Holy Ground in the Bible

The Book of Joshua
Chapter 5

The Holy Ground in the Bible Lesson
You Are Standing on Holy Ground Event

Glad to see you again to share another slice of Daily Bread!

Well, news that the Lord dried up the Jordan for the children of Israel to cross, reached the kings of the Amorites on the west side of the Jordan and the kings of the Canaanites by the sea, and it put fear in their hearts.

Even though there was no mass media in those days, it's a safe bet that these kings recalled hearing about the Lord drying up the Red Sea and how the children of Israel, by the hand of the Lord, defeated Amalek shortly after (Exodus 17:13). Certainly they had also heard of how Israel defeated the Canaanites (Numbers 21:3), the Amorites (Numbers 21:24), and Bashan (Numbers 21:35).

The Holy Ground in the Bible Study
You Are Standing on Holy Ground Warning

Keep in mind that at this time in history, weaponry for war consisted mainly of swords, spears and bow and arrows, so for Israel to defeat these kings and their peoples, must have literally put the fear of God in all nations that heard of the incredible destruction that the Israelites achieved, because they really had no obvious advantage over anyone ... Except for the hand of the Lord, that is!

At that time, the Lord told Joshua to make sharp knives and circumcise the children of Israel. This was a covenant that the Lord made with Abraham (Genesis 17:9-13), to set the Hebrews apart from all other people. All the males that came out of Egypt were circumcised but all those who were born in the wilderness were not. And all those who came out of Egypt died in the wilderness because they disobeyed the Lord (Numbers 26:65, Deuteronomy 2:14-15), so Joshua circumcised them and they stayed in the camp until they were healed.

Remember now, in the last chapter, that this is the time of the Passover celebration, so on the fourteenth day of the first month, the children of Israel celebrated this day according to God's law and the morning after, they ate the ripe grain of the land, unleavened bread and roasted corn. On the following day, the manna stopped and the children of Israel ate the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

The Holy Ground in the Bible Teaching
You Are Standing on Holy Ground Danger

As Joshua set out for Jericho, he saw a man with a sword drawn in his hand, and he went up to him and asked, Are you for us, or for our enemies? Well, this "man" was actually an Angel of the Lord, and he replied to Joshua, I've come as the captain of the Lord's army.

Okay, let's think spiritually here for a moment ... Does this mean that an army of Angels was sent by the Lord, among the children of Israel ... Enabling them by all appearances, to effortlessly defeat their enemies? It certainly makes sense, doesn't it?

Joshua fell on his face and said, I'm your servant, tell me what to do. So the captain of the Lord's army said, Take your shoes off, because the place where you stand is Holy. Sound familiar? Just think of how inspiring this must have been for Joshua, having surely heard from Moses the story about when the same message was spoken to him out of the burning bush at Mt. Horeb (Exodus 3:5).

The Holy Ground in the Bible Summary
You Are Standing on Holy Ground Conclusion

Exciting times ahead for Joshua and the children of Israel, so be sure to come back to Daily Bread and see what happens next!