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Applying the Bible · Thursday · 7 min

Whom He Raised Up

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”…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 5:2,7) Circumcision is not a comfortable topic, yet God ensured this moment was recorded in Scripture. The men who had grown up in the wilderness had not been circumcised, and before entering the land, God required it. Why? Because circumcision was a physical sign that they were set apart as God’s people. Under the new covenant, circumcision of the heart is what matters, not the physical act. Yet the principle remains: God was about to place His people among ungodly nations, and He wanted them marked as distinct, holy, and devoted to Him. Today, we are also called to live as set apart. Not through external marks, but through transformed hearts. How we speak and act, what we laugh at, and what we pursue in life should all reflect who we belong to. Are we noticeably set apart for the LORD, or have we drifted into compromise? The good news is this: while Israel needed time to circumcise the flesh, the heart circumcision can begin today.

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At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”…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 5:2,7)

Circumcision is not a comfortable topic, yet God ensured this moment was recorded in Scripture. The men who had grown up in the wilderness had not been circumcised, and before entering the land, God required it.

Why? Because circumcision was a physical sign that they were set apart as God’s people.

Under the new covenant, circumcision of the heart is what matters, not the physical act. Yet the principle remains: God was about to place His people among ungodly nations, and He wanted them marked as distinct, holy, and devoted to Him.

Today, we are also called to live as set apart. Not through external marks, but through transformed hearts. How we speak and act, what we laugh at, and what we pursue in life should all reflect who we belong to.

Are we noticeably set apart for the LORD, or have we drifted into compromise? The good news is this: while Israel needed time to circumcise the flesh, the heart circumcision can begin today.

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