Joshua 5:8-9, “So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed.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.”

            Circumcision was a sign of covenant relationship with God. The first generation of Israel were circumcised to signify they are in covenant with God. The second generation of Israel never got a chance to get circumcised until they crossed the Jordan. God’s response to their circumcision is remarkably interesting. He says He has rolled away the reproach or shame of Egypt. Egypt typically represents the world. What He is trying to say is that now that they are circumcised, they have stepped away from the world into My covenant. In doing so, the burdens of their previous life are taken away.

            When we become believers of Jesus, He rolled away the reproach of the world. Now that we are in Christ, all our sins and mistakes He took from us. There was an exchange the day we accepted Jesus Christ. He took all our burdens and He gave us His burden. Our burdens include anything that weighs us down from being who God called us to be.

            That is why we roll away shame. We do it by giving it to Jesus. It requires faith because we must trust that God’s love will be stronger than our shame. Shame is one of the heaviest burdens because it stunts our spiritual growth by constantly reminding us what we did. For us to relieve this burden, the first step is to forgive ourselves from what we did and then let the love of God fill that void. The reason why we stay with this burden is because we can never forgive ourselves. We do not see ourselves as God sees us and as a result, we accept the guilt and shame of our mistakes. Therefore, it is important to read the Bible because it will tell us how God sees us, and once our identity is confirmed, forgiving ourselves becomes easier.

2 Corinthians 5:17 & 21, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new…For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”