Rolling Away Reproach

“And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.” -Joshua 5:9

“Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!” Genesis 30:22-24

“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth for the LORD has spoken.”  -Isaiah 25:8

It’s a weird word, reproach.  I don't use it much, but the Bible does.  You likely have one.  Your reproach is the thing in your life that makes you embarrassed, ashamed, and scared.  It's the infertility.  It's the giant that mocks you and your people every morning.  Your reproach is the thing that just doesn't seem to go away, keeping you stuck in embarrassment, isolated, and wandering. 

God rolled away His people's reproach in Joshua 5, and once He did, everything changed. Men healed up, a great meal was shared, the bland routine of manna was ended. And then a fresh encounter with the Great Warrior.  If God were to roll away your reproach, you’d enter into an entire new phase of your life, encountering the Lord Jesus in a whole new way.  But how are these reproaches rolled away?  

I don’t think you can will it to happen. God does the rolling away in his time. Sometimes He rolls reproaches after 40 years. Other times it might be after 3 days. My best guess is that your reproach is rolled away when God’s grace and your faithful obedience collide.

But this is what is truly awesome about a God that rolls reproach: embarrassment can become courage, long seasons of wandering can end, blandness can become flavorful, and mocking giants can find themselves without a head.  What is dead can resurrect.    

May God’s grace and your faithful obedience collide. Let the reproaches roll.