Entering Into Your Promise
By letting go of your past.
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. (Joshua 5:2–5, ESV)
I’ll be the first to admit that this passage of scripture is slightly awkward. However, if we can get past what’s happening on the surface, we will discover a powerful spiritual principle.
In this passage, we find the Israelites finally crossing into the promised land. If you are familiar with the story, you might remember they got close back in Numbers 13 and 14 but didn’t quite make it in. After that little mishap, they were sentenced to wandering around in the desert for 40 years. At this point in the story, Moses and the older generation have passed away. Joshua and the younger generation are finally ready to enter.
But before they can go in, they must get rid of something. In other words, God wouldn’t allow them to carry something from their old life into their new. At some point, the Israelites had to make the mental decision to see themselves as enslaved people no longer. They had let go of the identity and associations of the past. Circumcision was simply an outward reflection of an inner reality.
I wonder how often we allow former identities and associations to prevent us from experiencing the life God has for us. These things can look vastly different for each of us. For some, it may be a relationship or a habit. For others, it’s a belief system or job. These things have a way of keeping us tethered to the past. So, while we may be saved and know Jesus, we don’t actually ever enter into the promise.
I was recently interviewing a friend for a podcast I host. This friend has an inspiring story of leaving everything to write an epic novel God placed on his heart. At one point in our conversation, he said something that struck me. He said he had to give himself permission to redefine himself.
His formal education was that of an engineer, not an author. Being an engineer was all he had ever known. It was how he had provided for himself and his family. Because of this, he had difficulty embracing being an author. Until he gave himself permission to let go of an old identity and redefine himself according to what God was inviting him into.
What associations, identities, or habits from the past might you need to give yourself permission to let go of? Egypt has no place in the promised land. Rest assured that Jesus died so that you can experience the land of milk and honey, not simply freedom from slavery in the desert.
What a big difference that is.
