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SURVEY OF BIBLE HISTORY
Gilgal - Part 1
Joshua Lesson 4

Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1998
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

Joshua 4:19 says, "And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho."

1.The first night west of the Jordan was spent in Gilgal; and it was at Gilgal that Israel eventually established the base camp which was to be their headquarters throughout the subsequent campaigns.

Although no trace of the original 12 stones remains, the general location of Gilgal is well known today. The general area, located between Jericho and Jordan, which lies about 2 miles from Jericho, and 3 miles from Jordan, is known as Jiljulieh. The cite of Gilgal is inconspicuous, and differs only from other portions of the sterile plain by the presence of a number of low mounds. The area as a whole is flat, and very suitable for an encampment. To the immediate south of the area is a deepening valley known as Wady Kelt, or "Valley of Achor". Considering that the Israeli camp was roughly a mile square, the Gilgal encampment was exactly ½ way between Jordan and Jericho.

2. It is noteworthy that God magnified Joshua in the miraculous river crossing. Josh. 4:14 says, "On that day the Lord maqnified Joshua in the siqht of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses all the days of his life." In this, he became an excellent foreshadow of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was baptized in the very place where Israel crossed the river. From From John 1, you will see that is where John the Baptist was baptizing, and the place unto which Jesus came to him, and was baptized. John 1:28 says, "These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing "Bethabara" literally means "house of the ford" (Davis Dictionary); and signifies "the place of the passage", according to Arthur Pink in his book GLEANINGS IN JOSHUA. When Jesus was baptized there in the Jordan, Matt. 3:16-17 says, "And Jesus,when he was baptized, went up straiqhtway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were ,opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a doves and lightinq upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." When you realize that Christ was magnified by the Father at his baptism at the very place where Israel passed through the river and where Joshua was magnified, you can appreciate more the magnification of Joshua. It is a beautiful foreshadow of the glory of Christ at his baptism. Such intricate and clear credentializing and authentication of the ministry of Jesus Christ, yet millions scoff and do not believe.

3. As Israel camped there at Gilgal, they could savor the miraculous blessings of God upon them. The miraculous river crossing had just occurred; yet just ahead was Jericho; and not far beyond were hundreds of other fortified places like Jericho. War was about to begin.

Every believer should pause long; and let this lesson slowly sink into the pores of your soul until it saturates you completely. Blessings and battles always go together in the christian life. Most often, the greater the blessing, the greater the battle you can expect in your life. Some of us, by grace, have established a bridgehead in the land of blessing. By faith we have crossed over Jordan. Before we, in the enthusiasm of the moment, start to rush in and settle down in the land of blessings, let us consider the fact that there is a tremendous war confronting us. If we are to maintain the blessings, we will have to fight the battles.

4. Gilgal soon became holy ground to the people of Israel. As we shall see throughout the book of Joshua, Gilgal has 3 unique peculiarities to the people of Israel:

a. Gilgal was the base of all their operations against the Canaanite enemies. Their base camp stayed here, and Gilgal became their supply base.

b. Gilgal was also Israel's point for readjustment. When things went wrong, or a change was in order, Gilgal was the place to which they went.

c. Also, Gilgal was always the line of communication between the battle fronts. It was central intelligence headquarters. Gilgal had to be kept clear.

5. Alan Redpath in his book VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING, has pointed out six excellent lessons from Gilgal for every believer:

a.First, Gilgal was a place of remembrance. In Josh. 4:9, God commanded Joshua to take 12 stones out of the river from the place where the feet of the priest stood firm, "And ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodqe this niqht." V. 20 says, "And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilqal."

Twelve stones set up on the victory side of Jordan as a perpetual memory of what God had done for them that day. Whenever Joshua and future generation Israelites returned from occasional defeats or from mighty victories, there were always those stones as a constant reminder that the feet of the priests had

stood firm until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people. God said people would come here to Gilgal and ask "what mean these stones?" And he said, "then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over, That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God forever." The lesson for you and me is potent. The foreshadow here is of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. At Calvary he died. His feet stood firm until every thing God the Father had commanded ~ was finished. As he hanged there, with the perfect work of redemption in mind, he said, "It is finished", Jno. 19:30. There, once and for all, the sin question was settled. There is now no controversy between heaven and earth on the issue of sin. Heaven says it is settled once for all upon the strength of the finished work of him whose feet stood firm: Christ, our rejected, crucified, despised Redeemer. However mild or gross a man's sins might be is no issue at all, for at Calvary, the sin issue was forever settled for all who believe. No wonder then Isaiah could prophetically say of Jesus at Calvary, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvationl that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"

Christ died at Calvary, but the truth that is so personally glorious for us is that we died with him. Not only did the priests feet stand in the Jordan, but the feet of the people went down into the river too. I believe that is a beautiful and clearcut foreshadow of our personal identification with Christ by faith. As God sees it, when he died, we believers died, too. Listen to II Cor. 5:14, "if one died for all, then were all dead". Paul said in Gal. 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ". In one sense, Jesus was not alone when he went to the cross· Every believer was dying in him.

Now, believer, there is your whole basis of victory. Calvary is your base camp. As the rock pile was Israel's reminder, the cross is yours. The rock pile said their only power was through God; and the cross says your only strength and hope for victory is in the power of Christ; not your own power. As Gilgal was their base camp, and power base, even so the cross is your base camp, your power base. As Paul put it in Acts 17:28 "In him we live, and move, and have our being." He also said in II Cor. 3:5, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." Believer, don't forget where you came from, or where your strength lies. If you do, you'll end up like Samson. Gilgal says your strength is in the work God, in Christ, did for you on the cross.

QUESTIONS ON GILGAL
PART #1

1. Where did Israel spend her first night west of the Jordan River?

2. Describe the proximity of Gilgal to Jordan and Jericho.

3. By what name is the area of ancient Gilgal known today?

4. What did God do personally for Joshua in the miraculous crossing of the jordon to Gilgal ?

5· By what name was the crossing point of the Jordan known in Jesus' earthly days?

6. What happened to jesus at the spot of the crossing?

7. What did the Father do for the Son at the place of the crossing?

8. How does God's exaltation of Joshua at the crossing of the Jordan foreshadow the baptism of Jesus Christ?

9. As Israel entered the land of blessings, what was just ahead?

10. What does the outlook for Israel at that point say to every believer?

11. Name three distinct peculiarities of Gilgal to the people of Israel.

12. What physical edifice made Gilgal a place of remembrance to Israel?

13. Explain why the west side of jordan can be rightfully called the victory side.

14. Of what did the memorial stones perpetually testify to Israel?

15. What work of Christ do the memorial stones foreshadow?

16. Explain how the priest's feet standing firm until every detail of the crossing was finished foreshadows the work of Christ?

17. When Christ died on the cross, what happened to every believer?

18. By what means does one personally identify with Christ on the cross?

19. What does the fact that Gilgal was base camp for Israel say to believers?

20. What does the fact that Israel could never forget Gilgal, yet win the wars, say to every believer?

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"