A Second Chance

"For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.  So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised.  For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way."             Joshua 5:6-7

This portion of scripture serves as an important part of the Israelites in their history and faith walk with the Lord.  It is at this point that we find the people of Israel, now dubbed for the first time in the previous chapter, the nation of Israel, crossing over into the promised land.  God had just worked a miracle to allow the nation of Israel to cross the Jordan River, allowing them to now step foot into the promised land, the land "flowing with milk and honey", promised to their forefather generations ago.  The interesting thing in this part of the story is that this new generation is now all being circumcised.  Now, I know that for us, living in 2020, this word, this act of circumcision, seems a bit different to our realm of perception.  For us today, it may be difficult at times to see the significance of this act.  But, this was a very important concept for the Jews at this time.  Once circumcised, it served as a seal, or a sign, that you were part of the covenant of the Lord.  It showed that you were part of God's people, and that He had a hand in your life.  More importantly, for this new generation of Israelites crossing over into the promised land, the circumcision to them demonstrated a second chance.  The scripture above prescribed to us, the reason that the generation before was not allowed to enter the promised land.  And this was because of their disobedience.  The generation before had become unfaithful to God, so therefore, it was their portion that they were to be wandering in the wilderness for forty years.  And each one in this generation would die off before God would have it for this new generation to enter the promised land.  This act of circumcision, on this new generation, showed God's love, in that, He is so merciful to give the nation of Israel a second chance, and to mark them as His own.  And this sign, was a seal of the covenant, the promise, that He had with this new generation.  This covenant being a promise of obedience and love, of trust and grace, of mercy and blessing.  God would say, 'I am giving the nation a second chance to obey me, and for me to show that I love them with an abundance of blessing in this new land, in this new life, in this new time'.  The same goes for us.  Today we have a second chance by God.  A chance to be obedient to Him.  To trust that what the Lord is calling us to do is to be humble, faithful, and trusting of Him, because He wants to bless us.  Today, we have an opportunity to trust, that even though crossing over to a new land may be scary, fearful, and anxiety-stricken, we can choose to trust that God is leading us in the right direction.  A direction that will lead to an abundant life, overflowing with peace, joy, and love.  Pray today, and ask the Lord for strength, direction, and courage to follow Him and his will in new directions for your life.  Ask Him to make it clear which way to go in life, that ultimately brings glory to our Lord, and abundant peace and joy in your life.  Love you all!  Praying for you and yours!  Have a blessed day, it's your choice!