To say this was a radical expression of faith in God would be an understatement. Think about it: The Israelite armies had just invaded the Promised Land, with the Lord drying up the water of the Jordan River to allow them to cross with ease. And because God’s impressive display of power had made all their enemies afraid of them, a swift attack would have been the obvious thing to do.

But instead, the entire army chose that moment to submit to the painful ceremony of circumcision, which rendered them unable to fight for days (verse 8). They thus made themselves supremely vulnerable: if their enemies had chosen to attack them, they could have put up no effective defense.

And why hadn’t they undergone circumcision before they entered enemy territory? After all, 3:1-2 makes it clear that they had made camp for three days before crossing the Jordan River. So if they were required to conduct such a debilitating ritual, why didn’t they do it while they were still relatively safe behind the swollen river, which would have made it much harder for their enemies to attack them?

So, why did they do something that made so little practical or tactical sense? Because, as verse 2 makes clear, God told them what to do and when to do it. And it was precisely by putting His people in such an obviously vulnerable position that God made one thing perfectly clear: He is able to protect those who place their trust in Him.

So, maybe God is asking you to do something that makes no sense to you today: to leave a job or career in order to begin a mission or ministry, to make a contribution you’re just not sure you can afford, or maybe just to forgive your enemies. Will you trust Him to protect you and provide for you and to prosper your efforts to bring Him glory? Or will you trust your own reason, tradition or experience – and play it safe?

Joshua 5:2-9 (NASB)

2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.”
3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt.
5 For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.
6 For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 And their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.
8 Now it came about when they had finished circumcising all the nation, that they remained in their places in the 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 name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.