Call to Faith: Week Four, Celebrating God’s Goodness
Joshua 5:9-15, NLT
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10 While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. 11 The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. 12 No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.
The Lord’s Commander Confronts Joshua
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”
14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.
Group Discussion Questions
Begin in prayer. Invite the LORD into your time together. He is present, but pray that your circle would be uniquely aware of his presence with you.
Spend some time reading Joshua 5:9-15. You may want to read all of Joshua 5 or choose various Bible translations to explore the text.
What stood out to you as you listened to the sermon on Joshua 5?
In what ways have you seen God “roll away“ the reproach of God’s people? In what ways have you seen God “roll away“ your reproach?
What is the significance to the manna stopping and the Israelites eating of the produce of the promised land? How do you see that same significance in your own life?
Discuss the response from “commander of the army of the LORD“ to Joshua. What is surprising about his response? What is comforting about his response?
Why is Joshua’s response significant? What does this tell us about Joshua? How does Joshua’s response influence our response to the Word of the LORD?
What do you learn about the character of God in this passage?
