Gilgal – What’s in name Introduction

(As a preface you will find that I take most of my reference from the Authorised version and the New living translation. I do this as I find that these two translations give us a much deeper meaning and a greater challenge than other translations)

Introduction

Over the next week I will post some thoughts on Gilgal and its significance to our spiritual lives.

Gilgal literally means “circle of stones”  but in the Bible it has been given a meaning of “I have removed” or “rolling” .

I want to look at a few instances in the old testament where we find the word Gilgal used. I am aware that the actual place of Gilgal is arguable and in all probability could reference different places, however  I am more interested in the significance of the word Gilgal and what happens at the place where Gilgal is mentioned in the Bible, as I believe this can help us in our spiritual lives.

I want to look at Gilgal under five headings

1. The cost of Gilgal
2. The freedom of Gilgal
3. The abuse of Gilgal
4. The separation of Gilgal
5. The security of Gilgal

We will start our study in Joshua 4

If you want another take on this story you can read https://www.steveford.org/joshua-a-personal-encounter-1

We are told that Joshua was commanded by the Lord to instruct 12 men, one from each tribe, to take a stone  from the dry river bed and pile them up in the place they were to stay that night. Essentially these stones were for a memorial to all future generations that God had intervened in their lives and made a difference. Gigal is significant here in Joshua 5 as it is the place where the children of Israel recognised that “God had rolled away the reproach of Egypt”, (Joshua 5:9) that is, He had cut them off from their past, from their slavery and desert wandering so they could experience a freedom that had been eroded while they had lived in Egypt. In much the same way we all need a Gilgal in our lives, we all need to have that place where we know God has cut us off from our past, from our slavery to sin and our constant wandering in deserts, living from one crisis to the next. We also need a Gilgal where we have set up our memorial, a place where we put down our marker for all to see. This is a physical demonstration that God has brought us out of our sinful past to an inheritance far greater than we deserve. This is a place that we will have to return to at various points in our lives to remind ourselves of what God has done for us.

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