And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. Joshua 5:1-9
The story found in the Book of Joshua, Chapter 5, presents a powerful spiritual lesson about deliverance that extends far beyond a historical event. It speaks directly to the need for internal transformation as believers approach their promised inheritance.
At a specific time, the Lord commanded Joshua, “Make sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.” This act took place after the previous generation of men of war, who had come out of Egypt, had died in the wilderness because they disobeyed the voice of the Lord. These newly circumcised individuals were the generation born in the wilderness. Following this physical circumcision, God made a profound declaration: “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off of you”.
The Reproach of Egypt: A Slave Mindset
What exactly was this “reproach of Egypt” that needed to be rolled away? When the people left Egypt, they left their slave masters. However, the scirptures reveal that even after being set free, they still carried the slave mindset. This mindset survived the entire duration of their 40 years in the wilderness.
The characteristics of this slave mentality include:
- Lack of Choice: A slave is totally choiceless; they must do whatever their slave master asks, regardless of personal will.
- Lack of Identity: A slave does not know who they are, feeling suppressed and lacking their own identity. They believe they are truly no better than their current slave situation.
This reproach represents the chains of religion and legalism (slavery to religion). The slave mindset had to be removed before they could inherit the land, as they needed to start thinking differently to possess all that God had for them.
The act that removed this reproach was circumcision. Spiritually, circumcision is understood as the circumcision of the heart by the spirit of God. When a person receives the Holy Spirit, the reproach of slavery and that slavery mindset are taken away.
Love vs. Legalism: The Ministry’s True Purpose
The relationship that the Bridegroom (Christ) desires with His bride is based on love, not on law or legalism.
To prepare the bride, Christ sent a ministry—typified by the friend of the bridegroom—to introduce the bride to Himself. This ministry is often identified as that of the seventh angel (Malachi 4:5-6b), which is the ministry of William Marrion Branham, though the focus is on the ministry, not the person.
The goal of this ministry, and indeed the singular objective of any preacher who has anything from the Bridegroom to the bride, is to make the bride fall in love with the Bridegroom. Just as Eliezar, the servant sent to woo Rebekah for Isaac, spoke only of Isaac and his gifts were intended to foster love for Isaac, the modern ministry must lift up Jesus Christ.
Any ministry that causes the bride to fall in love with the person, the gift, the sensation, or emotionalism is a failed mission and a wasted gift. The purpose of the gifts, the fivefold ministry, and all sensations is solely to lead to “eternal love for the word of God that brings about transformation.”
Washing the Inside of the Cup
Legalism seeks to control outward appearance. This approach of focusing on external requirements, trying to make people “fit into a mold” of what a Christian should look like, is what Jesus spoke against when addressing the scribes and Pharisees.
Jesus said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.”
The danger of this focus is that it creates a heavy burden—a religious constraint—upon the people. It is busy painting people to fit a certain mold, leading to people who outwardly look like Christians (e.g., they don’t wear jewelry or makeup) but whose inward lives (like their temper) are unchanged. This achieves suppression, not transformation. When the suppressing influence (the taskmaster) is removed, the internal reality will express itself.
The correct approach is revealed when Jesus instructs, “Clean first that which is within the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” When you focus on cleaning the inside, the outside will become clean as a natural result. The priority must always be the transformation of the heart.
Sonship and the Power of Choice
The shift from being a slave to being a son is profound. As children of the promise, believers are children of the free woman, not the bondwoman. We are no longer servants but sons and heirs of God through Christ.
A child of the freeborn is characterized by choice. God did not come and force His Bride through legalism. He wooed her so that she would make a choice to surrender based on love.
The Christian is completely free and makes choices to glorify the one who has adopted them. This freedom means they are not a slave to religion (legalism), nor are they a slave to sin (liberalism). This maturity requires making a choice to ditch the reproach of Egypt—that slave mindset—and step into the position of a mature bride. If we truly love the Word, we will be willing to submit ourselves to it, even when the choice is painful, because that love is the essence of the relationship Christ desires.