What significance does the date in Joshua 4:19 hold for Israel's history? The Tenth Day of the First Month—What the Verse Says “On the tenth day of the first month, the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.” (Joshua 4:19) A Date Already Etched in Israel’s Memory • Exodus 12:3 – Forty years earlier, on this very date, every household in Egypt selected a spotless lamb for the first Passover. • Exodus 12:6 – Four days later (the fourteenth), the lamb was sacrificed and the nation marched out redeemed. • By placing their crossing into Canaan on the tenth, God ties entrance into the land to the moment He first declared them His redeemed people. Layers of Meaning in the Timing • Completion of Redemption’s Journey – The people left Egypt under the blood of the lamb; they now step into the promise on the same calendar marker. – The wilderness period closes precisely where the redemption story began, book-ending forty years of God’s faithfulness. • Renewal of Covenant Purpose – Joshua 5:2–9 will record mass circumcision at Gilgal, restoring the sign of the covenant that had lapsed. – Crossing on the Passover-lamb selection day signals covenant renewal before they fight a single battle. • Alignment with Israel’s Worship Calendar – Joshua 5:10 – Just four days after crossing, Israel celebrates the first Passover in the land. – God sovereignly schedules national milestones so worship frames their warfare and daily life. Foreshadowing the Ultimate Passover Lamb • John 1:29 – “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” • Luke 19:28-44 – Many scholars note that Jesus’ triumphal entry occurred on or near the tenth of Nisan, the day the lambs were traditionally presented. • By mirroring the Jordan crossing date, Scripture quietly anticipates the greater Joshua (Jesus) who secures final rest (Hebrews 4:8-10). Practical Takeaways for Today • God orders both our departures and our arrivals—He wastes no dates. • Remembering past deliverance fuels present obedience; Israel’s first act in the land is worship, not warfare. • The calendar of redemption keeps pointing to Christ; every detail underscores that God finishes what He starts (Philippians 1:6). Key Scriptures to Review Together • Exodus 12:3–14 – Choosing and sacrificing the lamb • Joshua 4:19–24 – Memorial stones and teaching future generations • Joshua 5:10–12 – First Passover in Canaan • Hebrews 4:8-10 – Jesus as the true giver of rest |
    |