“And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.”
My Notes
What Does Joshua 5:10 Mean?
This verse records a quietly monumental event: Israel keeps the Passover for the first time in the Promised Land. They've crossed the Jordan, camped at Gilgal, and now — on the fourteenth day of the month, exactly as prescribed in Exodus 12 — they observe the feast that commemorates their deliverance from Egypt. The location matters: "the plains of Jericho," within sight of the first fortified city they would need to conquer.
The Passover had been observed at Sinai (Numbers 9:5), but there's no record of Israel keeping it during the thirty-eight years of wilderness wandering after the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea. This observance at Gilgal marks a restart — a generation that had grown up in the wilderness now performing the foundational act of worship that defined their identity as a delivered people.
The timing is also striking. Jericho's walls are still standing. The military campaign hasn't begun. And instead of preparing for battle, Israel stops to worship. They keep a feast. They remember Egypt. The first act in the Promised Land isn't conquest — it's commemoration. Before God gives them what's ahead, He makes sure they remember what's behind.
Reflection Questions
- 1.When was the last time you paused to remember God's past faithfulness before charging into your next challenge?
- 2.Israel worshipped within sight of Jericho's walls. How does worshipping in the presence of an unresolved problem change the nature of that worship?
- 3.The Passover reconnected a new generation to the story of the exodus. What spiritual practice reconnects you to the foundational moments of your own faith?
- 4.Is there a situation where God is asking you to slow down and remember before He asks you to act? What would that look like this week?
Devotional
Picture this: you've just crossed an impossible river on dry ground. You're finally in the land God promised. The enemy city looms on the horizon. And what does God have you do? Stop. Set up camp. Kill a lamb. Eat unleavened bread. Remember Egypt.
It seems like the wrong time for a feast. Shouldn't they be strategizing? Building fortifications? Scouting Jericho's defenses? But God's priorities are different from a military planner's. Before you fight the next battle, remember the last deliverance. Before you face what's ahead, anchor yourself in what God has already done. The Passover doesn't make tactical sense in this moment, but it makes spiritual sense — it tells Israel who they are before they face who they're up against.
If you're in a season where you feel the pressure to act, to push forward, to engage the next challenge — and God seems to be saying "slow down and remember" — this verse validates that tension. Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do before the walls of Jericho is sit down and eat a meal that reminds you who your God is. Worship before warfare. Memory before mission. That's the order God keeps insisting on.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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