March 30, 2025 © Scott McAndless – Fourth Sunday in Lent
Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
In our reading this morning from the Book of Joshua, we meet the children of Israel at what is clearly a key moment of transition. Let’s just take stock for a moment of where they are in their story as a people.
What God Has Done for Them
They have been saved from an enslaved existence by their God. They have been given a new identity – transformed from being the Pharaoh’s workforce to a people who are called by the name of their God.
In addition, their God has given them a law to live by. To put that in terms that we can relate to, they have been given a constitution. And their shared experiences both as they escaped from Egypt and as they struggled together through various trials and tribulations and a few battles during their wilderness wanderings have forged them into a united community with a shared national story.
These are all things that create a sense of nationhood. For us, they are the very things that give us a shared understanding of what it means to be Canadian: a name, a constitution, set of laws and a shared national story.
God has done all of this for them in addition to saving and sustaining them through all this time – the sustenance consisting mostly of the regular provision of food. Manna, as least has they have experienced it, has been heavenly food that they have not had to work for. It has simply been provided.
One More Thing
But in our reading this morning, we are told that God does one more thing for them. It happens once they have crossed the Jordan River and entered into the Promised Land. They arrive at a place called Gilgal, and this thing happens that seems to be pivotal and momentous. But I’m not quite sure what it means.
God says, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” But what is this disgrace? The Hebrew word that is used there is חֶרְפַּ֥ת (ḥer-paṯ). It only appears a few times in the Old Testament, and it is translated in various ways. Sometimes it is translated as disgrace, as here. But when it is used actively, it gets translated as abuse, taunting or scorn. It is a word that indicates that somebody is disrespecting you, either by denigrating you or perhaps laughing at you.
About Respect
What this is saying therefore is that, despite all that God has done for the children of Israel, they are still not getting the respect that God feels that they deserve. They are being mocked and taunted by others. And I can imagine it, can’t you? “You’re just a bunch of former slaves that have banded together,” people were saying. “You’re not a real nation.”
And so, as a final gift to them and a cap on their wilderness wandering, God rolls all of that away from them at the place called Gilgal. (And Gilgal, not so coincidently, means “rolling.”)
To put all of this in terms that we can relate to, lets imagine a ridiculous scenario happening to us today as Canadians. We have a shared identity, a shared national story and constitution. We fiercely defend our sovereignty. We don’t pretend that our country is perfect or that we don’t have problems, but we are justly proud of who we are as Canadians.
“Joking” About Our Identity
So, imagine what it would be like if somebody started making jokes about Canadian sovereignty. They might “joke around” by doing things like calling Canada the 51st state or calling our southern border nothing more than an “artificial line” and our Prime Minister a governor. I know it is hard to imagine anyone doing such a thing (or at least it was a few months ago), but my question is how would you feel about such jokes?
I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t find them very funny. Rather than responding with laughter, Canadians would be much more likely to respond with anger, defiance and even retaliation, right? And all of the protestations that someone might make that they are “just joking,” would certainly not calm down such a reaction. Indeed, as the so-called joking continued, we would no doubt become more and more concerned about where such disrespect might lead.
So maybe, if you reflect on that, you can understand what the children of Israel were feeling at that moment of transition and what God was doing for them. And maybe, just maybe, all of that might make you wonder whether God might just be willing to do a little bit of rolling away for our sake too.
Domination by Empire
The disgrace that the Israelites have suffered is related to their domination by a powerful Egyptian empire. In addition, this passage was probably written down at a time when the people of Judah had just returned from exile in the land of another empire, the Babylonians.
The disgrace is therefore not specifically related to something about Egypt. It is rather something that is common to all empires. They extend their power by denigrating and mocking and disgracing the nations around them. It is often much more effective than exercises of military might.
And that is certainly where empires often start like, for example, when Vladimir Putin’s attacks on Ukraine began in the form of mockery and statements about how they were not a real country and their borders were not real borders.
And I know how we like to say that you shouldn’t listen to such things and that “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.” But there is something about the jibes of empire that make them hard to ignore. There is always a lot of unspoken threat behind them.
A God Who Understands
But in this passage, we learn about a God who understands what it is like to be victimized by powerful empires. He has chosen these people of Israel and saved them from the power of empire. He has made a bunch of slaves into a nation that is free and sovereign. And now he has also removed any stigma of the disgrace that they have suffered.
I don’t know, but all of this does seem to be a message that we could use at this particular moment. We live at a moment in time when the disrespect of one empire and one wannabe authoritarian leader seem to be disrupting us a lot.
And one thing that might do to us that would be unhelpful would be if we got caught up in the hurt that such disrespect might make us feel. Stewing in our bad feelings is likely not going to be very constructive.
So, knowing that God is willing to take away that disgrace for our sake might be a helpful thing. It can help us to get past the emotional response and move on to more practical measures.
Practical Results
And what might those practical measures be? Well, the passage ends by saying this: “they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.” And I can’t help but think that that might have something to do with not allowing any sense of disgrace to overwhelm them. It certainly reminds me of one of the most positive responses among Canadians these days as they choose to live on the things that are produced in their own country as much as they can.
I think that this passage makes it clear that such measures are not just good economic sense. It is a way of banding together as a people to support one another, knowing that our solidarity is a threat to the imperial powers of this world.
You see, that is what they don’t want us to know, that they are not as powerful as they pretend – that they actually depend for their power on everyone feeling inferior and subservient. When we don’t play that game, they lose that power.
Not Easy
That is not to say that it is going to be easy. When the Hebrews ate the produce of the land that year, it started with little more than, “unleavened cakes and roasted grain.” And I know that is traditional Passover food, but the very simplicity of the food is a message. When we choose to support one another first, that may come with a lowering of the standards we may have enjoyed while under empire’s wing.
Like the Israelites who complained, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread,” (Exodus 16:3) we may find ourselves missing many things in times to come. But let us not forget that independence and sovereignty are more valuable than pots of meat.
So, I do see this passage from Joshua speaking to us at this particular moment. And given the somewhat fraught political situation right now, it might be hard to approach this story as anything but Canadians.
Eating the Produce of the Land
But there are other ways to interpret and apply this passage that I would also like you to take away with you today – something to think on at least. The idea of eating “the produce of the land” is something that may apply to your own personal life as well.
It is so easy for any of us to fall into the habit of relying on an outside energy to direct and define our lives. Now, when that external energy is with you in a mutually supportive way – like in a good marriage or in our relationship with a loving God – that can be a very beneficial habit.
But when that energy is dominating and controlling, when it has an Empire energy to it, that is another story. This is what happens with addictions, with high control religious systems and with co-dependant relationships. This is destructive. It causes disgrace in that it keeps us from being the people we have the potential to be.
It is Worthwhile
And this passage is here as a comfort to you if that is what you are dealing with. God stands ready to roll away the disgrace of any empire that rules over your personal life.
And yes, that may not be an easy process. You may need to concentrate on the produce of your own life for a time, develop your independence in some uncomfortable ways. That may even mean that you have to subsist on “unleavened cakes and roasted grain” for a while.
But the work is always worthwhile and, in these words of the Lord to Joshua you have a promise that your God will work with you.
Despite what the powerful of this world often claim, your God is no friend of empire. Your God is at work to free those under the domination of any kind of empire – to free those who have been enslaved in any way and roll away all disgrace.
This story from the Book of Joshua is told of a people at a moment of key transition. And I can’t help but think that we are also living in a time of transition. The world is changing; old alliances are shifting. But do not fear. God will roll away your disgrace at a place called Gilgal.