11. Rolling Away the Reproach of the Past (Jos 5)

Joshua Chapter 5:1-15
And it happened, when all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, toward the sea, and all the kings of the Canaanites which were by the sea, heard how Jehovah dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel, until they crossed over, their heart was melted. And there was not any more spirit in them before the sons of Israel. (2) At that time Jehovah said to Joshua, Make for yourself flint knives, and again circumcise the sons of Israel, the second time. (3) And Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. (4) And this is the reason Joshua circumcised: All the people who had come out of Egypt, who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness, in the way, as they came out of Egypt. (5) For all the people who had come out were circumcised. And all the people who were born in the wilderness, in the way, as they came out from Egypt, had not been circumcised. (6) For the sons of Israel had walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who had come out of Egypt were consumed, those who did not listen to the voice of Jehovah, to whom Jehovah had sworn to them not to show them the land which Jehovah swore to their fathers, to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey; these were consumed. (7) And He raised their sons up in their place. Joshua circumcised them, for they had been uncircumcised; for they had not been circumcised in the way. (8) And it happened, when all the nation had finished being circumcised, they remained in their places in the camp until they revived. (9) And Jehovah said to Joshua, Today I have rolled the reproach of Egypt off of you. And he called the name of that place Gilgal to this day. (10) And the sons of Israel camped in Gilgal, and prepared the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the plains of Jericho. (11) And they ate the old grain of the land on the morrow of the Passover, unleavened bread and roasted grain, in this same day. (12) And the manna ceased on the next day after they ate of the old grain of the land. And there was no more manna to the sons of Israel, but they ate the produce of the land of Canaan in that year. (13) And it happened, when Joshua was beside Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked. And, behold! A Man stood in front of him, and His drawn sword was in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are You for us, or for our foes? (14) And He said, No, for I now come as the Commander of the army of Jehovah. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped. And he said to Him, What does my Lord speak to His slave? (15) And the Commander of the army of Jehovah said to Joshua, Take your shoe off your foot, for the place on which you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so.

Arcana Coelestia 2039 [7 & 8]
[7] Here is a marvel: When angels in heaven conceive the idea of purification from natural things that are filthy, something akin to circumcision is represented very speedily in the world of spirits, for in the world of spirits angelic ideas come over as representatives. In the Jewish Church there were some representative religious ceremonies which had those same origins and there were others which did not. The spirits with whom that swift circumcision was represented in the world of spirits were people who wished to be allowed into heaven, but before they were allowed in this representation took place. This explains why Joshua was commanded to circumcise the people after they had crossed the Jordan and were about to enter the land of Canaan. The people’s entry into the land of Canaan represented nothing else than the admission into heaven of those who have had faith.

[8] This is why circumcision was commanded a second time, described in Joshua as follows, Jehovah said to Joshua, Make swords of flint for yourself; circumcise the children of Israel a second time. And Joshua made swords of flint for himself, and circumcised the children of Israel on the hill of foreskins. And Jehovah said to Joshua, This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. And he called the name of that place Gilgal (rolling away). Josh. 5:2, 3, 9. ‘Swords of flint’ means the truths which they were to be provided with to enable them to correct and cut back filthy loves, for without cognitions of truth no purification is possible. That ‘stone’ or ‘flirt’ means truths has been shown already, in 643, 1298, and that ‘a sword’ has reference to truths by which evils may be corrected is clear from the Word.

 

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