約書亞記5:1-15

5:1 約旦河西亞摩利人的諸王和靠海迦南人的諸王，聽見耶和華在以色列人前面使約旦河的水乾了，等到我們過去，他們的心因以色列人的緣故就消化了，不再有膽氣。
5:2 那時，耶和華吩咐約書亞說：「你製造火石刀，第二次給以色列人行割禮。」
5:3 約書亞就製造了火石刀，在「除皮山」那裡給以色列人行割禮。
5:4 約書亞行割禮的緣故，是因為從埃及出來的眾民，就是一切能打仗的男丁，出了埃及以後，都死在曠野的路上。
5:5 因為出來的眾民都受過割禮；惟獨出埃及以後、在曠野的路上所生的眾民都沒有受過割禮。
5:6 以色列人在曠野走了四十年，等到國民，就是出埃及的兵丁，都消滅了，因為他們沒有聽從耶和華的話。耶和華曾向他們起誓，必不容他們看見耶和華向他們列祖起誓、應許賜給我們的地，就是流奶與蜜之地。
5:7 他們的子孫，就是耶和華所興起來接續他們的，都沒有受過割禮；因為在路上沒有給他們行割禮，約書亞這才給他們行了。
5:8 國民都受完了割禮，就住在營中自己的地方，等到痊癒了。
5:9 耶和華對約書亞說：「我今日將埃及的羞辱從你們身上滾去了。」因此，那地方名叫吉甲（就是滾的意思），直到今日。
5:10 以色列人在吉甲安營。正月十四日晚上，在耶利哥的平原守逾越節。
5:11 逾越節的次日，他們就吃了那地的出產；正當那日吃無酵餅和烘的穀。
5:12 他們吃了那地的出產，第二日嗎哪就止住了，以色列人也不再有嗎哪了。那一年，他們卻吃迦南地的出產。
5:13 約書亞靠近耶利哥的時候，舉目觀看，不料，有一個人手裡有拔出來的刀，對面站立。約書亞到他那裡，問他說：「你是幫助我們呢，是幫助我們敵人呢？」
5:14 他回答說：「不是的，我來是要作耶和華軍隊的元帥。」約書亞就俯伏在地下拜，說：「我主有甚麼話吩咐僕人。」
5:15 耶和華軍隊的元帥對約書亞說：「把你腳上的鞋脫下來，因為你所站的地方是聖的。」約書亞就照著行了。

 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they^[a] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

² At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.^[b]

⁴ Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. ⁵ All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. ⁶ The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. ⁸ And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal^[c] to this day.

¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. ¹¹ The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² The manna stopped the day after^[d] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord^[e] have for his servant?”

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 so.

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    我們的生命有時候需要重整之後再出發，就像以色列人過了約旦河，上帝沒有讓他們冒進繼續向前征戰，反而讓他們在吉甲接受割禮之後，並且在那裏休息和養傷。

    在吉甲上帝也讓他們回顧過去的歷史：「以色列人在曠野走了四十年，等到國民，就是出埃及的兵丁，都消滅了，因為他們沒有聽從耶和華的話。耶和華曾向他們起誓，必不容他們看見耶和華向他們列祖起誓、應許賜給我們的地，就是流奶與蜜之地他們的子孫，就是耶和華所興起來接續他們的，都沒有受過割禮；因為在路上沒有給他們行割禮，約書亞這才給他們行了。」

    不僅如此，他們還在吉甲過逾越節，上帝更是宣告：「我今日將埃及的羞辱從你們身上滾去了。」

    上帝在我們的生命中也是如此的對待，他從世界拯救我們，也使「魔鬼僕役」的羞辱從我們身上滾去，讓我們得著「上帝兒女」的榮耀，使我們不再受到罪和死的轄制，而是獲得生命和聖靈，成為上帝兒女的保證，成為真自由的人！

    當以色列人身上埃及的羞辱滾去時，約書亞遇見「耶和華軍隊的元帥」，使以色列民有真正的元帥！同樣，今日我們成為上帝的兒女，耶穌基督就成為我們的元帥，帶領我們得上帝國之榮耀境為永遠產業！