Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Dr Joseph Wood, Principal and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Church History, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Joshua 5: 9-12 (NLT)
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10 While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. 11 The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. 12 No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.
Devotional Thought
Have you ever eaten something that was so delicious you found yourself saying, “I think I could eat that every single day”. I said this recently about a bag of Sour Cream and Chives Sun Bites from Aldi. Yes, that may sound odd and maybe I was just very hungry, but there is something about the flavour and crunch combination that filled my heart with joy. I couldn’t stop eating them. So when I got to the end of the bag, I went to the shop and bought some more. Now my cupboard is filled with Sun Bites from Aldi. I haven’t eaten them every day, but I have eaten them quite often.
Can you imagine eating the same thing every day for 80 years? Not only that, but can you imagine eating something so bland and unimpressive that it became known as “What is it?” This is the name (manna) given to the food provided for the people of God wandering in the desert in the book of Exodus. For 80 years they were provided the same thing every single day. Even after making it into the promised land of Canaan, the Israelites continued to eat manna...until one day. In chapter 5 of Joshua, we read about the one day everything changed for the Israelites. While they were camped in a placed called Gilgal, they kept the Passover meal, and “The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again.”
Can you imagine what that bread and roasted grain tasted like? NO MORE MANNA! After having eaten the same thing over and over and over again, the Israelites enjoyed something new. It was a feast to be remembered. The camp where they ate was called Gilgal, which means “wheel/rolling”, because on that day, one could say: God rolled away the past. God opened a new future for them. It reminds me of Psalm 34.8 which says, “Taste and see that the Lord’s is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” On that day and in that moment, the Israelites tasted the fruits of the promised land. They literally tasted the goodness and faithfulness of God who had brought them out of Egypt and fulfilled his promise to their ancestor Abraham.
Prayer
This passage reminded me of a song we used to sing at church when I was a child. It is a testimony about the liberation we may experience in Christ, who has the power to “roll away” our sin, opening a new future for each one of us.
I remember when my burdens rolled away;
I had carried them for years, night and day.
When I sought the blessed Lord,
And I took Him at His word,
Then at once all my burdens rolled away.
Rolled away, rolled away,
I am happy since my burdens rolled away.
Rolled away, rolled away,
I am happy since my burdens rolled away.
I remember when my burdens rolled away;
That I feared would never leave, night or day.
Jesus showed to me the loss,
So I left them at the cross;
I was glad when my burdens rolled away.
I remember when my burdens rolled away,
That had hindered me for years, night and day.
As I sought the throne of grace,
Just a glimpse of Jesus’ face,
And I knew that my burdens could not stay.
I am singing since my burdens rolled away;
There’s a song within my heart night and day.
I am living for my King,
And with joy I shout and sing:
“Hallelujah, all my burdens rolled away!”
Author: Minnie A. Steele
Grace and peace,
Rev. Joseph Wood, PhD