Verses 2 through 9 speak of the circumcision of the new Israel.
The circumcision of the new Israel took place at Gilgal, which means “a rolling.” Concerning this, verse 9 says, “Then Jehovah said to Joshua, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. So the name of this place has been called Gilgal to this day.”
The purpose of circumcision was to make God’s chosen people a new people for the inheritance of God’s promised land (Gen. 17:7-12; Josh. 5:6).
The circumcision of the new Israel typifies the circumcision of Christ, by His death, on the believers in the putting off of the body of the flesh for their inheritance, in resurrection, of Him as the God-allotted portion to them (Col. 2:9-12; 1:12).
Joshua 5:10 says that the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho.
The children of Israel were to keep the Passover to remember Jehovah’s redemption of Israel from the death judgment on their firstborn sons (Exo. 12:3-7, 11-14).
The keeping of the Passover was also to remember Jehovah’s salvation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh and Egypt (Exo. 14:13-30).
The keeping of the Passover indicated that just as Jehovah had saved Israel from Pharaoh and Egypt so would He destroy the tribes of Canaan and deliver Israel from them. Thus the keeping of the Passover encouraged the children of Israel and gave them the assurance that Jehovah would displace the evil Canaanites.
Israel’s keeping of the Passover typifies the believers’ keeping of the Lord’s table to remember the Lord’s redemption and salvation (Matt. 26:26-28). The Lord Jesus established His table with the bread and the cup to replace the Feast of the Passover. He has fulfilled the type, and now He is the real Passover to us (1 Cor. 5:7).
Joshua 5:11-12 speaks of Israel’s eating of the produce of the promised land.
Manna was the food from heaven in Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. The manna typifies Christ as the unconsummated heavenly food to God’s chosen people, not requiring the eaters to labor on it.
The produce of the promised land was the God-given food in their fighting in Canaan. This produce typifies Christ as the consummated God-given food to the believers, requiring them to labor on Him.
Joshua 5:13-15 is a record of the vision seen by Joshua.
Verse 13a says, “Now once, when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked; and behold, there was a man standing opposite him, and His sword was drawn in His hand.” This vision was an unveiling of Christ to Joshua.
Verses 13b and 14a go on to say, “Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are You for us or for our adversaries? And He said, Neither, but as the Captain of Jehovah’s army have I now come.” Whereas Joshua was the visible captain of Jehovah’s army, Christ was the invisible Captain of Jehovah’s army. Christ was such a captain to fight against the seven tribes of Canaan for Israel. Because of this, Joshua needed to stand on the position of sanctification all the time (v. 15).