 15: “Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. Sounds familiar? The last time someone asked somebody to take his shoes off because the place where he stands is holy was the burning bush. And God appeared to Moses because what was coming up is going to be a huge challenge, and God was there to not just appoint His leader but to encourage His leader. I am here, you have an impossible task ahead of you. But I am the One who is going to accomplish it, not you. And so in the burning bush, Moses was face to face with a theophany, God manifesting Himself. And He was there to tell Moses: I am here, ready to lead you to victory.

And now again in this second generation, Jesus appears to Joshua for the exact same reason. I am here to lead you to victory. Your task ahead is going to be impossible. Your armies are no match for Canaanites’ armies. But I am here, and you are going to win because I am going to give you that victory. And so in our third point, the revision of the response, it is a question for us as well. How do we live? What kind of life do we live? Do we live a life where we have so many of our own personal agendas and once in a while we go to God and say: God, are You on my side or not? That is a wrong question. That is a wrong response.

So often we make certain plans. We plan this, plan, plan, plan everything ahead of us already, and then oh, remember what the book of James says? If the Lord wills, we will do this and that. Okay, better pray, better pray. God, I have all these plans to advance my this and that. If it’s Your will, You help me out. God, are You on my side? Is that the right question? Is that the right way to pray? Do you notice how so often when we make plans and it doesn’t concern the weather, we don’t need God? I plan badminton, all indoor ones. No need God, what for plan? But if I plan a picnic, oh yo weather. Better pray.

So often, that happens even in my company. We plan big events, big events, no need God. God never enters the discussion. I need to plan sports day, oh yo everybody prays. Ask God whether He’s on our side or not cause without God on our side, our own agenda, our own plans cannot come to pass. Now is that how we live? Do we have our whole life planned ahead of us? We have all these planned for us. And at the end, suddenly we think of God. And then we ask: Is He on our side? Now that should be the complete reverse. Our prayer is not: Is God on our side? Our prayer should be God’s kingdom come and His will be done.

Are you living for God’s kingdom? Are you working for God’s kingdom? Because Jesus here says I am here to lead My army to victory. Are you on My army or not? That is the right response and the right question. And so today as we look at this sort of a preparation chapter (Joshua chapter 5), it is in between two sections. One section is about entering the Land, one section is about taking the Land. But at this point, the narrator reminds us as we follow this victorious group into the Land, ask ourselves at this point: Are you even in this group or not, or are you in the wrong group, in that previous group, that previous generation who came out of Egypt? And where are they now? Their dead bodies lie in the wilderness. May God help us. Let us pray.

“Our dear Father in heaven, we have to examine ourselves and to see in light of Scripture whether we are walking right before You. And if there are any of us who are just outward Christians, we know the end of it- our body lay waste in the wilderness, and we will not see the Land. We will not enter the Land. And so we plead for mercy that You will help us. And while we see our own sin, help us confess our sin. And we thank You that through the Lord Jesus Christ, there is forgiveness to be found and there is salvation to be found as well. We thank You for Your promises made towards us, so gracious and so kind, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.