Rolled Away

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. – Joshua 5v9

‘Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away
Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away
All my sin had to go, 'Neath the crimson flow..[Hallalujah]
Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away’

I could not help but think of this song as I read this passage today. The setting is just before Joshua and the people were to cross over into the land. None of the males who were born in the wilderness had been circumcised. Circumcision was required as a symbol of God’s cleansing and separation for His people so Joshua had them all circumcised and he called the place Gilgal. That word means be ‘rolled back‘ or ‘rolled away.’ The reason for the naming is that the final deliverance from Egypt was accomplished. The sin of the land was ‘rolled away.’

Why is this important to us? I think the writers of the little chorus above got the message. At salvation something was ‘rolled away’ for us. When we were saved our sin was indeed rolled away. We have our own Gilgal to remember.

Praise God for my own Gilgal way back in 1974!