Joshua 5:9 NLT

“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.’ So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.”

God had spoken to His people through Moses that He would bring them out of slavery and that He would give them a land flowing with milk and honey, where they would increase, multiply, and be blessed so they could freely worship Him.

These people were oppressed for 400 years together with their ancestors, families, friends, toddlers, teens, and the rest of the younger generation. It must have taken radical courage to convince one another to move forward. On top of this, the mighty Egyptian army chasing and Red Sea in front of them was testing their faith over fear .

God had performed wonders and miracles to deliver them from suffering. Although God brought these people out of slavery and humiliation,living under a taskmaster and under the authority of the oppressor for many years had shaped the way they thought.

They breathed fear. They heard only words of discouragement. They saw only failures. They walked only in distress. They gossiped, talked, and laughed all under slavery—and about their slavery.

Their expectations for life were barely minimal, and the Promised Land seemed more dream than reality.

Along the way, whenever they faced a hiccup in the journey, they stopped, feared, and murmured. At times, they even longed to go back to Egypt rather than press forward into freedom.

Later, they were tried and tested in food, water, disease, war, and natural disasters. Recovery from oppression was not a short walk; it took forty years to see a breakthrough and taste victory. The wilderness became a place where unbelief cost many their lives, and only a few made it to the Promised Land.

Joshua, the current leader after Moses, was leading the people of God to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. Crossing the Jordan was the final step before entering the land of promise. God told them to set up twelve stones as a testimony, a reminder that the slavery of Egypt was behind them. At this moment, the roles were reversed—the oppressed were now free, and their enemies around them were the ones trembling.

Here, God also commanded Joshua to circumcise all the males so that they could enter and enjoy the fullness of the Promised Land. And at this very place, God said to Joshua: “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” That place was called Gilgal.

The Word of God encourages us that He, too, will roll away the slavery of our lives. You may be tried and tested in your journey. Your path may be filled with fear and uncertainty. You may even want to hide from people to escape shame and mockery. Maybe you are recovering from trauma, struggling, and walking through a never-ending wilderness.But God is saying to you: There is a Gilgal for you.

This Word comes to you today with hope: God will lead you to your Gilgal—the place where the shame of your youth, the struggles of your past, and the fear of oppression will be rolled away. Moreover your Gilgal is the place where God restores dignity.

But just as the Israelites had to be circumcised in their flesh, we too must allow God to circumcise our hearts—to cut away unbelief, bitterness, and fear. When the heart is surrendered, the promise becomes clear.

So lift your head. The wilderness is not your home. Shame is not your identity. You are on your way to Gilgal—the place where shame is rolled away, and the future of God’s promise unfolds before you.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for being the God who rolls away shame. Just as You brought Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, bring me out of my wilderness seasons and into the place of freedom and promise. Lead me to my Gilgal, where the slavery of my past is gone forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.