The Sword of the LORD

"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.”  (Joshua 5:2, 3). Male circumcision may seem like a primitive - even barbarous - act.   To cut away the flesh of a child and discard it when he is eight days old is a violent exercise that results in pain and shedding of blood.   When Moses' wife Zipporah witnessed it, she said to her husband, "A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision." (Exodus 4:26).   Despite this, God chose circumcision as a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham, and later, with the children of Israel.   " This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.   And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt Me and you. ...

There is a wonderful story of faith and redemption contained in the second chapter of Joshua.   It is not only a story of God's faithfulness to His people, the Jews, but it also reveals His ultimate plan to bring the Gentiles into His fold by faith. Joshua chose two men to go to the city of Jericho as spies and discover what they could about the city's strengths and weaknesses, and what the attitude of the people in Jericho was.   When the two spies reached Jericho they entered into the house of a prostitute by the name of Rahab.   The name " Rahab" is an indirect Quranic name for boys and girls that means “vast”, “spacious”, “open-minded”, or “generous”.   Rahab was all of that and more, to be sure.   Despite her profession, she feared the Lord Who had delivered these Jews from Egypt and across the Red Sea.   Someone saw the men enter her house and told the king of the city that they were there.   Rather than give them up, however, Rahab chos...