How does observing Passover in Joshua 5:10 demonstrate obedience to God's commands? Context of Joshua 5:10 Joshua 5:10: “On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites kept the Passover.” • The people have just crossed the Jordan, received circumcision (Joshua 5:2-9), and are now stationed at Gilgal—first foothold inside the Promised Land. • Before any military campaign begins, they pause to remember the Lord’s redemption and submit to His instructions. Foundational Command to Keep Passover • Exodus 12:24-25—“You are to observe this as a statute for you and your descendants forever. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you … you are to keep this service.” • Numbers 9:1-5—Israel kept Passover at Sinai “according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.” • Deuteronomy 16:1-2—“Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God … at the place the LORD will choose.” Together these passages make Passover a perpetual covenant obligation tied specifically to life in the land. Specific Ways Israel Obeyed God in Joshua 5:10 1. Timely observance • “Fourteenth day … at evening” exactly matches Exodus 12:6. 2. Proper place • They keep it “in the plains of Jericho,” inside Canaan, as commanded for future generations (Exodus 12:25). 3. Covenant preparation • Circumcision (Genesis 17:10; Joshua 5:2-9) restored eligibility for Passover (Exodus 12:48), showing careful compliance with every prerequisite. 4. Full participation by the new generation • Wilderness-born Israelites, who had never experienced the first Passover, now publicly align themselves with God’s redemptive history. 5. Remembering redemption while trusting for future victory • The same God who delivered from Egypt will deliver from Canaan’s fortified cities—obedience becomes an act of faith (cf. Joshua 1:7-8). 6. Submission before strategy • They choose worship over warfare; God’s timetable matters more than human urgency (Proverbs 3:5-6). 7. Teaching testimony • Observance provides a living lesson to children (Exodus 12:26-27), ensuring the story of salvation is passed on. Results of Their Obedience • Provision shifts from manna to produce of the land (Joshua 5:11-12)—God rewards obedience with new blessings. • The Commander of the LORD’s army appears (Joshua 5:13-15), signaling divine presence and favor. • Jericho falls without conventional battle tactics (Joshua 6), underscoring that victory follows submission to God’s commands. Lessons for Believers Today • God delights in precise, heartfelt obedience, not selective adherence. • Remembering past deliverance fuels faith for present challenges. • Covenant signs (for us, baptism and the Lord’s Supper) anchor identity and obedience just as circumcision and Passover did for Israel (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). • Obedience before action invites God’s presence and power into every endeavor. |
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