Cell at P'Thom 6/6/08

Petch · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:13 am Post subject: Cell at P'Thom 6/6/08

Hi there, This week cell is at P'Thom house. Please read ahead and do your study ahead of time.

Petch.

Topic : New Beginning

Joshua 5:1-12

[1] When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them. [2] At that time the Lord told Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise this second generation of Israelites." [3] So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the entire male population of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. [4] Joshua had to circumcise them because all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died in the wilderness. [5] Those who left Egypt had all been circumcised, but none of those born after the Exodus, during the years in the wilderness, had been circumcised. [6] The Israelites had traveled in the wilderness for forty years until all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died. For they had disobeyed the Lord, and the Lord vowed he would not let them enter the land he had sworn to give us-a land flowing with milk and honey. [7] So Joshua circumcised their sons-those who had grown up to take their fathers' places-for they had not been circumcised on the way to the Promised Land. [8] After all the males had been circumcised, they rested in the camp until they were healed. [9] Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt." So that place has been called Gilgal to this day. [10] While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. [11] The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. [12] No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.

NLT

REFLECT
What impact did the miraculous river crossing have?

The short crossing into Canaan has local leaders in fear of the Israelites (1). Having corporately marked the end of their wilderness experience by placing a monument at Gilgal (4:20), now the Israelites must make an individual response - they are to be circumcised (2). Circumcision represents their covenant relationship with God and sets them apart for his purposes. This was necessary because men of military age already circumcised in Egypt had died in the desert, and the under-40s hadn't been circumcised while on their journey (4- Cool

.

The Israelites were marking the end of their "in between" existence and the start of something new (9). As in Moses' time, enemies were terrified (see Exod. 15:9,10), men were circumcised (Exod. 4:24-26), and Passover was celebrated (Exod. 12:1-2 Cool

. This also marked the ending of God's food aid (12). After 40 years they would be able to eat food from the land.

What is happening in your life or your church that needs to end before you can move on to something new? What needs to happen to prepare you for the next stage of the journey?

APPLY
Ask God to show you anything you need to leave behind - and what you need to do to get ready to move on with him.

PRAY
Lord Jesus, prepare me so that I can go forward with You into any "new beginnings" You have for me.

SweetJade · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject:

I got this lady's opinion on this chapter with an interesting point of view:--SweetJade Laughing

Linda Choi
QT: Joshua 5:1-12

Before Israelites can enter the Promised Land, God commands that the people be circumcised as a sign of dedication to Him. This is the first time for the new generation to be circumcised, for their parents failed to do it while they were in the wilderness.
This ritual had several meanings.

1. God said, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery.” The young generation was old enough to remember Egypt and their life of slavery and shame, yet they had never been consecrated. So God wanted them to be assured that their past life was gone and that they were about to enter a new one of abundance, both physical and spiritual.

2. it showed that they had to become dependent on God. By being circumcised, the men became incapacitated, yet it was not the time for them to be weak since they had enemies all around them. What if the neighboring enemies were to attack while they were recovering from the ritual? But God wanted them to trust Him whole heartedly, because their faith in Him was more important than their physical power.

3. circumcision was first practiced by Abraham when God made a covenant with him that he will have many descendants and that he would be a blessing to many nations. It was a renewal of that covenant, that Israel would be a blessing to many nations as they go into the Promised Land. Though people might have forgotten the covenant, God did not. How faithful is our God!

4. it was a sign of holiness, that as circumcised people, they were to be set apart from all others. It was a physical sign with a spiritual significance so that everyone would know they were the chosen people set apart by God to be blessed and to be a blessing.

I believe that the team members and I have consecrated ourselves before coming out to Thailand. We knew we were being called to come out here to join Him in His work and that we had to foresake many things in order to do so.

However, though we might have circumcised our hearts and came out here in faith, we need to constantly remind ourselves of our circumcision and that we must depend on Him for all things. When the Israelites became circumcised, they also celebrated Passover and ate food from the land for the first time. This is also when manna ceased and people had to make food for themselves. After 40 years of manna, it might have been quite scary to have to provide for themselves, and yet it must have been exciting to see God’s promise being fulfilled right before their eyes. Whether it was manna or harvest from the land, Israel still had to trust God for their provision. In the same way, whether it’s through a miracle or by our own effort, we must believe that ultimately it’s God who makes everything happen. Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit alone.
_________________
SweetJade
...Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edified.
If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. 1 Cor.8:1b-3 ~NASV~

SweetJade · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:33 pm Post subject:

Here is my thought for Joshua 5:1-12:

The miraculeous river crossing impacts the faith of Israelite leaders [not only the leaders, but also of the people who crossed the river together and also passed the suffering in the wilderness] the river crossing has demonstrated two major pictures of following Christ as follows:

1. Once they crossed to another side of the river, we knew that it was a sign of the destruction of Egyptians: every bad memory, tough experience, poverty, and living slavery in Egypt has been left at the another side of the bank--no more suffering, persecution, execution, etc. they were free from slavery of Egypt.

the lesson is: what we consider as a 'Slavery of Egypt' that we carry them while we cross the river? we carry them on our daily lives? we must learn to left them behind [cut relationship, change, walk away, etc] and move forward to cross the Jordan river with God through faith. Don't let 'Slavery of Egypt' restrains you to be its slave [especially, after Jesus has freed you from sins through His redemption]--old habits? bad behaviors? secular characters? unholy thought? immature? what was behind your back that control your lives? leave it there, and walk away from it--walking toward God, otherwise, you'll be destroyed by the fierce waves of the river. God wants us to cross the river with nothing hold us back--focus on your path, walk straight forward to another side of the river by faith.

2. They move forward to the victory over Canaanites: before God lets them fight with Canaanites, He has prepared His people in victory--
A) the story tells its might:Amorites' king & his people heard about the story of river crossing and they were fearful to fight with Israelites because of the mighty works of God described in verse 1
B) God wants His people to commit to His plan by commanding them to circumscise:--it was a covenant between God and His people. Circumcision, as a sign of the covenant. As for us, it is to be a sign of faith in what God would do through and for us who believe in Jesus' redemption [compare with God's deliverance].

In conclusion: it was two things involved... the mighty works of God and the obedience and faithful acts of men

They observed the Passover: The Passover not only reminded Israelites of their deliverance and redemption out of Egypt, but it looked forward to other victories—to the defeat of the Canaanites. however, this event also reflects the plan God has for us through Jesus Christ, a victory accomplished in Jerusalem on Calvary. It naturally pointed to the cross where Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

The passover is not only a reminder for us to look back how much blessings we received from God, but also it is a sign of the future covenant that we look forward to live a new life in His Kingdom, where we enjoy His abundant blessings that He gives us as He has promised.

In conclusion: survey your lives, leave whatever restrains you from God's blessings, walk with obedience and faithful toward His pormised land and join the victory He has prepared for us.

As in 1 Corinth 5:7 says: 'clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed'

and 2 Corinth 5:17 says: 'Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature--the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.'
_________________
SweetJade
...Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edified.
If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. 1 Cor.8:1b-3 ~NASV~

Petch · Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 9:11 am Post subject:

Great P'jade. Very thoughtful!
Your feedback is very insightful and helpful for us to understand
the application of the verses we are study this Friday.