Today I Have Removed the Disgrace

At about this time, the Lord said to Joshua, “Make stone knives for yourself from a sharp rock, and sit down and circumcise the sons of Israel.” So Joshua made sharp stone knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at the place called the Hill of Foreskins.” (Joshua 5:2–3 LXX)

Before coming out of Egypt, the nation had received this sign being Abraham’s offspring (Gen 17), and afterward, those coming out failed to keep the rite. While we do not have a definite reason for stopping the practice, we might surmise the catalyst to be Korah’s rebellion resulting in God judging their sin by promising that their generation would not enter the land. Coupled with that, the following day the people complained (Num 16) resulting in the death of thousands of Israel. Between these, we can understand if the people might have been greatly humbled, feeling unworthy or discouraged. Whatever the case, a new generation had grown up without circumcision. Now on the edge of the Jordan River, the people needed to be brought in line with who and what they were called to be, a chosen people: something remained that needed attention.

In this manner, Joshua completely purified the sons of Israel, as many as were born at any time along the way and as many as were uncircumcised after they came out of Egypt. (Joshua 5:4 LXX)

Both the Masoretic and Septuagint texts explain that a generation of men had died in the wilderness; however, the Septuagint offers that the intended result of this circumcision was purification. All males within the covenant were to receive this (Gen 17:10–13), but if a male did not have this mark, he was to be cut off (Gen 17:14) regardless of his family lineage or ties. Basically, the uncircumcised were impure. So it was with this generation of Israel that had just come into the promised land: they could not enter until fulfilling their obligation. Today, in a similar fashion, those claiming to be of the family of faith have no real claim unless baptized. How does this work?

Paul tells the church at Colossae that Christians are “circumcised with the circumcision made without hands” in Christ via baptism (Col 2:11–12), being enlivened from trespasses and uncircumcision of the flesh (Col 2:13). What is the performative work in this passage? Baptism. We must assume, then, that baptism if one claiming to be a believer is not baptized, we must question their veracity. Conversely, if someone is baptized we must acknowledge the newness of life—regardless of that person’s amount of faith or capacity to articulate it. Baptism purifies and opens the ability to enter into the rest promised in Christ.

Then the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, “Today I have removed the disgrace of Egypt from you.” (Joshua 5:9 LXX)

Though Joshua and his designees performed the physical act, it was the Lord who removed the disgrace remaining on Israel: He identified Himself as the person circumcising the people through His agents. Christians should understand this concept as we gather and relate as the Body of Christ in fellowship with one another: spiritual gifts are practiced to encourage and build up the saints. Where we often misstep is when we speak of activities that the Lord does, yet require a human agent. Take forgiveness of sins as an example. The scribes were correct when they responded to Jesus’ words, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7) Whereas being God incarnate allows a person to do all that He wills, the typical Evangelical bristles when a pastor or priest says, “Your sins are forgiven” and may retort in the same manner as the scribes; yet the Lord left the Church with the authority to do just that: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23). The act of proclaiming forgiveness was not new. Consider the sin and trespass offerings of the Levitical code (Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7). Later on, Nathan tells King David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Sam 12:13). What now prevents the pastor from proclaiming the forgiveness of sins since he is acting in the same capacity? The Lord forgives, but someone else is the mouthpiece.

In a similar fashion, baptism enlivens because God is doing the work (Col 2:12). There are some who opine that baptism is a good work that we do. Yes, the baptizer and baptized are participants in the action, but the work is completely divine. Nothing about baptism can be considered a work we do or allow one to receive credit before God/ What is received is that which comes on the basis of faith through Christ. The men enduring the mass circumcision of Israel considered their election in Abraham to be sufficient. Their passive willingness to endure the cutting and subsequent pain showed that they accepted something must be done whether or not they completely understood the reason for it. While we, thankfully, are no longer required to endure the same physical pain, the need to remove disgrace or reproach remains, therefore baptism.

I leave with a quote from Origen:

But since Christ came and gave to us the second circumcision through “the baptism of regeneration” and purified our souls, we have cast away all these things and in exchange for them we have received the affirming of a good conscience toward God. At that time, through the second circumcision, the reproaches of Egypt were taken away from us, and the blemishes of sins were purified. No one, therefore, fears the reproaches of past transgressions, if he has been wholly converted and has repented from the heart, and, by faith, has parted the waters of the Jordan and been purified through the second circumcision of the gospel. You hear that, “Today, I have taken the reproach of Egypt away from you.”

Homilies on Joshua, 5.6