20251118 [새벽묵상] 새로운 시작을 위한 거룩한 준비 | A Holy Preparation for a New Beginning (수/Josh 5:2~15)

5:2 그 때에 여호와께서 여호수아에게 이르시되 너는 부싯돌로 칼을 만들어 이스라엘 자손들에게 다시 할례를 행하라 하시매

5:3 여호수아가 부싯돌로 칼을 만들어 할례 산에서 이스라엘 자손들에게 할례를 행하니라

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

5:4 여호수아가 할례를 시행한 까닭은 이것이니 애굽에서 나온 모든 백성 중 남자 곧 모든 군사는 애굽에서 나온 후 광야 길에서 죽었는데

5:5 그 나온 백성은 다 할례를 받았으나 다만 애굽에서 나온 후 광야 길에서 난 자는 할례를 받지 못하였음이라

5:6 이스라엘 자손들이 여호와의 음성을 청종하지 아니하므로 여호와께서 그들에게 대하여 맹세하사 그들의 조상들에게 맹세하여 우리에게 주리라고 하신 땅 곧 젖과 꿀이 흐르는 땅을 그들이 보지 못하게 하리라 하시매 애굽에서 나온 족속 곧 군사들이 다 멸절하기까지 사십 년 동안을 광야에서 헤매었더니

5:7 그들의 대를 잇게 하신 이 자손에게 여호수아가 할례를 행하였으니 길에서는 그들에게 할례를 행하지 못하였으므로 할례 없는 자가 되었음이었더라

5:8 또 그 모든 백성에게 할례 행하기를 마치매 백성이 진중 각 처소에 머물며 낫기를 기다릴 때에

4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

5:9 여호와께서 여호수아에게 이르시되 내가 오늘 애굽의 수치를 너희에게서 떠나가게 하였다 하셨으므로 그 곳 이름을 오늘까지 길갈이라 하느니라

9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

5:10 또 이스라엘 자손들이 길갈에 진 쳤고 그 달 십사일 저녁에는 여리고 평지에서 유월절을 지켰으며

5:11 유월절 이튿날에 그 땅의 소산물을 먹되 그 날에 무교병과 볶은 곡식을 먹었더라

5:12 또 그 땅의 소산물을 먹은 다음날에 만나가 그쳤으니 이스라엘 사람들이 다시는 만나를 얻지 못하였고 그 해에 가나안 땅의 소출을 먹었더라

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

5:13 여호수아가 여리고에 가까이 이르렀을 때에 눈을 들어 본즉 한 사람이 칼을 빼어 손에 들고 마주 서 있는지라 여호수아가 나아가서 그에게 묻되 너는 우리를 위하느냐 우리의 적들을 위하느냐 하니

The Fall of Jericho

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

5:14 그가 이르되 아니라 나는 여호와의 군대 대장으로 지금 왔느니라 하는지라 여호수아가 얼굴을 땅에 대고 엎드려 절하고 그에게 이르되 내 주여 종에게 무슨 말씀을 하려 하시나이까

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

5:15 여호와의 군대 대장이 여호수아에게 이르되 네 발에서 신을 벗으라 네가 선 곳은 거룩하니라 하니 여호수아가 그대로 행하니라

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

                  지난 여름에 저희 가족은 고양이를 한마리 입양했습니다. 고양이를 입양하기로 결정을 한 뒤에는 집 근처 동물 보호소를 여러차례 방문하면서 저희 가족과 잘 맞을 것 같은 고양이가 나타나기를 기다렸죠. 그렇게 동물 보호소에서 몇 주 동안 잠복한 끝에 드디어 저희 마음에 쏙 드는 고양이를 발견했습니다. 아이는 고양이를 빨리 집으로 데려가자고 조급해 하는데 이것도 다 준비 과정이 있더군요. 저희가 선택한 고양이는 10개월이었는데 저희가 그 아이를 데려가기로 결정하자마자 보호소에서 그 아이를 데려다가 중성화 수술을 시키더라구요. 입양이 결정되자마자 수술대 위에 올라야 한다니 고양이가 불쌍하다는 생각이 들었습니다. 그러나 보호소에서는 오히려  새로운 가족과 함께 살기 위해 반드시 필요한 과정이라고 설명을 해주더군요. 중성화를 하면 발정기가 오지 않아 고양이에게 스트레스를 줄여주고 수명을 늘려준다고 합니다. 또 영역표시를 하지 않기 때문에 가족들에게도 양육의 어려움을 줄여준다는 것이었습니다. 그래서 입양 전에 반드시 중성화를 해야 한다는 것입니다. 오늘 말씀도 마찬가지입니다. 이제 이스라엘 백성들은 그토록 염원하던 요단 강을 건넜습니다. 마음 같아서는 지금 당장이라도 눈 앞의 여리고 성을 향해 진격하고 싶은데 하나님께서는 이들에게 할례를 행하라고 명령하십니다. 이 말씀은 약속의 땅을 차지하기 전에 준비해야 할 것이 무엇인지를 생각하게 합니다. 오늘은 새로운 시작을 위한 거룩한 준비라는 제목으로 말씀을 전하기 원합니다.

Last summer, my family decided to adopt a cat. After making the decision, we visited local animal shelters repeatedly, waiting for the perfect cat to match our family. Finally, after weeks of "staking out" the shelter, we found a cat that stole our hearts.

My child was impatient, wanting to bring the cat home immediately, but I learned that there is an essential process involved. The cat we chose was 10 months old, and as soon as we decided to adopt him, the shelter took him in for a neutering procedure. I felt sorry for the cat, having to go under the knife right after his adoption was confirmed.

However, the shelter explained that this was a necessary step for him to live a healthy life with his new family. Neutering reduces stress from heat cycles and prolongs the cat's life. It also prevents territory marking, which makes the new family's job easier. They insisted that the procedure must be done before the adoption is finalized.

Our scripture today tells a similar story. The Israelites have finally crossed the Jordan River, which they had longed for. Logically, they should be marching immediately toward the city of Jericho, which lies directly before them. Instead, God commands them to perform circumcision.

This passage prompts us to consider what must be prepared before we claim the promised blessings in our lives.

Today, I want to preach on the theme: A Holy Preparation for a New Beginning.

                    첫번째, 새로운 시작 전에 우리는 먼저 하나님과의 관계를 회복해야 합니다. 2절 말씀 함께 읽겠습니다. “그 때에 여호와께서 여호수아에게 이르시되 너는 부싯돌로 칼을 만들어 이스라엘 자손들에게 다시 할례를 행하라 하시매” 약속의 땅인 가나안 땅이 눈 앞에 있는데 하나님께서는 이들에게 할례를 행하라고 명령하십니다. 여러분 할례가 의미하는 바가 무엇입니까? 바로 하나님의 언약의 백성이라는 것입니다. 창세기 17장에서 아브라함에게 하나님께서 언약을 주시고 그에게 할례를 행하라고 명령하시지요. 그것이 아브라함과 하나님 사이의 언약의 표징이라고 말씀하셨습니다. 그래서 하나님의 언약 아래 있는 아브라함의 후손들은 모두 할례를 받아야 하는 것이지요. 그런데 본문 4-7절의 말씀은 다른 이야기를 하고 있습니다. 5절 말씀을 함께 읽겠습니다. “그 나온 백성은 다 할례를 받았으나 다만 애굽에서 나온 후 광야 길에서 난 자는 할례를 받지 못하였음이라” 출애굽하였던 첫번째 세대는 다 할례를 받았지만 광야에서 태어난 두번째 세대는 할례를 받지 못했다는 것입니다. 하나님의 언약 백성이라는 증표가 할례인데 이들은 7절 말씀처럼 할례 없는 자, 즉 하나님의 언약에서 끊어진 사람들이 되었다는 것입니다. 하나님의 언약이 가나안 땅을 기업으로 주신다는 것이었는데 이들이 그 언약에서 끊어졌다면 이들이 가장 먼저 해야하는 것은 가나안 땅으로 들어가는 것이아니라 언약 안으로 먼저 들어가야하겠지요. 그것이 순리 아니겠습니까? 그래서 하나님께서는 이들에게 당신과의 언약의 관계를 먼저 회복하라고 명령하시는 것입니다. 그런데 그 관계의 회복에 있어서 가장 중요한 것 한가지가 바로 순종입니다. 6절을 보시면 출애굽 1세대가 여호와의 음성을 청종하지 아니하였다는 이야기가 나옵니다. 사실 두번째 세대가 할례를 받지 못하였던 것은 1세대가 순종하지 않았던 결과이지요. 그래서 할례를 받는 것은 하나님의 말씀에 대한 온전한 순종을 뜻하는 것이기도 합니다. 이들의 상황을 생각해 보십시오. 지금 이들은 요단강을 건너 적진 한가운데에 들어왔습니다. 할례를 행하라고 명령하실 것이라면 요단강 건너기 전에 말씀을 하셨어야죠. 그렇지 않습니까? 여러분 창세기 34장의 세겜 사건을 생각하신다면 그들이 전투를 앞두고 할례를 행한다는 것이 얼마나 위험한 것인지 그들이 모를리가 없습니다. 그러나 그들은 그 즉시 또 온전히 순종하였습니다. 8절을 보니 모든 백성이 할례를 행하고 낫기까지 기다렸다고 하지 않습니까? 3절에서 그 잘라낸 포피가 산을 이룰 정도라고 하니 그들이 어떻게 하나님의 말씀에 순종하였는지 우리는 알 수 있습니다. 그 때에 하나님께서는 9절 말씀에 애굽의 수치를 그들에게서 떠나가게 하였다 라고 말씀하시는 것을 볼 수 있습니다. 이제 이들은 더이상 애굽의 그림자 가운데 있는 종된 자들이 아니라 하나님께만 순종하는 언약의 백성이 된 것입니다. 그때에야 그들은 하나님의 전쟁에 참여할 수 있게 되는 것이지요. 여기에 오늘 두번째 포인트가 있습니다.

[Point 1: Before We Begin, We Must Restore Our Relationship with God]

First, before any new beginning, we must first restore our covenant relationship with God. Let’s read verse 2 together:

"At that time the Lord said to Joshua, 'Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.'"

The Promised Land of Canaan is right before their eyes, yet God commands them to perform circumcision. What does circumcision signify? It is the sign of being God’s covenant people. In Genesis 17, God gave Abraham the covenant and commanded him to be circumcised. He declared that it was the token of the covenant between Abraham and God. Thus, all descendants of Abraham under this covenant must be circumcised.

However, verses 4-7 reveal a different story. Let’s read verse 5:

"All the people born in Egypt who came out were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not been circumcised."

The first generation that came out of Egypt had been circumcised, but the second generation, born in the wilderness, had not. Circumcision, the sign of being God's covenant people, was missing. Verse 7 states that they were uncircumcised, meaning they were technically cut off from the covenant.

Since the covenant promised them the land of Canaan, their priority should not be entering the land, but rather entering back into the covenant. That is the proper order. Therefore, God commands them to restore their covenant relationship with Him first.

And the most critical element in restoring this relationship is obedience. Verse 6 mentions that the first generation did not listen to the voice of the Lord. In fact, the reason the second generation was uncircumcised was a result of the first generation's failure to obey God's command during the wilderness journey.

Therefore, receiving circumcision also means rendering complete obedience to the Word of God. Think about their situation. They have just crossed the Jordan and are deep inside enemy territory. If God intended to give this command, shouldn't He have mentioned it before they crossed the river?

If you recall the incident in Shechem in Genesis 34, they knew how dangerous it was to perform circumcision right before a battle. Yet, they obeyed immediately and completely. Verse 8 says the entire nation received circumcision and waited until they recovered. Imagine the sight of all those men willingly submitting to the Lord’s command! Once this act of obedience was complete, verse 9 tells us that God declared, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you."

They were no longer slaves under the shadow of Egypt but were now a covenant people, obedient only to God. Only then could they participate in God's war. This leads to our second point.

                  두번째, 전쟁은 하나님께 속한 것임을 기억해야 합니다. 10-12절은 이들이 적진 한 가운데인 여리고 평지에서 유월절을 지키는 모습을 보여주고 있습니다.  이는 출애굽기 13:5-10에 명령하신 가나안 땅에 이르면 유월절을 지키라는 말씀에 순종하는 모습이지요. 또한 이는 “여호와께서 강하신 손으로 너를 애굽에서 인도하여 내셨음 (13:9)” 을 기억하기위해서 이기도 합니다. 애초에 이들이 이렇게 적진 한 가운데서 할례를 행하고 유월절을 지킬 수 있는 것은 5:1의 말씀처럼 하나님께서 가나안 사람의 모든 왕들의 마음을 녹이시고 전의를 상실하게 만드셨기 때문에 가능했던 일입니다. 12절을 보면 이들이 유월절 이튿날부터 가나안 땅의 소산물을 먹기 시작하자 만나가 그쳤다고 전하고 있지요. 만나가 그침으로 이들은 하나님의 약속이 성취된 것을 직접 피부로 느낄 수 있었습니다. 40년의 광야 생활이 이제 공식적으로 끝이난 것이지요. 아마 그때에 그들은 그 40년의 광야 생활 동안 하나님께서 그들을 어떻게 지키시고 공급하셨는지 다시 한번 돌아보았을 것입니다. 또한 앞으로 그들 눈 앞에 있는 전쟁에도 40년 동안 신실하게 그들의 싸움을 싸우시고 공급하셨던 하나님이 동일하게 함께 하실 것임을 알았을 것입니다. 그것을 확인시켜 주시는 것이 바로 13-15절 말씀입니다. 여호수아는 여리고 근처에서 여호와의 군대 대장을 만납니다. 그는 칼을 빼어 손에 들고 여호수아를 마주 서지요. 이에 여호수아는 그 앞에 엎드려 절하며 그를 보내신 하나님의 뜻을 묻습니다. 15절 말씀 함께 읽겠습니다. “여호와의 군대 대장이 여호수아에게 이르되 네 발에서 신을 벗으라 네가 선 곳은 거룩하니라 하니 여호수아가 그대로 행하니라” 이 말씀은 너무나 유명한 말씀, 출애굽기 3:5의 하나님께서 불타는 떨기나무 가운데서 모세를 부르실 때의 말씀을 기억나게 합니다. 출애굽은 모세가 시작한 것이 아니지요. 하나님께서 모세를 부르셔서 시작하신 일입니다. 그리고 이제 그 약속의 땅으로 들어가기 직전에 하나님께서는 여호수아에게 나타나셔서 이 일을 시작하신 이가 이를 이루실 것임을 보여주고 계시는 것입니다. 이는 앞으로 전개될 정복 전쟁이 하나님의 전쟁이며 하나님의 군대대장이 이스라엘 백성과 함께 할 것을 보여주고 계신 것입니다.

[Point 2: We Must Remember That the War Belongs to God]

Second, we must remember that the war belongs to God. Verses 10-12 show them celebrating the Passover on the plains of Jericho, deep inside enemy lines. This is an act of obedience to the command in Exodus 13:5-10, which told them to celebrate Passover once they arrived in the Promised Land. This was done to remind them that "the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand" (Ex. 13:9).

The only reason they could perform circumcision and celebrate Passover in the middle of enemy territory is that, as stated in verse 1, "the Lord had made the hearts of all the kings of the Amorites... melt and despair."

Verse 12 states that the day after Passover, the manna ceased as they began to eat the produce of Canaan. By the manna stopping, they physically experienced the fulfillment of God's promise. The 40 years of wilderness wandering had officially ended.

At that moment, they must have reflected on how God faithfully protected and provided for them during those 40 years. They knew that the same God who faithfully fought their battles and provided for them would be with them in the wars that lay ahead.

This truth is confirmed in verses 13-15. Joshua encounters the Commander of the Army of the Lord near Jericho. The Commander stood opposite him with a drawn sword. Joshua falls down before Him, asking for God’s will. Let’s read verse 15 together:

"The Commander of the Lord’s army replied, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.' And Joshua did so."

This famous command echoes Exodus 3:5, when God called Moses from the burning bush. The Exodus did not begin with Moses; it began when God called Moses. Now, right before they enter the Promised Land, God appears to Joshua to show him that the one who started this work will be the one who finishes it. This shows that the conquest that is about to unfold is God’s war, and the Commander of the Lord’s army will be with the Israelites.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 본문의 말씀은 약속의 땅을 차지하는 새로운 시작을 앞둔 이스라엘 백성들이 어떻게 거룩하게 준비하였는지를 보여주고 있습니다. 그들이 요단강을 건너 가장 먼저 행해야 했던 것은 바로 하나님과의 언약 관계를 회복하는 할례였습니다. 이는 우리 또한 삶의 전쟁에 나서기에 앞서 가장 먼저 온전한 순종으로 하나님과의 관계를 회복해야 한다는 것을 보여줍니다. 또한 우리의 싸움은 우리의 힘이 아닌 하나님께 속한 것임을 명확히 기억해야 합니다. 오늘도 이 말씀을 의지하여 우리가 맞서야 할 생활의 싸움과 영적 싸움에서 순종하는 믿음으로 하나님의 싸움을 승리하시는 여러분 되시기를 축복합니다.

[Conclusion]

This passage shows us how the Israelites made themselves holy in preparation for a new beginning in the Promised Land. The very first thing they had to do after crossing the Jordan was circumcision, restoring their covenant relationship with God.

This shows us that before we engage in the battles of our lives, we must first restore our relationship with God through complete obedience. Furthermore, we must clearly remember that our fight does not depend on our strength, but on God's.

Today, may you rely on this word, live in obedient faith, and conquer the battles of your life and the spiritual warfare before you, knowing the victory belongs to God. Amen.