by Pastor Lee
I taught a course at a Bible Institute on the Book of Joshua from the Bible. In Chapter 5 we read about the Children of Israel arriving at the place called Gilgal, which was in the land of Canaan, the land that God had promised them years before. Here it is said that God rolled away their reproach of Egypt.
Listen to the following and you will see why they had a reproach.
God had led the children of Israel out of bondage from Egypt and had just entered the land that God had promised them after wondering around in the wilderness for 40 years. Remember how they crossed the Red Sea on dry land? Unbelief and disobedience and rebellion against God characterized those 40 years. God tested them many times to see if they really were his children, but they followed their own ways. You see, God had delivered them out of bondage from Egypt to give then their inheritance of Canaan land. But because of their unbelief, God could not lead them into what he promised them. This looked to Egypt like God had abandoned them and became a reproach to the people, but in fact the people abandoned God.
1. At Gilgal the Children of Israel renewed their covenant with the God of heaven and earth.
2. Arriving at Gilgal, which was within the land that God had promised them, it was evident to Egypt the children of Israel received they inheritance and were not a laughing stock. And so their reproach was rolled away.
How about us. Could anyone look at us and say, they claim to be Christians and are yet wandering around in the wilderness of sin. I encourage us to come to our Gilgal where we renew our covenant with God and start receiving our Christian inheritance of good things of God. In Gal. 5: 22 and 23 we find some of these. * But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
God bless you this week.
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