Worship Before War

Rev. Dan Speckhard, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School in North Judson, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Joshua 5:1-15. Before the people begin to take the Promised Land, the LORD serves them with His covenant gifts. Circumcision was the sign of the covenant God had made with Abraham, but the men born in the wilderness had not yet received it. God provides for them to pause at Gilgal in order to receive this gift and so roll away the reproach that the people had known. After the men have healed, the LORD provides for His people to celebrate the first Passover in the Promised Land. Now that they have received the fullness of the fruits of the land, the gift of manna is no longer needed. The commander of the LORD’s army then appears to Joshua; this is the pre-incarnate Son of God who assures Joshua that He is with the people of Israel as they prepare to conquer the land. The pattern given by the LORD to His people Israel here corresponds to the way God is still present among us with His gifts of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. “The Promised Land Delivered” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Joshua. After the death of Moses, the LORD remains with His people to bring them into the Promised Land under Joshua. Throughout the book, the LORD proves that not one of His Word falls unfulfilled. Today, the Church has the same confidence that all of God’s promises find their “Yes” in Christ.