The Gilgal Passover was the divinely timed observance that occurred exactly forty years after the Passover in Egypt, demonstrating God's meticulous calendar.
Israel had just crossed the Jordan and was near Jericho, an enemy stronghold, when God stopped them for Passover. Les Feldick points out that this was exactly forty years to the day from the first Passover in Egypt. The pause before Jericho shows that covenant obedience took priority over military advance.
Joshua 5:10 — This verse records Israel keeping the Passover at Gilgal—the very event the question asks about.
The book of Joshua records that after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan, they encamped in Gilgal. There the LORD told Joshua, "This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you," and the place was called Gilgal. Then, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, the children of Israel kept the Passover in the plains of Jericho (Joshua 5:9-10). This observance followed the instructions given in Exodus 12, where the lamb was to be without blemish, a male of the first year, and kept until the fourteenth day (Exodus 12:5-6). On the night of the plague, the blood on the doorposts was the sign: "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). The Passover was later incorporated among the seven feasts of the LORD in Leviticus 23, and in the New Testament it is connected to Christ, who is called our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Les Feldick helps listeners see the startling significance of the order of events. Israel had just crossed the Jordan and was now in enemy territory, only a mile or two from the first city they were to conquer. Yet God stopped them in their tracks. As Les says, "Of all times for God to stop the nation of Israel in its tracks"—before they fought Jericho, they were to observe the Passover. Les then connects this to the original Exodus: "That Passover that they will celebrate just having come into the land will be exactly 40 years from the Passover in Egypt. Now that's how meticulous God is with His timing." For Les, this precision shows that the biblical calendar is not accidental but divinely ordered. In other lessons, he grounds the meaning of Passover in the lamb without blemish, the security of those behind the blood, and Paul's teaching that Christ became our Passover lamb.
Immediately after the Jordan dried up, the Amorite kings' hearts melted with fear. Israel was already in enemy territory, just a mile or two from Jericho. Yet rather than attack at once, Israel halted. Les describes this as the "of all times" for God to stop the nation—the pause was for covenant observance, not military preparation. The Bible shows they kept the Passover at Gilgal in the plains of Jericho on the fourteenth day.
The original Passover in Exodus 12 was the night the LORD "passed over" the blood-marked homes and spared Israel from the plague. Les shows that when Israel came into the land and celebrated Passover, it was exactly 40 years later to the day. This exactness was not coincidence; it reveals God's meticulous timing and His ability to order events around Israel's history.
Passover is the first of the seven feasts of the LORD in Leviticus 23. Les notes that it was the feast Israel was celebrating at the crucifixion, and Paul later shows that Christ is our Passover lamb. The security that Israel felt behind the blood on the doorposts—calm, not fearful—pictures the peace of those under the blood of Christ.
Stopping at Enemy Territory
Les points out that Israel had just crossed the Jordan into enemy territory, miles from Jericho, making the decision to stop for Passover all the more striking.
Exactly 40 Years
Les reveals that the Passover after crossing the Jordan was exactly 40 years from the first Passover in Egypt, showing God's meticulous timing.
Passover Lamb Instructions
Les reviews the Exodus 12 instructions: the lamb was to be without blemish, a male of the first year, kept until the fourteenth day—the same calendar anchor used at Gilgal.
Institution of Passover
Les introduces Exodus 12 as the benchmark chapter where Passover was established, showing why every later Passover traces back to this beginning.
Passover Among the Feasts
Les shows that Passover is one of the seven feasts of Israel, and that in the New Testament Paul calls Christ our Passover lamb.
Security Behind the Blood
Les asks whether the Israelites feared the plague; they were calm and secure because the blood was on the door, showing the Passover's protective meaning.
What "Baptized Unto Moses" Really Means — 1 Corinthians 10 Explained
It makes it so much more believable. My when you see how all this fits so beautifully, written thousands of years before by men totally unaware of the Church Age, and yet it all fits. How could it if God hadn't been the author of it? And so this is another one of the proof positives, of course, that this book is supernatural.
Protected by the Blood
Les stresses God's one requirement for protection: "When I see the blood, I will pass over you," the heart of the Passover.
Joshua 5:9: And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.
This is the naming of Gilgal and the reason the location was significant for the Passover that followed.
Joshua 5:10: And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
This is the direct record of the Passover kept at Gilgal, the event in question.
Exodus 12:5: Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
This gives the divine requirement for the Passover lamb, showing the standard Israel followed.
Exodus 12:6: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
This fixes the Passover to the fourteenth day, the same date referenced at Gilgal.
Exodus 12:13: And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
This explains the protective power of the Passover blood, which gives the feast its meaning.
Leviticus 23:5: In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.
This places Passover first among the seven feasts of the LORD, showing its ongoing significance.
1 Corinthians 5:7: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
This New Testament verse connects Passover to Christ, who is the fulfillment of the lamb.
It was the first Passover in the Promised Land, kept exactly 40 years after the one in Egypt. This shows God's precise timing and that covenant obedience came before military conquest.
The LORD told Joshua He had rolled away the reproach of Egypt, and the place was called Gilgal. The name commemorated that removal of reproach.
Les emphasizes that the Passover after crossing the Jordan was exactly 40 years from the Exodus, calling it evidence of God's meticulous timing.
Israel had crossed the Jordan and was encamped in Gilgal. The LORD told Joshua He had rolled away Egypt's reproach, and then they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day in the plains of Jericho.
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